I cant believe how hard it is to find a seamstress. I've had ads running for over a month and no one yet. I also find it hard to believe some people are so excited about the job make an appointment for an interview and don't show up. I've also had 2 that said they can't accept a job unless the pay is $$ minimum. Two of these so far with no Upholstery experience thinking they can make big bucks in this business. What is with the workers today? Whenever I have taken a job no matter where and how much I was making I worked my butt off. It's just how I am I guess.
My ranting is over now have a great week end everyone.
Clearly, the landscape is changing, is sewing even taught in schools today?
If so, probably not near as much.
Doyle
Not sure whether this might be an avenue for finding someone but thought I would throw it out there anyway.
Do you have any retail fabric stores in the area like Hancock Fabrics? Maybe they know of someone they could put you in contact with? If nothing else maybe one of those employees would be willing to moonlight temporarily until you could get the position filled . . . good luck.
Wow, that has to be discouraging, Paul. I know boss had a tough time finding someone with skills too. Good tip to ask at local fabric stores.
I was required to take Home Economics in Jr. High (loathed it, swore I'd never sew again... lol). But I don't think sewing is taught anymore. People are always surprised to learn that's what I do for a living. I think the toughest part is that even if someone has some basic skills there is still a pretty steep learning curve to attain a level of reliability and efficiency; fabrics can vary greatly, commercial sewing machines can be scary to home sewers, and it's really hard to keep an eye on a new stitcher to avoid costly mistakes.
Radical change in the prevailing work ethic.
Mike may have found a seamstress at the mall who is unemployed -
SA
advertise on Craig's list outside your area, If someone is out there they might not mind the travel. It's a dieing trade. The new generation just wants everything for nothing. I have always worked my arse off, in time things will change, I know it will, when the jobs are no longer in the states thats when we will get the trades back. I learned from Randy Stivers and Harry Kohl in Syracuse and I worked under they for years, now adays they just take a class.
Hey Chris,
I know Randy and Harry. My dad worked for Harry for years. OV26358. I still remember the phone number :)
Thinking about "work ethic" yesterday, we talked about it over dinner.
Some thoughts:
1.) There are lazy people out there (just as there always has been and always will be).
2.) Learning to cope with frustration and facing the challenges mastery of a skilled trade demands is not something everyone can do.
3.) We no longer really "permit" kids to fail outright and "fall on their faces"; I see it all the time with friends' kids. Every kid gets a "prize" at field days, no kid gets a failing grade. If the prize or grade isn't what the parents wish for the hue and cry over the "unfairness" is raised. It's not often that the kids is picked up, dusted off, and told to "work harder" or that this isn't the end of the world. How can we help you with this?
4.) Too many supervisors/managers don't know how to deliver criticism that is constructive, too often it seeps into the realm of "personal" ("if you'd been listening you wouldn't have done that", instead of, "ooh, that was an important detail; we have to correct it. Here's why."). Conversely, too many of us wince at the barest suggestion of criticism; we struggle to divorce our personal side from the work at hand.
5.) Learning to cope with failure and assume responsibility for it is a very important lesson. And it can be a hard one! humiliating and frustrating but it can also steel character, harden resolve, and ultimately move the person forward professionally.
I think each of us hates working with "slackers". I know "cleaning up" sloppy work used to irritate me; and keeping a discreet and watchful eye on a newbie was tiring. It was exhausting to break a task into "bite size" portions so that a small mistake didn't get buried as the steps were accomplished and become a really big one... one that took time to pick out and correct.
One of my sons-in-law's ex-step-father (let's call him Bob, since that's his name) (boy that's a long path) is that way. I've only met him a couple of times. The first time, Bob was proud that his father worked at a factory where he could get his work done in the morning, then would find a place to hide and sleep the rest of the day. Bob, himself, had a decent job, the the minute he found out he might be entitled to some disability for work he'd done as a 20 year old, he quit his job and went looking for the hand-out. In the process, his house was foreclosed on, car was repossessed m, and eventually at age 54, moved back home to his parents. It suited him fine because it could nap and watch daytime TV all day.
