Ever had to fire someone?

[Mattemma]

I hope they leave on decent terms.So many will steal and trash a place once they know they are on notice to move.You did the right thing.

I think it is best to pay for work,and to charge for rent. Things rarely work out when you give free rent in exchange for work. 30 days is plenty time to find a place,or in the least move in with family/friends.

 

[Avalon1984]

Your farm is your investment and your money tied up until you can get it back through breeding/selling animals, selling your fruits/veggies or whatever. Especially in the younger years you cannot afford to make costly mistakes or it may mean the end of your road. I do hope the people leave on good terms but this is a sticky situation. I have had to fire several helpers over the past few years and I am finally tired of it. There seems to be a sense of entitlement that they want to get paid on time, without putting in the hours or finishing the chores they were supposed to do. Some didn’t like bad weather (Why’d you come to a farm in the first place?????), others didn’t like the hard work (Why’d you come to a farm in the first place?????), and others were unreliable and lied. Finally just got sick and tired of it and I do the work myself. If at all possible this may be your best option until your place grows. It will mean many long days but at least you will know that the work got done and it got done the way YOU want it done. Hoping for the best for you!

 

[herfrds]

Stand by my post, every word!

Then I feel sorry for you. I have seen these same types of people do it to some friends of ours. These dead beats almost cost them their place.
I know one couple just like this. Guy does some work wife does nothing and they are in another state one step ahead of their creditors. They cannot return to Montana because I know for a fact there is a fire company waiting for him to return so they can take his thief of their money out of his hide.

There are always people needing a hand up but there are also many just laying around waiting for a hand out.

OP you gotta do what you gotta do no matter how hard it is to do. Another reason we do not hire outside help, you never know what you will get.

 

[oldmamahen]

The husband of this family is a farmer by trade so they never complained about conditions. We asked for them to do daily chores twice a week (takes about 1 - 1.5hrs), help us process chickens every Wednesday (about 5hrs), and process a smaller number of birds on Saturday while we are at a farmers market (at least half the time there weren't any to do on Saturdays). We also gave them about 3/4 acre of land for them to plant a CSA garden so they could make money to support their family. They weren't paying anything for that. We have told them that they can keep using that land, but they will have to pay us rent for it now.

 

[chickened]

I agree, these type of folks are lazy but not stupid in the sense that they are very good and experienced at getting sympathy from well meaning , caring people. I do not feel sorry for them unless they may be a young couple starting out in life and I get the opportunity to tell them that hard work and diligence will get you ahead in life over sloth and begging which the latter seems to be the outcome of enabling people.

In my uncle's case the last couple left all thier trash, plugged the septic tank with diapers, junk cars and tires and a school bus that they were living in when they got there.

Don't worry... they will find another person to take advantage of.

I hope they leave on decent terms.So many will steal and trash a place once they know they are on notice to move.You did the right thing.

I think it is best to pay for work,and to charge for rent. Things rarely work out when you give free rent in exchange for work. 30 days is plenty time to find a place,or in the least move in with family/friends.

 

[turney31]

Then I feel sorry for you. I have seen these same types of people do it to some friends of ours. These dead beats almost cost them their place.
I know one couple just like this. Guy does some work wife does nothing and they are in another state one step ahead of their creditors. They cannot return to Montana because I know for a fact there is a fire company waiting for him to return so they can take his thief of their money out of his hide.

There are always people needing a hand up but there are also many just laying around waiting for a hand out.

OP you gotta do what you gotta do no matter how hard it is to do. Another reason we do not hire outside help, you never know what you will get.

Please re read my post... In no way did I condone what some people do, as in all the examples given. But my objection is with the broad brush stroke of chickened.

Chickened, you don't have to preach to the choir, I had a $1000. a month, truck, housing and a calf a year. My husband worked part time on the ranch making $600. a month. We paid our utilities. We quit the ranch job after 8+ years. I left to move with my husband because of his job. We could return to that job anytime! We are good hands. The point you missed is there are sorry employers out there. I never said this op was wrong. Just trying to put both sides out there.

 

[chickened]

Good or bad employers should not matter, I work just as hard for either because it matters to me. I have had bad employers and I always left on good terms. Jobs like these are stepping stones to better positions usually but when some folks use them for a career and exploit them I see that as wrong in my opinion. Naturally not all are that way but the ones I am familiar with are. A working cattle ranch is not the same as someone taking in the otherwise homeless. A cattle ranch would probably not hire a bum to begin with nor would a bum apply and that in my estimation is not broad brushing but two different positions unrelated in specifics. There is a reason someone is a bum at say 40. People with ambition do not stay in a similar predicament for very long they try to better themselves.

Turney, if you worked on a cattle ranch for eight years that tells me you are not lazy and you seem to have bettered yourself.

The OP described what I would think was a sweet deal and the people seen it as not a sweet deal but that they were the victim and obviously had no idea about work ethics or appreciable principles but a sense of entitlement and laziness. Pretty hard to not broadbrush that mindset when hard work dispels that notion... easy peasy broad brushed solution as well.

Please re read my post... In no way did I condone what some people do, as in all the examples given. But my objection is with the broad brush stroke of chickened.

Chickened, you don't have to preach to the choir, I had a $1000. a month, truck, housing and a calf a year. My husband worked part time on the ranch making $600. a month. We paid our utilities. We quit the ranch job after 8+ years. I left to move with my husband because of his job. We could return to that job anytime! We are good hands. The point you missed is there are sorry employers out there. I never said this op was wrong. Just trying to put both sides out there.

 

[dewey]

We've been through our share of full time company employees over the years. It's rarely pleasant to fire anyone, and it's especially hard if it involves family or friends. I feel for you.

 

[SillyChicken]

yeah, I had to fire first the son, then the mother (who was a friend) because of her son....... Long story. I feel bad for firing her, but I couldn't put my company or other people who worked here at risk.


Always better to pay for labor, and charge for rent. It sounds like what you asked for, had few expectations for what they got in return.

Don't feel bad about it.

 

[turney31]

Good or bad employers should not matter, I work just as hard for either because it matters to me. I have had bad employers and I always left on good terms. Jobs like these are stepping stones to better positions usually but when some folks use them for a career and exploit them I see that as wrong in my opinion. Naturally not all are that way but the ones I am familiar with are. A working cattle ranch is not the same as someone taking in the otherwise homeless. A cattle ranch would probably not hire a bum to begin with nor would a bum apply and that in my estimation is not broad brushing but two different positions unrelated in specifics. There is a reason someone is a bum at say 40. People with ambition do not stay in a similar predicament for very long they try to better themselves.

Turney, if you worked on a cattle ranch for eight years that tells me you are not lazy and you seem to have bettered yourself.

The OP described what I would think was a sweet deal and the people seen it as not a sweet deal but that they were the victim and obviously had no idea about work ethics or appreciable principles but a sense of entitlement and laziness. Pretty hard to not broadbrush that mindset when hard work dispels that notion... easy peasy broad brushed solution as well.

Housing in exchange for work is what was posted and is what I discussed, therefore relevant! Done!