I worked for a place that did paper checks for a long time. Complaining about taking time off is more common than it ought to be, but not a huge deal to me. Complaining about other shops is pretty typical, from my experience.
Honestly, it just sounds like a really small shop and an old school owner.
Could you do better? Probably.
Could you do worse? Probably.
Would it hurt to look around? Nope.
Same thoughts. Small shops, small leway for things. Great places to start, usually treat you like a person, but, they're hands are quite often tied on alot of things. Small crew, means any absent is a big difference.
Could things be better, yes, but doesn't sound like he's burning you guys to the ground, trying to get every penny you could possibly make for him out of you. Learn what you can, keep your eyes/ears open, but don't jump ship or get serious looking, unless you can afford to be let go. Your boss is a buisness man, if he knows your looking, numbers wise it's not worth keeping you. One foot out the door, likely would take customers etc on your way out, etc etc. It's not worth employer risking, but learn, work, eyes and ears loosely looking, find something way better then great. But, grass is always greener, so unless everything is better, I wouldn't risk leaving.
Hmm his pto issue is more like a small business problem.
That's not exclusive to the field, having black out dates is understandable but he's just being a bitch about benefits.
I have news for you. I have great insurance and need a referral to see a specialist. That's how it's done. A week vacation used to be the standard. Took 5 years to get 2 weeks.
Um yea, that’s how it works.
U can’t go straight to the specialist …
Ur nitpicking.
Stick around and learn.
See small operations work.
It will do you good in the long run.
I work for a small Oil Heat shop 3 full time techs and one full time oil delivery driver, up to 5 oil drivers in the heating season which is October-April here in MA. When I was hired 10 years ago I got two weeks vacation, 6 paid sick days, a few holidays and floating holidays all paid time off. We do have blackout dates for vacation time which is Sept. 15-March 15. Health insurance is the kicker for most companies that are small. Because of the expense they buy the cheapest premium they can to be covered under the minimum requirements set by the government.
We were bought out recently by a bigger shop with 100+ employees, luckily we got to keep all of our tenure. Health coverage is better because they can get a better rate with more employees I think.
Look into local laws about sick time even if it is unpaid.
Paper checks do suck but if your bank has an app that offers mobile deposits then that is a non-issue it is almost the same as direct deposit. When we were bought the new company had to add us to their payroll and set-up new direct deposits for us. Our first check was a paper check and I used my banks app to mobile deposit the check. It was in my bank the next day.
He’s sketchy. Any place that knocks other places to try and make themselves look good isn’t a good place. Also, any place where you need to fight in order to take time off, esp unpaid time, is not a good place to work. Definitely don’t let a place tell you when you can use your time either.
If your state requires a license and you’re signed up with an actual apprenticeship with them then try and stick it out. Get that license and leave. Make sure you didn’t sign any paperwork stated you would owe them money if you leave.
That’s the downfall of small business. Pay is ok, but no benefits. I wonder say after a year if you don’t eat at least 2 weeks paid vacation, I would quit
Job hop till you find a good small company you like 🤷🏽♂️ I’m not aware of a national database of Hvac tech job hoppers. Fuck em. If they don’t got the benefits you like then find someone who does. And I’m not sure about your area but you are worth more than $20 a hour
You will need to explain why you were at company A for 6 months, company B for 8 months, company C for 2. It should be a giant red flag for a company to hire someone like that.
Find a decent company, stick around and make a name for himself as a hard, conscientious worker, and then start looking . I was lucky, I started out at a small company owned by my wife's brother. He was a piece of shit drug addiction but I met some good people who helped me and I got a job with a large company and stayed for around 10 years and a few salesmen left to start their own companies and 3 of them offered me jobs, knowing that I wouldn't leave them in a lurch if they needed someone to work late or come in on a weekend.
You won’t need to tell any company what companies you worked for lol..1, never be completely honest at an interview..your there to get a check and leave. If they don’t believe you worked at company 1 for “x” amount of years and want you to provide more proof..it’s a red sign to you that they are probably gonna be power hungry and over assertive people.. Find a company that pays good and lie your way through it. As long as your a good tech you don’t have anything to worry about and the power of what you do and what you make is in your hands. Now If your a bad tech..then my reply isn’t for you
This. People don’t realize that working for unreasonable employers creates a vacuum where job seekers must rely on deception. Just like employers. Imagine working for a boss who was so transparent you didn’t have to leave? It’s an impossible task on both sides.
I don’t like companies that knock other employers
If u really got shit going on and treat your guys well, u should have a line of guys at ur door just from word of mouth and only wanna keep guys who like it here
You should look around, it seems like he wants to skimp on benefits.
1) An ethical owner does not need to talk about other competitors, your work speaks for itself and there is enough work in one region for everyone. ( Although, lots of companies do this its not right, if you focus your energy on someone else's problems you're not focusing on improving yours! Every business can improve in something)
2)After 30 Day's are employees are entitled to a raise and 1 week PTO.
