Other 'job'
Other 'job'
(OP)
I just started working for another company, and now have 5 technicians working for me. They are Non-Exempt, Hourly, non Union. These particular technicians are a special group in that only one can back up for another. So, two are on one system, two on another, and I back up for the third.
One of the technician's hobby is refereeing highschool and younger football in the fall. 5 nights a week plus weekends.
I've only been here two months, and I've already heard that last fall, there were issues in the plant and he just left because he had to 'ref' a game.
I am now running into an issue where we need him to travel this fall, where he will miss his 'hobby'. He already said, not only will he not go, but he can not go because he already signed a contract to ref. He does get paid for some of the games.
I can understand family issues or emergencies precluding work, but this behavior is not desireable in the workplace.
Where do outside interests conflict with work and what can be done with an hourly worker who decides he doesn't want to work overtime? Again, we only have one other person to cover for him, and due to vacations, etc. he is not always available.
How is this handled?
One of the technician's hobby is refereeing highschool and younger football in the fall. 5 nights a week plus weekends.
I've only been here two months, and I've already heard that last fall, there were issues in the plant and he just left because he had to 'ref' a game.
I am now running into an issue where we need him to travel this fall, where he will miss his 'hobby'. He already said, not only will he not go, but he can not go because he already signed a contract to ref. He does get paid for some of the games.
I can understand family issues or emergencies precluding work, but this behavior is not desireable in the workplace.
Where do outside interests conflict with work and what can be done with an hourly worker who decides he doesn't want to work overtime? Again, we only have one other person to cover for him, and due to vacations, etc. he is not always available.
How is this handled?
______________________________________________________________________________
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RE: Other 'job'
You can either choose to work around his inflexible schedule, or find someone who is willing to work around yours, plain and simple.
Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: Other 'job'
Maybe he would be more amenable if you offered him more. Just a thought. Today your workers are not unionized. But that doesn't mean tomorrow they sign the cards.
RE: Other 'job'
No need to force the employee to count the cost. Just find another player.
Of course, if there are no benefits to be had with increased travel and responsibility, I would be in the same camp as the "ref".
RE: Other 'job'
Given his lack of cooperation, the next time there's a downsizing, I can guess whose name will top the short list. Certainly, it would appear that his uncooperativeness would lead to resentment on the part of the others that must take up the slack, and you might wind up losing someone else, who is more cooperative; a lose-lose.
Overall, I wonder if having only one backup is realistic. One might also wonder if training an additional backup might give him food for thought. As a general rule, we liked to have all the technicians cross-trained, to eliminate problems such as this.
TTFN
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RE: Other 'job'
It's just unfortunate for you that you have one on your team.
RE: Other 'job'
Even when I was single, I only bowled league 3 nights a week, which I would dump if I had to make a business trip.
TTFN
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RE: Other 'job'
Greg Lamberson, BS, MBA
Consultant - Upstream Energy
Website: www.oil-gas-consulting.com
RE: Other 'job'
I would recommend carefully looking through your policies and job descriptions for the position. This gives you some sort of framework hopefully to work from. HR can hopefully help you a bit there as well. I would definitely take a look at some additional cross training within your group.
As for ethical concerns, from what I can tell, there are not really any issues present as the employee appears to be working within (perhaps strictly by), the rules.
Regards,
RE: Other 'job'
Full reimbursement of all expenses. 1 1/2 times normal pay anything over 8 hours/day. No weekend work or travel.
Don't know if he needs the additional money. Personal finance is his responsibility. These positions are the highest paid for non exempt in the plant. His kids are not on the teams.
Not our problem.
If one person were travelling for work or taking vacation himself, then the second person cannot take vacation. This is a completely different situation.
Highest paid technicians in the plant. He is not refing only for the money. He doesn't get paid for the games during the week, only the weekends.
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RE: Other 'job'
Now:
What changes if this person was the engineer? Salary, no overtime pay, exempt.
