7 ms·

I had a roofer come today and it was the company owner, he said 3 of his guys are out taking the free money so he's back to working. I've heard enough anecdotes

I had a roofer come today and it was the company owner, he said 3 of his guys are out taking the free money so he's back to working. I've heard enough anecdotes to believe that getting free money for rent and food is enough to keep a decent amount of workers at the beach and the netflix. It's called incentives, but no one likes to see obvious things anymore.

Scoundreller 5y ago
What was the company owner doing before going back to working?
- seibelj 5y ago
  Managing crews of workers - but I see ownership and management as work, as I am myself a business owner and manager of many people. But some would argue management is somehow not "real work" even though I've been pulling 70 hours a week for years!
  - SantalBlush 5y ago
    I've done quite a few roofs in my day and managed crews. If someone is "managing" without getting up on the roof, they're not doing the real work.
- markkanof 5y ago
  Not the OP but the owner was probably doing any number of tasks required to run a company other than driving nails on a roof. . ie. Doing estimates, arranging for materials, bookkeeping, etc.
prawn 5y ago
This happened in Australia. It was very difficult to find a house cleaner last year, and it's still a challenge now. Quotes were $40-50/hour or more. If you worked for yourself as a contractor (most cleaners), you only needed to demonstrate that your income had dropped some percentage from the equivalent period 12 months ago, and you could claim $600/w. Scrub toilets every day, or get $600/w to sit at home... Or get paid cash and still claim the $600. On the other hand, a very simple/easy system meant that the process wasn't overly onerous at a time where other contractors were legitimately missing a lot of business due to pandemic restrictions.
- DaiPlusPlus 5y ago
  Where is the evidence this is actually happening at a significant scale? Anecdotes are not data.
  - prawn 5y ago
    I'm talking to the person upthread, not presenting an economic paper. We asked a number of people for cleaner recommendations and many had a similar story of struggling to find someone, their cleaner taking leave from work, etc. I'm not fighting against stimulus. It was critical for many businesses forced to close or copping follow-on impacts of that. My business took significant hits as lockdowns started and I received stimulus payments (and kept working on what work was coming in).
a_t48 5y ago
Somewhat rhetorically - what value was the owner providing if he wasn’t getting up on the roofs?
- KirillPanov 5y ago
  Dealing with customers. It is a headache. One of the (few) perks of being a subcontractor or working for somebody else is not really having to deal with the homeowner. You get to answer every question with "hey that's a great question you should call my boss and ask him".
- marklubi 5y ago
  > Somewhat rhetorically - what value was the owner providing if he wasn’t getting up on the roofs? Owners take on the risk of providing a stable paycheck for their employees, and far far more beyond that. In the vast majority of small businesses, the owner is the last one to take a paycheck. There is plenty of work to running a roofing company that's beyond just the physical act of putting the roof on a house. Who does the marketing to find the projects? Who handles the billing (and inevitable disputes)? Who places the orders for supplies? Who cuts the paychecks? Who handles OSHA requirements?
  - a_t48 5y ago
    I was being somewhat hyperbolic, I know there's more to the business than hammering nails. I had a more subtle point I wanted to make, but I forget now, and it doesn't really matter.
- seibelj 5y ago
  Your comment reveals you have never owned a successful business. Please - start your own business and see how easy it is, and how little value you provide.
  - a_t48 5y ago
    > Be kind. Don't be snarky. Have curious conversation; don't cross-examine. Please don't fulminate. Please don't sneer, including at the rest of the community.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

Scoundreller 5y ago

What was the company owner doing before going back to working?

seibelj 5y ago
Managing crews of workers - but I see ownership and management as work, as I am myself a business owner and manager of many people. But some would argue management is somehow not "real work" even though I've been pulling 70 hours a week for years!
- SantalBlush 5y ago
  I've done quite a few roofs in my day and managed crews. If someone is "managing" without getting up on the roof, they're not doing the real work.
markkanof 5y ago
Not the OP but the owner was probably doing any number of tasks required to run a company other than driving nails on a roof. . ie. Doing estimates, arranging for materials, bookkeeping, etc.

prawn 5y ago

This happened in Australia. It was very difficult to find a house cleaner last year, and it's still a challenge now. Quotes were $40-50/hour or more. If you worked for yourself as a contractor (most cleaners), you only needed to demonstrate that your income had dropped some percentage from the equivalent period 12 months ago, and you could claim $600/w. Scrub toilets every day, or get $600/w to sit at home... Or get paid cash and still claim the $600. On the other hand, a very simple/easy system meant that the process wasn't overly onerous at a time where other contractors were legitimately missing a lot of business due to pandemic restrictions.

DaiPlusPlus 5y ago
Where is the evidence this is actually happening at a significant scale? Anecdotes are not data.
- prawn 5y ago
  I'm talking to the person upthread, not presenting an economic paper. We asked a number of people for cleaner recommendations and many had a similar story of struggling to find someone, their cleaner taking leave from work, etc. I'm not fighting against stimulus. It was critical for many businesses forced to close or copping follow-on impacts of that. My business took significant hits as lockdowns started and I received stimulus payments (and kept working on what work was coming in).

a_t48 5y ago

Somewhat rhetorically - what value was the owner providing if he wasn’t getting up on the roofs?

KirillPanov 5y ago
Dealing with customers. It is a headache. One of the (few) perks of being a subcontractor or working for somebody else is not really having to deal with the homeowner. You get to answer every question with "hey that's a great question you should call my boss and ask him".
marklubi 5y ago
> Somewhat rhetorically - what value was the owner providing if he wasn’t getting up on the roofs? Owners take on the risk of providing a stable paycheck for their employees, and far far more beyond that. In the vast majority of small businesses, the owner is the last one to take a paycheck. There is plenty of work to running a roofing company that's beyond just the physical act of putting the roof on a house. Who does the marketing to find the projects? Who handles the billing (and inevitable disputes)? Who places the orders for supplies? Who cuts the paychecks? Who handles OSHA requirements?
- a_t48 5y ago
  I was being somewhat hyperbolic, I know there's more to the business than hammering nails. I had a more subtle point I wanted to make, but I forget now, and it doesn't really matter.
seibelj 5y ago
Your comment reveals you have never owned a successful business. Please - start your own business and see how easy it is, and how little value you provide.
- a_t48 5y ago
  > Be kind. Don't be snarky. Have curious conversation; don't cross-examine. Please don't fulminate. Please don't sneer, including at the rest of the community.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]