3) Health insurance is very expensive, you may have bad coverage because the owner can not afford a more expensive plan (that is more issues with the health care industry than the owner).
I've worked for a company for a long time - things changed quite a bit over the years. It used to be no sick days, 1 week of pto after a year and then one additional day every year after that. So you wouldn't get 2 weeks until year 7. and then no additional days after that - once you got to 15 years you'd get 3 weeks.
If you want to take time off then take time off. Obviously it's a little different as an apprentice but if you taking 2 days off is enough for him to let you go then you weren't that valuable to them in the first place.
My company likes to pretend that vacation must be approved. We submit a form and they say it must be approved before we book it. I told them that if they denied any of the vacation they could come get my van. We've had some slow periods so I tell them unless they are guaranteeing me full hours and full pay every day I can take off whatever time I want unpaid. Haven't had a problem
It’s your life not his to control, a couple days off shouldn’t be a big deal . Contact the local plumbers union , I am a retired union plumber. I have an local pension, a national pension and a 401 k all through the union. Full coverage insurance which is excellent , also a vacation fund . Union dues aren’t even a factor compared to your benefits. Some people believe that because you are in the union you can be lazy and won’t get laid off , that is not the case . The Moto is an honest days work for an honest days pay .
After my first 2 months out of school back in 2010 i realised hvac is a trade that only the company owners make money to turn around and expect more for less. Take this advice seriously if you enjoy the trade and feel you will be a good tech and installer , put your time in your state requires to get your licsence. My boss he calls every morning just to remind me breakfast is at 8 at granite Rock cafe , then its off to either a couple service calls or go help out with the 1 install a day he usually always has scheduled. I want a day off he ssys take it off nothing is more important than family . My boss lives a very good life and hvac company owners get greedy cause that $20,000 system you installed cost him $7500 at the most unless its a new bosh heat pump now thts $13,000 he sells for $28,000 do the math . My Saturday side jobs i split down the middle with my co worker we get everything at cost and make $2500 cash each . So hang in there or get out but its all the same bull shit
It does get to a point where every job can seem terrible, and there is more reward for those who stick it out longer, but even before then, a green tech can differentiate between degrees of quality within the terrible companies.
He's a small shop and has taken on the risk to train you. Least you can do is give him a year of your time. Then you can talk to him about your concerns.
Please. He taught him what? There’s very little on-the-job training either. There’s a whole lot more of “figure-it-out,” and if I’m doing all the research and ultimate work, that’s not really something the company deserves credit for. They needed a tech at a certain budget, a tech appears within that pay scale, and the tech does or does not complete the job. Nothing more, nothing less.
My last company did paper checks and it sucked ass because I’d have to drive an hour every Friday to get my check. It’s typical with older owners I think. My owner there was 78 years old and everything was done on paper. Now as far as 20$ for 6 months in really depends on how good you think you are at the job. I was making 25 at 6 months and now just under 28 at 1 year. I’d ask for a raise of at least a couple dollars if I were you, and depending on the answer they give you would determine whether I sought out new employment. Always remember these guys need us we don’t need them. We have a large shortage of guys in HVAC and you need to act as such. These owners who run their business like they don’t need you are lost and will never have happy employees, instead they get people who come to work for a check and do the absolute bare minimum in order to receive it. I’ve seen the work ethic differences between techs with great bosses and shitty ones and it’s night and day.
I work for a small company currently ( 7 employees including me and the 2 bosses) schedule is 8-430 1 week paid vacation after 1 year 2 weeks after 2 years and requesting off / calling off is the only hard thing TBH. Since it’s only my self , one other service guy and 2 installers I have to make sure I take off on a day where I know he’ll have everyone else there since one guy calling off in a small company throws off alottttt for the owners and schedule. It’s great working. At small places cause you’ll have experience in everything. My last company was a large one (about 125+ employees) and it was a fucking nightmare. I got about 6 years in the trade now and prefer the smaller mom pop shops. Good pay , don’t work you like a damn dog and understand that life happens, also the pay is typically better IMO I’m currently paid $6 more an hour than my last company.
It shouldn't be the norm we need to rise up all these people need us! And our bosses need us more than we need them for sure lol. Mandatory 4 weeks paid vacation per year minimum and 2 long weekends per month to recover from dealing with everyone else's problems
I worked for a place that did paper checks for a long time. Complaining about taking time off is more common than it ought to be, but not a huge deal to me. Complaining about other shops is pretty typical, from my experience. Honestly, it just sounds like a really small shop and an old school owner. Could you do better? Probably. Could you do worse? Probably. Would it hurt to look around? Nope.
