Are Good techs hard to come by, What do you do to keep them?

[The Penguin]

Are good techs hard to come by in your area, What do you do as a mgr/boss/owner do to retain a good tech to keep him/her from looking for the BBD (bigger better deal)

What defines a good tech anyway?

We have all talked about what is done wrong before
broken promises etc poor communication the usual the co is making no money yet the owner shows up in the latest expensive toy

[square2round]

Good workers in general are hard to come by here. It's ridiculous.

[HeyBob]

A good tech in my eyes may not be a guy who is a genious. a good tech is a tech that is loyal, willing to learn, provides awesome customer service, shows up on time, is honest with customers and the boss, does not participate in BS politics with co-workers, keeps his truck clean and has a lot of pride in what he does.

He is willing to go that extra mile, like I said before he may not be a genious, but if you train him, give him annual raises, show him your appreciation as an employee, provide good benefits both of you will benefit together.

My best employees are guys that came to me knowing nothing, I have trained them and grown with them. Training a guy from scratch is a PITA but they are the best loyal employees I have.

You will never keep everyone from looking for the bigger better deal, but if you have a great working environment, pay them more than a living wage and don't treat employees like they are livestock the chances of them running for the bigger better deal is greatly reduced.

[Ammonianite]

Treat them fairly and honestly; always maintaining a sense of integrity. Never promise anyone something that you can't deliver.

Unfortunately, there are too many HVAC companies in this
area that treat both their internal (technicians) and
external (the public) customers the same- feeding both a steady diet of illusion as opposed to reality.

Tell the truth always (even when mistakes are made), provide an environment where the technician can grow
(i.e. training,etc), provide a fair wage and benefit package, and, above all, treat the technician with respect and you should have little problem retaining good techs. There are too few companies who operate this way.

Too many organizations still operate like there is a technician glut in the HVAC industry and figure that techs
are a "dime-a-dozen" and that the tech should be happy with
whatever is dished out.

Maybe they can find bodies to fill positions. From what
I've seen in the quality of work field-wise lately, there are a lot of zombies out there from the Night of the Living HVAC Dead. Quality technicians are not "trained
monkeys" who you offer a wrench and say, "Go fix it and
will give you a bananna!"

There are still quality techs out there, but to attract them, you must be "different" than the rest of the companies out there. You can't do things the same and expect different results.

[oroy54]

How about quarterly bonuses? Us Americans have a bad memory on yearly ones. Also, I knew of a company that did budget for repairs on the vehicles. Knowing that some of the guys were rough on the trucks. If the boys took care of their equipment, any under budget would be another check to them. I always thought Christmas parties for the wife an kids were fun. No Booze. The wife was the one to wake me in the morning for work. Maybe a little Sumpin,Sumpin, like a jump start before work. Roy

[HeyBob]

Oroy54,

The guys like the parties a lot, but sometimes they can get real ugly.

Maybe sometime in the Proforum I'll tell you guys about the employee party at my house where an employee jumped off my diving board and didn't land in the water.

[oroy54]

Sounds like you have a good crew! This is special. These guys are going Pro to silly in a couple of seconds. I cant wait to hear about your pool party. Take care of um.

[pabull]

Heres how I see it, First, you need to pay your workers a decent "living wage". That does not mean the scale that everyone else is paying. (This will piss some owners off). Living wage means: a wage that employees can actusally live on, as opposed to just living paycheck to paycheck. (i.e. 15/hr).
Next, is treat GOOD techs with respect. This means: treat them like your business could not survive w/o them. (From most owners I've met, this is very true).
The little perks such as: Time off, dinners, and other incentives, are a plus. This is NOT the dealbreaker though.
Yes we do this because we like to do this. BUT, the main reason any of us do this is because....we are trying to earn a living!.... (better than digging a ditch)

I am not trying to tell you to kiss an employees ass! That is absurd. But when you have actual GOOD techs, you may want to pucker up those lips a little bit.

Have a nice day!! Pabull

[oroy54]

You have got it right. Respect, It a condition of employment where I work. Roy

[Edited by oroy54 on 09-13-2005 at 02:32 PM]

[hvac_czar]

I look for honest, hard workers willing to listen.. I can teach them the rest. And to keep a good employee, individual recognition and in front of the group. A good wage and appropriate bonuses. Respect and acknowlegement of a job well done. Be willing to listen and treat employee concerns as valid, as if they were your own.

[HeyBob]

Originally posted by oroy54
Sounds like you have a good crew! This is special. These guys are going Pro to silly in a couple of seconds. I cant wait to hear about your pool party. Take care of um.

I have 8 of the most dedicated, honest, loyal hard working HVAC Techs and Installers on this earth. I am fortunate to have them as employees. I would go to the wall for these guys anytime.....they do it for me everyday.