Best way to motivate barn help

[LookmaNohands]

Last weekend, the couple who clean stalls on weekends suddenly turned the job over to their daughter and her SO without letting me know. I came into the barn and they were there just finishing up. The problem is they did a very poor job. I had a bit of a distraction going on right then (and have all week) and did not say anything. Now I need to find the best way to get them to do a better job without losing them.

In the past, with others, I have not had success in this area so I am asking for COTH advice.

[demidq]

Could be daughter and SO did not really understand what the job entailed. Thank them, and supervise them through all parts of the job next time they are there. Adequate pay?

[2DogsFarm]

@demidq

Could be daughter and SO did not really understand what the job entailed. Thank them, and supervise them through all parts of the job next time they are there. Adequate pay?

Pay aside, IIWM, I’d thank them, then demonstrate the way I like to see a stall done.
If they cannot accomplish this inform Mom & Dad the subs aren’t working - either they return or you will be looking for new help,

[Milocalwinnings]

My former boss made it very clear what the standard was for stalls. She showed me what the stall looked like after SHE had done it, and if the job was not done to standard, I was asked to go back and continue working until it was. Eventually she didn’t need to check because I pay attention to detail and take pride in my work, but I would be very clear what your standard is and supervise until they get it right. They don’t get paid until it is right.

I would give them the benefit of the doubt and believe that they did not know what the standard was or even what they were really doing. So next time, clearly explain it and/or have a demo stall that you did yourself, and see if that improves the quality of their work.

[danacat]

I’d be wondering if the daughter and her SO really want the job – or are they reluctantly just ‘covering’ for the parents. I’d find out the answer to that before going forward. No point in even keeping the new pair on unless they are super interested in the job, even if it’s a temporary ‘fill in’ situation.

I once had a guy who worked for me in the morning – part time. After a year (with good pay) he started doing a lousy job. So I just flat out asked him if he really wanted the job. After some shuffling around he admitted he didn’t. So I let him go and found someone else.

[Wonders12]

As the other posters said, it’s time to approach them for an appreciative, kind, and fact finding conversation. Thank them for their hard work (regardless of if they’re doing a great job, mucking is hard work) and find out if this is temporary or permanent. If it’s permanent, I would gently find out why they’re here. Are they doing a favor for their parents who can’t/don’t want the job anymore (aka they don’t really want to be here either), do they need extra cash on the side, are they looking for another job, are mom and dad doing them a favor by giving them the job/money? The answers to this would determine how I motivate them as employees.

Either way I would apologize for being absent for their first week and then let them know that even though the parents trained them, you’ll want to do a training too just to get everyone on the same page. Then do that, starting from the beginning as if they had no training.

I would never mention their current quality of work. Consider that water under the bridge and assume that they did not get clear or correct standards to begin with. Start fresh and then evaluate their work moving forward AFTER correct training.

Remember that while mucking a single stall is not hard, mucking an entire barn is a learned skill. Expect them to need time to find the best balance of clean and speed. Make your standard/goal clear, figure out where you are starting from, and then push for improvement, not perfection, every shift. For weekend staff, I would plan for 2 months of very hands on management before I expect them to be able to do the barn well.

BTW, if they’re only here temporarily/don’t want to be here, I would just thank them for their hard work, for not leaving you empty handed, and let them know you’ll look for new help to relieve them of the burden. At that point, I wouldn’t address the quality of the work unless it was REALLY bad, and even then it would probably just be a quick mention/example, “hey, make sure you’re getting the full pee spot. I find it easiest to work outward from the spot to make sure I don’t miss any of it. See, like this…” and then leave it. IMO, some mucking is better than no mucking, even if I have to come behind them and fix some of it.

[cnigh]

I would speak to the couple you hired. The others are a liability. Who just shows up to work somewhere without being hired by the boss first?

[clanter]

pay them in cash… take whatever you are paying them and cut 1/3 of the bill off and hide those parts in the barn… they need to bring the 1/3rd piece to you to get the other 2/3rds … if they do not find the 1/3rd piece you can take the 2/3rds that you still have to the bank for replacement

[Angela_Freda]

You don’t just get someone else to sub for you at your job without clearing it with the boss… Yikes!
I would want to know why the couple you hired did not inform you they could not do the job, and allow you, the boss, to find suitable replacements even if those were the daughter and SO. That is not the hired couples job to do. But it’s also not the daughter and SOs fault either.