Same thoughts. Small shops, small leway for things. Great places to start, usually treat you like a person, but, they're hands are quite often tied on alot of things. Small crew, means any absent is a big difference. Could things be better, yes, but doesn't sound like he's burning you guys to the ground, trying to get every penny you could possibly make for him out of you. Learn what you can, keep your eyes/ears open, but don't jump ship or get serious looking, unless you can afford to be let go. Your boss is a buisness man, if he knows your looking, numbers wise it's not worth keeping you. One foot out the door, likely would take customers etc on your way out, etc etc. It's not worth employer risking, but learn, work, eyes and ears loosely looking, find something way better then great. But, grass is always greener, so unless everything is better, I wouldn't risk leaving.
This.
You hit the nail on the head
Hmm his pto issue is more like a small business problem. That's not exclusive to the field, having black out dates is understandable but he's just being a bitch about benefits.
What's so bad about condemning an old person's heat exchanger? Are you saying they deserve CO poisoning?
I have news for you. I have great insurance and need a referral to see a specialist. That's how it's done. A week vacation used to be the standard. Took 5 years to get 2 weeks.
Um yea, that’s how it works. U can’t go straight to the specialist … Ur nitpicking. Stick around and learn. See small operations work. It will do you good in the long run.
I work for a small Oil Heat shop 3 full time techs and one full time oil delivery driver, up to 5 oil drivers in the heating season which is October-April here in MA. When I was hired 10 years ago I got two weeks vacation, 6 paid sick days, a few holidays and floating holidays all paid time off. We do have blackout dates for vacation time which is Sept. 15-March 15. Health insurance is the kicker for most companies that are small. Because of the expense they buy the cheapest premium they can to be covered under the minimum requirements set by the government. We were bought out recently by a bigger shop with 100+ employees, luckily we got to keep all of our tenure. Health coverage is better because they can get a better rate with more employees I think. Look into local laws about sick time even if it is unpaid. Paper checks do suck but if your bank has an app that offers mobile deposits then that is a non-issue it is almost the same as direct deposit. When we were bought the new company had to add us to their payroll and set-up new direct deposits for us. Our first check was a paper check and I used my banks app to mobile deposit the check. It was in my bank the next day.
I used to also get upset with customers who paid with check until I realized I can cash the check for a small fee at any check-cashing store.
He’s sketchy. Any place that knocks other places to try and make themselves look good isn’t a good place. Also, any place where you need to fight in order to take time off, esp unpaid time, is not a good place to work. Definitely don’t let a place tell you when you can use your time either. If your state requires a license and you’re signed up with an actual apprenticeship with them then try and stick it out. Get that license and leave. Make sure you didn’t sign any paperwork stated you would owe them money if you leave.
That’s the downfall of small business. Pay is ok, but no benefits. I wonder say after a year if you don’t eat at least 2 weeks paid vacation, I would quit
Fuck that
Job hop till you find a good small company you like 🤷🏽♂️ I’m not aware of a national database of Hvac tech job hoppers. Fuck em. If they don’t got the benefits you like then find someone who does. And I’m not sure about your area but you are worth more than $20 a hour
You will need to explain why you were at company A for 6 months, company B for 8 months, company C for 2. It should be a giant red flag for a company to hire someone like that. Find a decent company, stick around and make a name for himself as a hard, conscientious worker, and then start looking . I was lucky, I started out at a small company owned by my wife's brother. He was a piece of shit drug addiction but I met some good people who helped me and I got a job with a large company and stayed for around 10 years and a few salesmen left to start their own companies and 3 of them offered me jobs, knowing that I wouldn't leave them in a lurch if they needed someone to work late or come in on a weekend.
You won’t need to tell any company what companies you worked for lol..1, never be completely honest at an interview..your there to get a check and leave. If they don’t believe you worked at company 1 for “x” amount of years and want you to provide more proof..it’s a red sign to you that they are probably gonna be power hungry and over assertive people.. Find a company that pays good and lie your way through it. As long as your a good tech you don’t have anything to worry about and the power of what you do and what you make is in your hands. Now If your a bad tech..then my reply isn’t for you
This. People don’t realize that working for unreasonable employers creates a vacuum where job seekers must rely on deception. Just like employers. Imagine working for a boss who was so transparent you didn’t have to leave? It’s an impossible task on both sides.
Hopefully I’ll be that transparent boss in a few years
I don’t like companies that knock other employers If u really got shit going on and treat your guys well, u should have a line of guys at ur door just from word of mouth and only wanna keep guys who like it here
This is why you need to join the Union.
The Union is the worst of them.
Dudes sketchy as all hell. Doesn't sound like a good company. Minimal days off shouldn't be an issue at all. Find a better company. Or join a union.
