Really bad tempers

[coolwhip]

When I first started in the trade I was an installation helper. I worked for a small company and every morning when I would get there, a family argument would be going on. All kinds of screaming and yelling, cuss words . Then, I would have to work with this guy that would throw things like hammers, screw drivers, one time he threw the hand truck down a customers stair case. It was like this almost every day for 6 months until I got the hell outa there. I think Ive been traumatized by it. 16 years later and I can recall just about everything. Any kind of ****e happen like this when you first started?

[JasonHoustonTX]

When me and my brother started in this business working for our father, it was just like that. My father is a very hard-headed, negitive man. So it made working with him very hard. My brother couldnt take anymore of it and went to work for shell oil. I stuck it out and found out that this was turning my health upside down and my life with my dad outside of work was going to ****. I had to put the breaks on and had to change my additude and try to work around my fathers.

Well after all of that and several years, my father and I sat down and started talking about a succession plan. So far so good, he is almost retired and I am running the ship. I now see why he was that way - the business, if not managed right will turn any man into a bitter, sour, person.

[dash]

Worked at 4 different companies,all had family members there.Very hard to work with them and here both sides of all the arguments.Made a decission early on.

Started in business in 1975,No family working here!

Made a deal with a friend,while the kids were in High School ,he employed my Kids and I employed his,worked out great.Better for the kids as well!

[swat]

The first 2 or 3 helpers I had as well as the first 1 or 2 installers I worked with had serious tempers like that. They would get all furious and throw things and smash their work and totally screw the job up and then spend another 3 hours redoing some of their work and mine. Finally I got fed up and told them they can do it all by themselves if they were going to tear it up.

[tinner73]

Made a deal with a friend,while the kids were in High School ,he employed my Kids and I employed his,worked out great.Better for the kids as well! [/B][/QUOTE]



now, that is a good idea!
my plumber buddy worked w/his father for many years. he said working with/for family is tough. you take home work headaches.

[slimwoodie]

i love to push people like that to the edge for a while, and then send them over ... it's cheap entertainment at work .. :D

[Ammonianite]

I remember when I first started in the business with a small
3 person refrigeration shop. The guy was pretty well respected in the community but he was a closet drunk. It was like pins and needles all the time. You never could tell when he was going to explode. I remember one time he
got mad and had me clean the beer and puke out of his
El Camino. I took this for about eight months and finally figured that whether I stayed in the trade or not, it just wasn't worth it.

[air1]

Look on the bright side. After working someplace like that, every other place would seem better by comparison.

[frozensolid]

Sour, and bitter or Pride, and Joy, are not a far throw from what we do everyday. Management will make the difference between living hell, and livin large.

Poor management is all around you in this industry. A good mechanic is not always a good manager. If you want to go out on your own, take some business courses or seminars. Even better is SCORE, it’s free and those guys have been there.

“Big Dogs” are getting fewer and fewer in this trade. I think it’s because “Big Dogs” are not going to take Sh!t from anyone. You want to excel in this trade learn to manage, turning the wrenches is easy in comparison.

[Collin]

I was in a chase box helping to install a fireplace when I heard a #@&! then a cordless drill came screaming down from above just missing my head.
I said a few choice words myself and got into sales.:D

[Senior Tech]

Prozac the size of a frisbee....nut'n can piss me off...hey, who said that...hey, get out'a here...no, I won't do it...la kucha racha...la kucha racha...

[Diceman]

I started in the fam biz thing. Had it's good times but soon it got old, not worth it, when ya hate your boss sometimes it's tough when they are fam. And then the wives get invovled about who is making more dough and who has what.
I never got OT and worked my ass for "the company."
Late nights, weekends, the whole nine yards.
Then I had kids and knew I had to something better for their sake, said goodbye under much, I repeat mucho, hard feelings among fam members. I didn't care at that point, I had myself, wife and kiddoes to worry about. Never looked back even through the early hard times. The fam biz tanked big time and soon everyone was saying, that was the best move ya ever made.......no duh... that was 25 years ago this month actually, went by pretty damn fast.
Good luck, life is too short to live it stressed out, it will kill you physically and mentally way before your time.
This is your only shot at it, I mean ya might get reincarnated as a worm or something.....
But don't take the chance, if things suck, make a change, if you don't, I think you know whose fault it ultimately is.

[amickracing]

Back when I started out I was helping a guy who was extremely moody. You could be joking around with him (and he'd enjoy giving it back), and the next second he'd act like a PO'ed lil 2 year old. Really makes it tough to enjoy work when that goes on.

I don't exactly have a good temper, but I very seldom blow up to the point of throwing or beating things. I'm definately not an old man, but it only took me a few years to realize, if someone's going to act like that around me, one of us has to leave.

The business I work for is a big family business, and they have thier ways of causing a lot of stress with all the politics, and the I like you, but not you kinda attitude. Dad works for the same company and recently was sick for 3 days, ended up in the hospital with some heart problems. Dr traced it back to mostly the stress from work. Sure was enough to get it through my head that I'll never end up in the hospital because of work related stress (at least I hope). It just isn't worth it.

[R12rules]

Originally posted by Ammonianite
I remember one time he got mad and had me clean the beer and puke out of his El Camino.

I would have driven it down to the dollar car wash and turned the hose on the insides! Then laid towels down to drive back to the office.

(then I'd have removed the towels).....

Nobody does that to an employee!!!

[tinner73]

you do if your an *******.........unbelievable!

[condenseddave]

Originally posted by R12rules

Originally posted by Ammonianite
I remember one time he got mad and had me clean the beer and puke out of his El Camino.

I would have driven it down to the dollar car wash and turned the hose on the insides! Then laid towels down to drive back to the office.

(then I'd have removed the towels).....

Nobody does that to an employee!!!

NOT ME!

I would've driven down to the nearest gas station and put $10.00 of unleaded in









THE TRUNK.


Then parked it in front of his window, while casually flicking a freshly lit cigarette into the trunk.;)

Now THERE'S an attention getter! You wanna be pissed? I'll GIVE you a reason.:D

[condenseddave]

D'ya think I might have anger management issues???:p

[rob10]

Workin nites will do that to ya!! :D

[jtm065]

In an in-law to a family business. I worked with my wife for 18 months in a retail operation. Hated retail and working with the wife tended to make "How was your day" repetitive. Went back to my computers and am much happier.

I'm friendly with a family that runs a local Garden Center. Dad recently passed away and the family peace is being kept my Mom. Son #1 says he's probably gonna walk away when Mom passes away as the fighting will get ugly.

A large percentage of family businesses don't make it to the 3rd generation.

Cheers

Jim

[ricm]

I worked with my Dad (Both for a family owned Refrigeration company.) They had their quirks, especially, complaints that a cousin got a raise, and someone not family related got passed by... etc.

It wasn't too bad, actually. Then my Dad went on to start his own buisness, and I worked for him for about six, seven years. We never had a problem. We both knew our jobs, and often asked each other advice. Or offered solutions to problems. With all the latest posts... WHERE DID I GO WRONG? :D