Shop Tool Misuse and Loss

nast70 · #1 01-18-2018, 10:14 AM

Getting bit tired of having to replace lost and busted tools. The guys were complaining about the last batch of 3ahr Makita batteries not lasting very long, so I picked up a couple 5ahr, and a new 1/4" impact. Over $500.00 for all. Didn't last 2 weeks. Turns out the 5ahr batteries don't make good hammers

! To top it off they stopped by to inspect a job in a not great area of town and had the new impact lifted from the box of the truck.

So I have to restock the truck with tools, but I want the guys to have a vested interest in the tools, kinda like a tech, but not to have to drop their own cash. Is there such a thing as a 'maintenance / replacement' contract I can get them to sign? All I want in it would be basic maintenance to be done as needed, minor repairs etc. If something is misused, abused, stolen, they are fully or partially responsible for the replacement.
Anyone have similar ideas that worked?

tirebob · #2 01-18-2018, 10:33 AM

Can you have the employees "sign out" the tools daily? If they sign out a tool in good condition and return it obviously abused, you would maybe have a contract in place that makes them responsible. I am not talking about simple wear and tear, but obvious abuse.

Personally, if my employees consistently show no regard to the value of my property, they will not be employees for long. Fire a guy or two and let it be known to the others why, they might pick up the hint.

nast70 · #3 01-18-2018, 10:41 AM

That's not a bad idea. Log them in and out.

.257Weatherby · #4 01-18-2018, 10:42 AM

I'm not a tradesman nor a teck.
Automotive shops have their crews buy their own hand tools and Construction guys buy their own hand tools...
Large specialty tools I see as a no brainer, but basic hand tools??
Me thinks the crews need some positive reinforcement in their day to day lives.
Hope you find a solution cause it is the small to medium businesses are what keep small communities together.
Rob

Xbolt7mm · #5 01-18-2018, 10:56 AM

There is a system already in place that is utilized all over the place.if they wreck your stuff then get rid of them and get someone who doesn’t. Tryed and true!

Ken07AOVette · #6 01-18-2018, 10:58 AM

I think they need a kick in the butt.
If it was my tools and I was paying employees a wage to do a job they would have 1 forgiven 'mistake' then they would be paying.
Tell them they have to buy their own or sign out and replace if damaged.
The story will always be from Jeff that Scott took the drill and Amy had it last.
Make them accountable. If they do not care about your investment will they truly care about the customers needs while on site?

EZM · #7 01-18-2018, 10:59 AM

Use a Dremmel and etch a number on each tool.

Issue a set of tools, note the tool number, on a list and assign it to an individual. Have the individual sign off on receiving the list and agreeing to responsible for the loss of the tools.

At the bottom of the sheet it reads something like ....

"I have received these tools in good working order and am responsible for returning these tools in good working order. I agree that any tools that are lost or damaged, not in the course or normal wear, they will be replaced by my employer at my personal expense and agree my employer may withhold wages to compensate for this loss".

That way you don't get the "that's my drill" and "that's his drill" BS when guys loose stuff.

If they bring in a defective tool - something that has been broken under normal wear and tear, replace it and re-etch the same number on that tool and dispose of the other tool.

It's no different then being issued a company truck, cell phone, set of keys, fuel card or set of tools.

It perfectly legal and quite common.

If they don't understand why you need to do this after you explain it to them, or whine about it, you have the wrong crew and send that guy packing.

I even use this for things like safety glasses, hardhats, vest and gloves - and all a guy has to do is turn in the old scratched up, worn out or damaged set and he gets a replacement, no questions asked.

If some guy keeps leaving his stuff all over the place and can just go grab a new set anytime - this ends up costing the employer a ton of money.

It even works with things like spray paint, rolls of wire, etc... or anything else they "consume" - just bring back the empty can or empty spool. That reduces the amount of half full cans or wire spools being lost or left in the yard or on sites.

I bet you, dollars to doughnuts, within a month you will cut your tool and consumable spend in half.

I've employed this mandate in both union and non-union shops, in field and in yard or manufacturing and it works 100% of the time in reducing my operating/tool/consumable costs.

Ken07AOVette · #8 01-18-2018, 11:00 AM

Also, yes legally you can have them sign a contract stating they are liable for damage or loss of trades tools and equipment. You can not however tell them that they either sign or find another job. You can tell them that if they do not want to sign they are fully able and expected to supply their own tools of the trade, which they can likely write off a portion for at tax time. Maybe even give them a tool credit, annually, monthly, quarterly, whatever. Easy fix.

The Fisherman Guy · #9 01-18-2018, 11:01 AM

EZM has it right.

Stinky Buffalo · #10 01-18-2018, 11:08 AM

Good advice on this thread. Your employees need to become accountable for the tools.

Might want to check out Milwaukee's One-Key (And Tick) or Dewalt's ToolConnect. More info here.