My daughter and her husband hated to have him around fearing his sloth (isn't one of the seven deadly sins?) might be displayed to their young children.
Quote from: bobbin on June 15, 2014, 04:41:50 am
Thinking about "work ethic" yesterday, we talked about it over dinner.
Some thoughts:
1.) There are lazy people out there (just as there always has been and always will be).
I have sometimes watched programs with "Chef Gordon Ramsey." His idea of motivation is to belittle, yell, and swear at you. He makes Simon Cowell look like a nurturing figure. I, for one, have never been motivated by in-your-face yelling and humiliation. I'm glad I never had to go to military boot camp.
Quote from: bobbin on June 15, 2014, 04:41:50 am
4.) Too many supervisors/managers don't know how to deliver criticism that is constructive, too often it seeps into the realm of "personal" ("if you'd been listening you wouldn't have done that", instead of, "ooh, that was an important detail; we have to correct it. Here's why."). Conversely, too many of us wince at the barest suggestion of criticism; we struggle to divorce our personal side from the work at hand.
P.S. See my signature line
I know this has always been the way for some people but after all these years I still fail to understant the mentality. No pride in themselves I guess or respect for anything but themselves.
I particularly loathe the screaming, insulting, "in your face" method of "professional criticism". Belittling someone who's made a basic blunder only puts the recipient on edge and fills them with fear! in my own experience, being afraid leaves the brain on the defensive and utterly incapable of receiving the necessary message of the criticism! Any manager/supervisor who resorts to that tactic is a fool, and is most likely incapable of delivering the desired result under similar pressure.
You can teach a dog "down" with an angry voice and forcing them "down". Or you can teach it with a treat, patience, and an emphatic hand signal. And reinforce the lesson with lavish praise. Sometimes you have to "enforce it", but that's the last option!
The lovely women I worked with when I was 20-something were so very patient. When I hurried and made mistakes they told me to "take my time" and do it right THE FIRST TIME. It took a long time for me to fully appreciate their advice (doing it over certainly hastened the lesson!), but it's made me sensitive to how criticism is delivered.
Some people just aren't meant to work.
We have been friends with another couple for over 25 years. The wife is an excellent mother, and homemaker. While the husband is a good provider, their budget at times has necessitated that she get a supplementary income job.
She has had several jobs over the years, and never really performed well at any of them. She is everything an employer would hate about an employee.
I have always found her hard to figure out. She takes great pride in everything she does.........UNLESS it has a W-2 form attached to it. Then her work ethic turns to total crap.
There are a lot of people like her in the workplace. I can't explain it.
There sure is SD. In the last two weeks I've had to bench ment walk out. One I understand has personal problems but the other I don't It all really revolves around two very hard to do tufted seat and back loveseats. When I asked them to do them they both were un happy. Being without a seamstress I have been busy in the cutting and sewing room and haven't been able to finish these pieces myself. Had a break today our past girl came in for the day and I got one completed.
Seems these guys figure they could pick and choose the work they would do. I don't understand the mentality but oh well.
So they left without notice? My last employer had a fit because I only gave 60 days.
Part of the problem is good upholsterers are in short supply. They can pick and choose their employer. If they don't like a situation (tufted loveseat) they can quit and have another job by the end of the week. This gives them an attitude.
I always did what they threw at me. The last day of my last job the boss came up to me and says, we want you to clean the septic tank. Ha ha ha. He thought that was real funny. What he did give me was a drop-in-unit for a sofa. It had a wood frame. Was old and 8-way hand tied. I'd never done one like this and because it was already striped down I really didn't know where to start. It had a spring edge all the way around like a box spring mattress.
Being my last day I could have just screwed around and left the thing untouched. But I got busy and even stayed 1/2 hour late till I could find a good stopping point.