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RE: Other 'job'
If the contract doesn't say anything like that, and it is 'expected' he does so, but not formalised legally, is he breaking his contract? Nope.
By not refereeing he claims to be breaking the contract he holds with the football association, which potentially means he has put himself in a position where he cannot fulfil both contracts.
Sounds like the lawyers will be needed, and a judge to determine which contract has legal precedence, especially if the chap is fired and this ends up in an employment tribunal.
RE: Other 'job'
Having said that, employees shouldn't neglect their responsibilities to their co-workers and employers for the sake of extracurricular activities. If they do, they shouldn't be surprised when they will have to look for a new employer.
Travel plans "in the Fall" is ample time to give any employee to make arrangements to be prepared for the trip. I know I get upset when I am told at 11am that I need to travel somewhere "tomorrow". If I am given a couple days notice I can manage issues at home for the trip, no worries.
I would talk with your supervisor, tell him the situation, and what you think should happen (tech goes on trip). Your supervisor should back you, but since you have only been there for a short amount of time, your supervisor may have some insight that you don't. Take it all in, then make your choice... and maybe look to hire a new tech before the Fall.
"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."
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RE: Other 'job'
Just my 2 cents
RE: Other 'job'
MadMango is right. Do you really want an employee who can travel at the drop of a hat because his life outside of work consists of sitting in front of a TV drinking beer and watching Wheel of Fortune?
At least this guy is providing a community service, and staying is good health. He is out running, getting fresh air and exercise! That alone is worth a great deal to his employer.
You walked into a pre-existing situation. Why not take a more blameless stance?
Assume that Mr. Ref either did not know about the travel 'requirement', or it is a change in his work situation, or that there was a tacit acceptance of the time restrictions imposed by his hobby. Whether true or not, try to put yourself into that frame of mind.
Ask Mr. Ref if the league in which he coaches can provide a substitute referee for the time during which he will need to travel for work. Explain that he is valued at work and he is needed to be off site for an important task. Tell him you are very happy that he has this noble outside interest and that you would like to help him keep it as much as practicable.
There must be someone who organizes the league. Offer to talk to them to see what you can offer, perhaps a small donation or corporate sponsorship. Have your company buy a couple of cases of Capri Sun juice boxes for the team, then drop them off with the organizer and have a little chat. If you try a different approach, you can work out something that feels good for everyone.
But if you are determined to use the big 'ol government stick, here's a pretty comprehensive site describing Federal law that does not burden you with a lot of legalese. There is also a link to find out your State's labor laws.
If it were me, I'd keep the government out of it. No one will end up feeling good about it.
http://employeeissues.com/overtime_pay_2.htm
"If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance!"
RE: Other 'job'
I'm supposed to travel here and there for work. I can schedule these trips myself, and I work around other conflicts (not just the hobby, but other normal aspects of having a personal life).
Lately, though, there has been a project involving lengthy travel, and I have not had control over the dates. For the most recent trip, I had 14 days' notice to be gone for two weeks (and those two weeks turned into almost three). To do that, I had to find a substitute for a gig that I had a signed contract for. (And even if I didn't have a signed contract, it was someone's wedding. Can't just cancel for that.)
This is not what I signed up for when I took this job; in fact, I took this job so that I would be able to pursue my hobby (and my employers at the time were quite aware of this). If I have to spend the next year of my life ready to travel at the drop of a hat (and 14 days counts as hat-drop timeframe in my world), that means I can't commit to *anything* for the next year. It would be a bit of a financial loss, but mostly it's a major blow to my quality of life. And although I'm hardly starving on an engineer's salary, I am sure as hell not paid nearly enough to give up what, in the absence of children and pets, matters to me most.
I finally sat down with my boss & said I can't live that way. Fortunately for me, he agreed that I shouldn't have to. The tight scheduling should mostly go away, and that will give more flexibility for scheduling the trips. Unfortunately, it's still not really working for me because I can't pin down the schedule far enough in advance; if I know I have to go "sometime in December or January", that still ties up two months for me, and possibly more as the schedule inevitably slips.