EZM · #11 01-18-2018, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken07AOVette

Also, yes legally you can have them sign a contract stating they are liable for damage or loss of trades tools and equipment. You can not however tell them that they either sign or find another job. You can tell them that if they do not want to sign they are fully able and expected to supply their own tools of the trade, which they can likely write off a portion for at tax time. Maybe even give them a tool credit, annually, monthly, quarterly, whatever. Easy fix.

Your probably right about the fact you can't fire the guy on the spot citing the above "change in employment conditions".

You can, however, fire anybody, at any time, in the province of Alberta provided you meet the statutory obligation as it relates to severance. The maximum prescribed statutory obligation, enforceable by law, in this province is 2 weeks. (unless something changed over the last year or so).

Doesn't matter if you are a 20 year employee or a 2 year employee.

But, Alas, we are in good old Alberta. And a tool box meeting held with a sign out sheet documenting this change to take place 14 days from now is the easy fix.

At that point, it becomes a condition of employment and no longer fall under the statutory obligation for severance.

.....

Now before everyone calls me total "management" @#$% - I am just citing the law.

Every company I've worked for, will, of course, provide a reasonable and fair severance and I support that 100%. If I don't want a guy, I don't need to hurt him as I'm walking him out the door.

If he is released or terminated "for cause" then severance isn't applicable anyways.

ghostguy6 · #12 01-18-2018, 11:12 AM

Best option I have seen is a tool crib with an attendant capable of doing the general maintenance. Having the employees sign out numbered tools at the beginning of each shift seems to have made a big difference with accountability at all the shops I have worked at. One shop I worked at had this set up so any missing or abused tools would be deducted from that employee's profit sharing. Another thing that I found really helped is tool storage in the work area and a designated clean up period at the end of the day. The last 15 minutes of the day were designated for cleaning up, the manager would walk around and collect any tools left in the open. If you wanted those tools back you would have to do something extra around the shop like agree to spend extra time cleaning. Nothing much but it added to the accountability of the employee.

Even though it costs a lot of money, I prefer to use my own personal tools where I can because I always know whats available and the condition of the tools. I as the employee, I found far to often that shops would buy the cheapest tools possible and they would break resulting in more problems.

nast70 · #13 01-18-2018, 11:13 AM

Thanks for all the advise. It's all useful and applicable!
In the end it will be a combination of all the above incorporated in an existing form the guys use on site for safety concerns, customer sign off etc..

Thanks again!

fishtank · #14 01-18-2018, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nast70

Thanks for all the advise. It's all useful and applicable!
In the end it will be a combination of all the above incorporated in an existing form the guys use on site for safety concerns, customer sign off etc..

Thanks again!

make them buy their own tools(drills is pretty common) and sign out specialty tools . a trades person should have their own tools for the job .

AdAMxr · #15 01-18-2018, 12:20 PM

Our company policy is we buy you your first impact/drill set and after that it's up to you to insure you have one. Not sure how legal it is, but it works.

cccan · #16 01-18-2018, 12:40 PM

Couple impacts here and there I would be happy...btw the 3 tooling centres two in the US and 1 in Canada our tool loss is about 2 million...we call it the cost of doing business

Trochu · #17 01-18-2018, 01:31 PM

My FIL is a HD mechanic, he buys his own impacts.

His lasts alot longer than 2 weeks.....

Ken07AOVette · #18 01-18-2018, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cccan

Couple impacts here and there I would be happy...btw the 3 tooling centres two in the US and 1 in Canada our tool loss is about 2 million...we call it the cost of doing business

Boy would I love to get in on loss abatement for you, maybe just for 40% or so lol

Xbolt7mm · #19 01-18-2018, 02:52 PM

You can make them buy their own tools but there is usually some kind of compensation for that, you however can not make them pay for tools they break or lose, you can discipline them, fire them but you can not make them pay for them. Otherwise every employer would be able to make employees pay for the dumb stuff they do.

Sooner · #20 01-18-2018, 02:59 PM

I can remember my boss at the first body shop I worked at come walking into the lunch room, dump a bunch of broken shop stuff on the table and say your all on your own now. No more shop Primer guns, no more shop supplied sanders. Primer guns would be left with mixed hi build and be found near solid in the am. Sanders never oiled, dropped or their pads chewed to nothing from abuse.

Best thing he did. I already had my own primer gun & sanders as the shop one's sucked and guess what, once everyone bought their own, the accidental leaving primer in the gun stopped and the super fast destruction of orbital pads stopped too.

ESOXangler · #21 01-18-2018, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xbolt7mm

You can make them buy their own tools but there is usually some kind of compensation for that, you however can not make them pay for tools they break or lose, you can discipline them, fire them but you can not make them pay for them. Otherwise every employer would be able to make employees pay for the dumb stuff they do.

^^^ This is fact. Just went through it.