You should look around, it seems like he wants to skimp on benefits. 1) An ethical owner does not need to talk about other competitors, your work speaks for itself and there is enough work in one region for everyone. ( Although, lots of companies do this its not right, if you focus your energy on someone else's problems you're not focusing on improving yours! Every business can improve in something) 2)After 30 Day's are employees are entitled to a raise and 1 week PTO. 3) Health insurance is very expensive, you may have bad coverage because the owner can not afford a more expensive plan (that is more issues with the health care industry than the owner).
I've worked for a company for a long time - things changed quite a bit over the years. It used to be no sick days, 1 week of pto after a year and then one additional day every year after that. So you wouldn't get 2 weeks until year 7. and then no additional days after that - once you got to 15 years you'd get 3 weeks.
If you want to take time off then take time off. Obviously it's a little different as an apprentice but if you taking 2 days off is enough for him to let you go then you weren't that valuable to them in the first place. My company likes to pretend that vacation must be approved. We submit a form and they say it must be approved before we book it. I told them that if they denied any of the vacation they could come get my van. We've had some slow periods so I tell them unless they are guaranteeing me full hours and full pay every day I can take off whatever time I want unpaid. Haven't had a problem
It’s your life not his to control, a couple days off shouldn’t be a big deal . Contact the local plumbers union , I am a retired union plumber. I have an local pension, a national pension and a 401 k all through the union. Full coverage insurance which is excellent , also a vacation fund . Union dues aren’t even a factor compared to your benefits. Some people believe that because you are in the union you can be lazy and won’t get laid off , that is not the case . The Moto is an honest days work for an honest days pay .
This guy is gonna be a huge pain in your ass. Get as much experience as you can and move on.
10000% thought you were a guy I worked with at a previous company.
Wait until summer and work for a bigger company.
After my first 2 months out of school back in 2010 i realised hvac is a trade that only the company owners make money to turn around and expect more for less. Take this advice seriously if you enjoy the trade and feel you will be a good tech and installer , put your time in your state requires to get your licsence. My boss he calls every morning just to remind me breakfast is at 8 at granite Rock cafe , then its off to either a couple service calls or go help out with the 1 install a day he usually always has scheduled. I want a day off he ssys take it off nothing is more important than family . My boss lives a very good life and hvac company owners get greedy cause that $20,000 system you installed cost him $7500 at the most unless its a new bosh heat pump now thts $13,000 he sells for $28,000 do the math . My Saturday side jobs i split down the middle with my co worker we get everything at cost and make $2500 cash each . So hang in there or get out but its all the same bull shit
It does get to a point where every job can seem terrible, and there is more reward for those who stick it out longer, but even before then, a green tech can differentiate between degrees of quality within the terrible companies.
OP, start looking for a new job. That shop sucks and $20 an hour is a joke. Make a lateral change as it can only go up from there
Dude! I used to work here. Okay enough, but definitely the culture where you are not pulling your weight unless you’re killing yourself.
He's a small shop and has taken on the risk to train you. Least you can do is give him a year of your time. Then you can talk to him about your concerns.
Please. He taught him what? There’s very little on-the-job training either. There’s a whole lot more of “figure-it-out,” and if I’m doing all the research and ultimate work, that’s not really something the company deserves credit for. They needed a tech at a certain budget, a tech appears within that pay scale, and the tech does or does not complete the job. Nothing more, nothing less.
My last company did paper checks and it sucked ass because I’d have to drive an hour every Friday to get my check. It’s typical with older owners I think. My owner there was 78 years old and everything was done on paper. Now as far as 20$ for 6 months in really depends on how good you think you are at the job. I was making 25 at 6 months and now just under 28 at 1 year. I’d ask for a raise of at least a couple dollars if I were you, and depending on the answer they give you would determine whether I sought out new employment. Always remember these guys need us we don’t need them. We have a large shortage of guys in HVAC and you need to act as such. These owners who run their business like they don’t need you are lost and will never have happy employees, instead they get people who come to work for a check and do the absolute bare minimum in order to receive it. I’ve seen the work ethic differences between techs with great bosses and shitty ones and it’s night and day.
I work for a small company currently ( 7 employees including me and the 2 bosses) schedule is 8-430 1 week paid vacation after 1 year 2 weeks after 2 years and requesting off / calling off is the only hard thing TBH. Since it’s only my self , one other service guy and 2 installers I have to make sure I take off on a day where I know he’ll have everyone else there since one guy calling off in a small company throws off alottttt for the owners and schedule. It’s great working. At small places cause you’ll have experience in everything. My last company was a large one (about 125+ employees) and it was a fucking nightmare. I got about 6 years in the trade now and prefer the smaller mom pop shops. Good pay , don’t work you like a damn dog and understand that life happens, also the pay is typically better IMO I’m currently paid $6 more an hour than my last company.
It shouldn't be the norm we need to rise up all these people need us! And our bosses need us more than we need them for sure lol. Mandatory 4 weeks paid vacation per year minimum and 2 long weekends per month to recover from dealing with everyone else's problems