So I understand the ref's position. He had his plans already made that were consistent with his job expectations, and then the expectations were changed.
Can he make some of the trips and have the other guy cover the others? Other than that, I'm with Casseopeia.
Hg
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RE: Other 'job'
Last I heard, slavery was outlawed around the world. So what you need to do is hire someone who doesn't have a life.
Or - - - decide the glass is half-full and let things be.
RE: Other 'job'
I don't see that it was unreasonable to occasionally ask for a business trip. To flatly reject all business travel is unreasonable, given the parameters of the job.
TTFN
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RE: Other 'job'
Point is, it's none of our business his reasons for denying the travel. Unless the job description specifically mentioned travel, the company has no leg to stand on, legally or morally. Change the guy out with someone new if the job description has changed, but don't spend time thinking of ways to light a fire under his rear, it's not appropriate.
Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: Other 'job'
What does a company have to do - foresee forever when they hire someone all of the possibilities that may come up in his job form that point until eternity, anticipate those and put them in a contract or job description and it's just tough luck if a situation changes.
Greg Lamberson, BS, MBA
Consultant - Upstream Energy
Website: www.oil-gas-consulting.com
RE: Other 'job'
Travel was known.
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RE: Other 'job'
RE: Other 'job'
He does seem willing to travel for the rest of the year, so it is not like he is just being totally awkward; however the whole of the fall is a long time to be tied up.
I am not sure the attitude of the company actually helps anyone.
Q What are the penalties if he breaches his contract with the league?
A Not our problem
Maybe he would be prepared to travel more out of the fall and give up refereeing for one week or so in the fall as a compromise, if the company were not so heavy handed?
Back in my younger days I had similar issues when I played semi-pro rugby, but we always over came them with give and take from both parties.
The other thing that strikes me is the amount of people that just say sack him and get a replacement in. It must be a hell of a lot easier to sack people in the States than it is in Europe/ UK.
RE: Other 'job'
In the US, most employees are considered at-will employees unless they have an employment contract. This means the employee can be fired for any reason whatsoever, and the employee can leave for any reason whatsoever. There are state-to-state exceptions to the "fire-at-will" policy, of course, but most employees just accept it and move on to the next company. Ironically, even many so-called "contract" employees typically fall under the fire-at-will policy.
Usually union employees and some professions have employment contracts. If you're really good at what you do, you can set up a contract with your company, but it's not easy.
It is indeed sad that people are treated as disposable items, but it's not going to change any time soon. Casseopeia had some good ideas for finding a solution.
My only observation is something that people should keep in mind when they say "just get rid of the guy". Its that employees don't form unions; bad companies do. I've seen it happen and it can get ugly.
RE: Other 'job'
When are engieers going to give up this attitude of the company's all-powerful godlike ability to run every second of the lives of their employees? That went out more than 75 years ago. Just because you have to work many overtime hours unpaid and travel after hours and on weekends... whatever, because of your exempt status (lucky you), there should be no reason why you should want to apply the same conditions to employees that are not burdend with such rubbish. Hourly company employee policies apply only to the hours the employee is scheduled to work plus any mutually agreed overtime and on-call periods. If s/he is a backup for another employee, that requirement should only be applicable to the shift the employee is working plus any mutually agreed overtime and on-call periods. Overtime should be optional and agreed by both employer and employee, as well as on-call periods. Neither should not working overtime be a basis for penalizing the employee in future advancement or wages. When scheduled overtime is necessary, for backup or otherwise, it is obvious that the employer is underestimating his resource requirements and should be at fault. If that is a temporary condition only, some allowance can be given to the employer, however if such can be considered as a permanent or semi-permanent necessity of the employer, no. In the case where the employer is attempting to use his preceived position of power in the relationship to officially or unofficially require, or by threat of some alternative undesireable consequence to the employee, to force the employee into compliance the employer is taking an unfair advantage of the employee.