[candyappy]

Show them how to clean a stall properly and if that isn’t enough find new employees for the weekend ( if possible). I feel for the weekday stall cleaner , because I have been on the receiving end of a bad temporary cleaner myself and it makes the job a lot harder.

I would also talk in length with the parents and find out what the deal is??

[Gestalt]

@Angela Freda

You don’t just get someone else to sub for you at your job without clearing it with the boss… Yikes!
I would want to know why the couple you hired did not inform you they could not do the job, and allow you, the boss, to find suitable replacements even if those were the daughter and SO. That is not the hired couples job to do. But it’s also not the daughter and SOs fault either.

Double like the above. OP, did you not think the situation strange. I would pay by the stall and if the stall isn’t cleaned properly, no pay.

The place I’m at now has crappy barn cleaners, they are boarders working off debt. The best place I was at the cleaner was paid 2 or 3 bucks per stall depending on location and size. She was fast and efficient. The only barn help I’ve ever given tips.

[DancingArabian]

Well, the daughter and her SO are not the people you hired, so first you have the address the issue with the people you DID hire. Personally, I wouldn’t find it acceptable for some randoms to be on my property and have access to my things (and boarder’s things!) without the appropriate paperwork in place. You definitely need to talk to all of them collectively and figure out who is doing stalls and when and to be sure they understand how you want them done. As soon as you are more concerned about keeping their help than you are about getting the help you need, you lose ownership of the situation. As long as you’re happier having the stalls cleaned poorly than having to figure out another means to get them done, they have the upper hand.

[Wonders12]

@cnigh

I would speak to the couple you hired. The others are a liability. Who just shows up to work somewhere without being hired by the boss first?

@Angela Freda

You don’t just get someone else to sub for you at your job without clearing it with the boss… Yikes!

Obviously I don’t know the OP’s employees, but it can be a cultural thing. Your job is your responsibility, and if you can’t be there, you get your brother or cousin or someone else to take your place. While it seems strange to us, the employees might have thought they were doing the right thing.

I mean, what’s actually worse, calling in a sick day and leaving your employer hanging or sending your cousin to do the job? It’s just a different way of looking at it.

Not to say it is “ok”, because proper paperwork and training needs to take place, but I wouldn’t be upset with them about it.

[BeeHoney]

I find it extremely inappropriate for an employee to bring anyone with them to work without obtaining permission first. Whether or not I really care about the other people who showed up/helped, it’s a huge red flag to me that an employee has boundary issues. To be honest, personally I DO care about the other people, whom I haven’t met, haven’t interviewed, and who have no business hanging around at MY place of business with access to my clients, client owned horses and client owned belongings.

It has also been my experience that often when wonderful employees have a family member they want to “help” by helping them get a job, there turns out to be an obvious reason why that family member doesn’t already have a job. Sometimes it is something minor like flakiness or laziness, but it can also be a situation such as drugs or a criminal record–things that would make it difficult for them to make it through a normal interview process.

Anyway, hiring, training, supervising, and managing employees is a ton of work. It’s just realistic to expect that you are going to have to talk to employees about subjects like the quality of their work, timeliness, behavior, dress, and even more difficult subjects like theft and alcohol / drug use. The good news is that there is no reason to tiptoe around. As an employer, techniques like “being casual” or staying silent to avoid offending someone work very poorly. OTOH, giving feedback, both good and bad (very important not to hold back on the good feedback) is a great way to motivate employees. It’s also a good way to quickly and reasonably weed out employees who really don’t want to be there (or don’t belong there) before things turn sour.

If I were in your shoes I would immediately bring the subject up. Just be 100% clear about what your expectations are. If you don’t care that the other two people did the work, say so, but be very clear that there is a required standard and that leaving dirty stalls is not ok. (Or say, I’m sorry, but I hired you to do the job, not your relatives, please don’t bring other people out to the barn with you.) If you decide you want to train these people, fine, but I would simply be very clear that the work that they did previously was not acceptable and that you are willing to show them how you expect it to be done. FWIW, if someone is offended that you criticized poorly done work, I would consider that a “crystal ball” moment where I think it is very clear what the future holds!

[Angela_Freda]

@Wonders12

Obviously I don’t know the OP’s employees, but it can be a cultural thing. Your job is your responsibility, and if you can’t be there, you get your brother or cousin or someone else to take your place. While it seems strange to us, the employees might have thought they were doing the right thing.

