Ever had to fire someone?

[chickened]

Long story short people get fired for not working and not doing it the way the employer wants it done. Had this person done what they were told, drop the attitude and did a good job they would not have been fired. I would feel bad for the wife and kids but not the one who screwed up and got themselves fired, no way.

The sooner the people of this country figure out that employment is a privelage and not a right the better they will perform thier work, an employer owes you a wage and maybe benefits that is it.

 

[oldmamahen]

Well, today cemented why we had to make this decision. You don't need the whole story of today, but it ended with inattentiveness on his part causing us to cull an entire batch of chicks that would have otherwise brought us between $2,000 and $2,500 when they were sold. Our main reason for giving them their notice was because we worried his mistakes would cost us a good deal of money at some point and unfortunately it did.

 

[redhen]

Wow, why cull so many chicks?

 

[oldmamahen]

One of his kids, while he was doing something else, put rat poison into a brooder and an unknown number of chicks consumed it. We didn't want them to die a slow agonizing death as well as the fact that we raise our chickens organically and could never sell them for meat if they may have consumed poison even if it didn't kill them.

I know the child didn't do it on purpose, they didn't realize what they were doing, but it is the kind of mistake we just can't afford.

 

[KristyHall]

Don't feel too badly about it, a lot of these arrangements do not last long. There is usually an underlying reason someone needs a home, that is basically free with minimal work in exchange. My experience has been like this and tell me if yours is different. Husband has no job, says he is disabled, wife works, kids are stuck with them. There is a group of people out there that do this for a way of life and they bounce from farm to farm and take advantage of good peoples hospitality with minimal work in return. This may be the break they need to improve their situation and just do not know it yet.

I don't know about your experiences, but around here it is a common arrangement. Most of the people who live in this arrangement are usually young families and young farms. Many of the farm hands and their families are just getting started and are either doing it for education on learning how to run a farm, to help friends/family get their farms on their feet, going to school and this allows them to not worry about getting food and shelter while they study on the off seasons of the farm, or people who have hit hard times but are willing to do what it takes to put a roof over their family's head.

 

[KristyHall]

My husband and I had to do the hardest thing we have ever done this evening. We had to fire our farm-help family which included giving them a 30-day notice on the house they live in, which we own. It's kind of complicated, but basically they worked for us in exchange for a place to live. We have had problems with their work for several months now. Things would get forgotten, wouldn't be done properly, etc. Some mistakes were ones that could have cost us thousands of dollars. We are a very, very young farm and we can't afford to have mistakes like that made. We already can't make all our bills right now, though we expect things to get better as the farm does better

. We simply couldn't afford to keep paying for work that isn't done correctly.

I feel like the devil right now as this puts this family out of a home. I know we made the right decision for our business and our family, but it is definitely the hardest decision I have ever had to make in my life. If you pray, please pray that this family finds a new home and new job very quickly.

This experience has definitely taught me the lesson that everyone always says "don't go into business with friends or family without being ready for it to end badly". It has ended badly for this family and for us and I will never put myself in this position again.

 

[KristyHall]

One of his kids, while he was doing something else, put rat poison into a brooder and an unknown number of chicks consumed it. We didn't want them to die a slow agonizing death as well as the fact that we raise our chickens organically and could never sell them for meat if they may have consumed poison even if it didn't kill them.
I know the child didn't do it on purpose, they didn't realize what they were doing, but it is the kind of mistake we just can't afford.

ouch! you were definitely justified in firing him. It is a shame but you have to do what you need to do.

 

[chickened]

There are similar arrangement available here at the horse stables but again they are required to obey the rules and work. Most positions like this are filled by young single women and hispanics not family people. Our welfare system pays them a better living and they usually do not apply at the traditional farms. The people I am mainly referring to are older mid 30's and older people that go for the farms that need one extra hand part time usually and they are paid under the table and usually one does work (the female) and the guy is usually a bum with no reason to not work. I can think of at least a half a dozen in my area that live like this. I hired one one time to build a kennel several years ago and I had to fire him because he lied about his skills and he would show up for an hour and charge me for two. And he chain smoked and quite honestly I was afraid he was going to burn down the barn. Now I do know some guys that are cowboys at a large cattle ranch and they are hard workers but most are not family men except maybe the foreman and he gets paid alot more than room and board but he runs the entire ranch also. I know a bum when I see one.

I don't know about your experiences, but around here it is a common arrangement. Most of the people who live in this arrangement are usually young families and young farms. Many of the farm hands and their families are just getting started and are either doing it for education on learning how to run a farm, to help friends/family get their farms on their feet, going to school and this allows them to not worry about getting food and shelter while they study on the off seasons of the farm, or people who have hit hard times but are willing to do what it takes to put a roof over their family's head.

 

[redhen]

One of his kids, while he was doing something else, put rat poison into a brooder and an unknown number of chicks consumed it. We didn't want them to die a slow agonizing death as well as the fact that we raise our chickens organically and could never sell them for meat if they may have consumed poison even if it didn't kill them.
I know the child didn't do it on purpose, they didn't realize what they were doing, but it is the kind of mistake we just can't afford.

EEEEK! Yeah, before one of his kids gets hurt on your property too..(from them not watching them well enough). Then you get sued...

 

[herfrds]

turkey
I have read your post twice before posting my reply. went back and re-read it twice.
Don't cry to me about pulling calves in the middle of the night I've done it. Fought fires in the middle of thunderstorms. Hunted for calves in blizzards.
BUT!!!!
I was doing the work every day and not slacking off the work that needed done.

You didn't like the way chickened paint these people with such a broad brush well both of us have seen these type of people and were giving our support to OP for having to make a togh decision to fire someone in a time in which many are out of work.

Like I already said there are those who are always looking for a handout instead of a hand up.