I always considered overtime as needed only when something got out of control. A time when productivity is decreased to such a low level that continuing to work it at such low efficiency might be "worth it" for a very very short time just to achieve some minute quantity of progress or achieve an important deadline, but if continued especially on a routine basis, should be a sign of grave things to come,... or a company taking advantage of its clients.
"I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters."
- Frank Lloyd Wright (1868-1959)
RE: Other 'job'
If hes highly paid - is he easy to replace? How is is general attitude except doing overtime when it affects his hobby?
Im a scout leader and also like my hobby - and outdoor life in general. I also sometimes twists my work schedule a little to meet my obligations as a scout leader.
So give the guy a break if his work apart from this is fine! You dont know if a replacement has even more strange habits!
Best regards
Morten
RE: Other 'job'
Not everybody lives to work. Working to live should be part of the deal too, but if the other extreme is your bag, don't try to make everyone help you carry your burden around. My best advice is, call it a night and go to a game with him. Maybe you'll both work better together too. Who knows.
... And heck, if it doesn't work out, send him on over. That's all I ask of my employees... unless there's a deadline to meet.
Remember, "The devil you know can be much better than the devil you don't."
"I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters."
- Frank Lloyd Wright (1868-1959)
RE: Other 'job'
1. Hire another employee to back up this one.
2. Hire another employee to replace this one.
3. Pound sand.
If an employee was say going to school, would it be more acceptable? What if the employee were fulfilling a religious obligation? Would your paradigm shift any? If yes, then it is a case of you have a problem with the hobby. If no, then you have a problem with employees having lives.
RE: Other 'job'
I'm surpised you don't know how to handle the situation. In your gut, your already know if you are going to fire him or if you're going to just going to be mad about it all the time.
RE: Other 'job'
RE: Other 'job'
"I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters."
- Frank Lloyd Wright (1868-1959)
RE: Other 'job'
As for the company's attitude "Not our problem" ...I don't even know where to start.
Casseopia was on to something. Find some kind of compromise like an adult.
On the other hand, is he completely in the right to bite the hand that feeds him? No. But I do HATE people whose lives revolve around work. And I have a deep respect for those of us who place priorities of life ahead of our employers (up to a point of course).
RE: Other 'job'
Now who is being extreme?
RE: Other 'job'
And I believe "fire the guy" is simply a short way of saying "deal with his extra-curricular activities or look for someone without them". It's not necessarily a mark against that particular employee, only an employer who wants to fill a spot with someone who can make themselves available during that time period.
It may not feel right to get rid of the guy because he no longer fit's the employer's schedule, but there's nothing that says the employer can't change his wants/needs.
Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: Other 'job'
I don't hate the people, just the fact that some people let work dictate their lives and not the other way around. It is ultimately their choice though - you are right. (And it is great from a business owner's perspective.) However, I stand by what I said about firing the guy. There are plenty of solutions that don't involve those kinds of extremes, and many were already expressed above.
Keep HR out of it. Keep your supervisor out of it. Keep the government out of it. Everyone will benefit from that and I think we can all agree there.
RE: Other 'job'
I'm not saying people should not have outside lives, but this is not about refing a football game. This is about an old time hourly employee trying to get the young management guy to take all the bad hours. Everyone is watching. Your move.
RE: Other 'job'
Is traveling part of his job requirement/contract? If this has been answered, my apologies, but I could not find it.
I'm guessing this guy is good at what he does. Is it worth firing him and training a new guy because of a service he provides to the community? I doubt it. Another solution MUST be found.
RE: Other 'job'
(been there, tried lots of things, eventually had to fired one when promises were not kept)
Don Phillips
http://worthingtonengineering.com
RE: Other 'job'
One thing you need to consider is how YOUR superiors will feel about your reasoning for firing the guy. If you let him go because you want someone on board that you don't have to back up yourself, they may let YOU go. Be certain that they recognize the investment they have in your guy and expect you to protect that investment - with your own unpaid overtime if necessary. I certainly would.