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Construction is a lot different. I'd go into a new situation and right away cut away anyone I saw was a troublemaker. They were gone. Sometimes, they'd just quit when the new sheriff came in, and that made my job easier.
In the blue collar world, your men have to not only respect you, but somewhat fear you. It's a balancing act that gets easier as time goes on. I'd wind up with long-term employees who would do anything I asked of them, but they would also catch bonuses, barbecues, and dinners and gifts for a job well done. Slack off? Out the door. One of the worst things I had to do was fire a guy who had been with me for nearly 20 years because he couldn't stop smoking dope. It put his helpers at risk, the equipment, and the company. I even sent him to rehab, and all he got out of it was that, "It's just weed!". It wasn't all one-sided, fear me! There was also no HR in the middle screwing people over.
In the blue collar world, your men have to not only respect you, but somewhat fear you. It's a balancing act that gets easier as time goes on. I'd wind up with long-term employees who would do anything I asked of them, but they would also catch bonuses, barbecues, and dinners and gifts for a job well done. Slack off? Out the door. One of the worst things I had to do was fire a guy who had been with me for nearly 20 years because he couldn't stop smoking dope. It put his helpers at risk, the equipment, and the company. I even sent him to rehab, and all he got out of it was that, "It's just weed!". It wasn't all one-sided, fear me! There was also no HR in the middle screwing people over.
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