I mean, what’s actually worse, calling in a sick day and leaving your employer hanging or sending your cousin to do the job? It’s just a different way of looking at it.

Not to say it is “ok”, because proper paperwork and training needs to take place, but I wouldn’t be upset with them about it.

I did have more to my response…

“I would want to know why the couple you hired did not inform you they could not do the job, and allow you, the boss, to find suitable replacements even if those were the daughter and SO. That is not the hired couples job to do. But it’s also not the daughter and SOs fault either.”

In other words, ask the couple the OP actually hired why they felt they could just have their daughter cover for them. What if next time they decide, without informing OP, that someone else will do the gig, that someone else fails to show up? Knowing, ahead of time, who is covering work is an important communication especially when we are talking about animal car. It is non-negotiable. And it is never for the non-manager to decide.
IF they are not from this country/culture and unfamiliar with that concept, then after speaking to the OP as above, they will be.

[LookmaNohands]

It seems to be all working out. I spoke to them today. The stalls are cleaner. Parents coming tomorrow. Not sure about future. I already knew the daughter as she acts as an interpreter for her parents whose English is limited. It is a very nice family. I just seem to, sometimes, lack the skills to encourage employees to do a better job.

Thank you for your help.

[BeeHoney]

I wouldn’t worry about your “skills.” It’s not about skills, its about taking the time to be supervise and communicate. Be direct. Tell your employees what you need/expect and be specific and repeat yourself. Be quick to thank employees for a good job and be quick to comment on good things that they did. Know what your standards are both for the work and how your employees conduct themselves, communicate those standards through speech, training and example, and stick to them.

FWIW, employees aren’t looking for the perfect employer. They want to be paid fairly. They appreciate knowing what they are supposed to do and not being expected to choose between guessing what you want or having to call you / approach you to ask. Some people take more pride in their work than others, but most people are working for the check, not because they love their boss or because their boss is super motivating. Don’t be self conscious about being the boss, when you employ someone you’ve just got to step up to the plate.

[hoopoe]

I suspect your employees want to do a good job for you, but without clear direction, it is not going to happen.

As you say this is a nice family. They already showed that as the parents found someone to cover for them instead of flaking out.

You are a nice person, too. Together you can cultivate what most people here would give anything for; reliable workers who care.

sit down and write out the process you use when doing this work. You will be amazed at the level of details and the things you do without thinking as they are ingrained from years of practice. Dont expect that others will have this level of perfection without guidance.

be sure to praise the good more than your review the less good.

might this help?

https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-English-Spanish-Dictionary-Horsemen/dp/1581501463

[Palm_Beach]

@Angela Freda

You don’t just get someone else to sub for you at your job without clearing it with the boss… Yikes!
I would want to know why the couple you hired did not inform you they could not do the job, and allow you, the boss, to find suitable replacements even if those were the daughter and SO. That is not the hired couples job to do. But it’s also not the daughter and SOs fault either.

^^ This. The originally hired couple should have at least called and stated that they can’t get there but they’ve made arrangements for the daughter to come in. And the standard of cleanliness should be made clearn.

I have someone who covers for me when I have to be away from my farm. If there is something I think will not be clear via written instructions I send her a photo or video. For example, I had a horse with a lump on his shin so I sent her a photo of what was “normal” for him, and took a video of how to use the hose “quick hook up” that was a little tricky.

[IronwoodFarm]

@LookmaNohands

The problem is they did a very poor job…Now I need to find the best way to get them to do a better job without losing them.

In the past, with others, I have not had success in this area so I am asking for COTH advice.

I guess is depends on how desperate you are to avoid barn cleaning on weekends. You have situation where the workers were “drafted” into the job by their family. Like BeeHoney, I think it likely that daughter and her SO may be living off mom and dad without contributing much. I see this as mom and dad wanting to get something out them. Or maybe they are trying to be helpful…I am more doubtful about that possibility.

The problem is that you don’t have someone who wanted the job. They may hate this job.

At this point, mom and dad have abandoned the job. They sent someone else to do it. So I would talk to daughter and SO to learn their true intentions about the work. If they seem tentative about it, I would not waste a huge amount of time on training them and start looking for new help.

I am not sure this is an issue about motivating better performance or just needing to replace the workers.