My point is, some people welcome a challenge and others run from it. Its a matter of character.
As far as "finding help". When I found my south Florida job the ad said "above average wages". That got my attention.
I always did my best, too. And if there was a deadline that had to be met I stayed and finished the job. I did my best because I knew the experience would serve me in good stead in the future and caving in and doing a crummy job because I was pissed off/resentful would only make me look small in the final analysis.
There's a really good song by Jimmy Buffet that really sums it up for me. It's called, "It's My Job" and it's on "Cocoanut Telegraph".
At my last job, I had the displeasure of occasionally having to work with one of the most arrogant, immature, and despicable people I've ever had to work with. He'd been with the company 25 years when he came in one weekend, cleaned out his personal stuff and left a note on his boss' desk, "I quit. I won't be in Monday, or thereafter." True character shows.
I've done work at a number of moving/delivery companies (as a contractor). One of their major problems is getting people to regularly show up, and show up sober. Even at the height of the recession, people would leave for no apparent reason and without any other job. The good ones were really worth hanging on to.
Quote from: kodydog on June 19, 2014, 06:16:07 am
So they left without notice? My last employer had a fit because I only gave 60 days.
...
Its a matter of character.
Quote from: byhammerandhand on June 19, 2014, 11:23:19 am
At my last job, I had the displeasure of occasionally having to work with one of the most arrogant, immature, and despicable people I've ever had to work with.
My wife had a similar co-worker at her job. She was absolute workplace cancer. To hear some of the things she said would lead you to assume that she was the most miserable excuse for a human being that ever walked the Earth. She was despised by the entire staff. And the feeling was mutual.
She expertly knew how to use HR to her advantage. So there was no technical grounds to terminate her. They just had to wait until she got tired of making the lives of everyone around her a living hell. Eventually she did, and quit on her own. As soon as she did, all tension and turmoil immediately ceased. And it has not resurfaced in the 5 years since.
I ended up doing some upholstery work for her later on. She was the sweetest woman and customer I've ever dealt with. To hear me and my wife describe her.......you would swear we were talking about different people. And I've heard that she is very well-liked at her new job. And she is a valuable asset there too.
Employment is like a marriage. In a bad one, people behave in a way that is totally uncharacteristic of them.
This is the reason I have held off for so long and not hired a part timer. I really do not need the aggravation. We have been so slammed I also have no time to train someone. I have a great amount of patience when teaching someone but have little patience for attitudes. Actually, I will be honest. I have no patience for piss poor attitudes.
Bobbin, I went over all five of your dinner topics and I have to say girl, you are spot on. So much so that I may just start a campaign and run you for President in 2016.
We are raising a whole bunch of spoiled rotten kids these days. This trophy and ribbon thing for everyone sucks. Not to mention all the damn graduation ceremonies going on these days. This year I witnessed graduation and diploma giving for pre-school, kindergarten, grade school and junior high as well as High School. By the time they get done with high school it is just one more graduation. Some just want their diploma's and want the world to piss off as they are so burnt out from ceremonies.
In regards to motivation, I am a retired varsity football coach and I made sure weekly and season ending awards went to those who earned it. I was a tough but very fair and caring coach and I motivated our players by making them believe in themselves. Yes I had to yell sometimes and I had to punish sometimes but I ALWAYS followed that up with encouragement and telling the kid " I know you can do this " and by showing them that I believe in them. Sometimes that is all an individual needs is one person to believe in them and my players knew I had faith in them.
I wont get into the torture and severe abuse ( sometimes physical ) that I had at the hands of DI's in Marine Corp boot camp. It got out of hand when I was there and several recruits were killed during boot. They made some changes since and it is not so bad. What I went through prepared me for battle with my disease and like I tell my Oncologist " This disease is a cake walk compared to the suffering I experienced in the Marines "..............lol........
You cannot motivate everyone with being stern while also being encouraging but I have found that for the most part getting someone to believe in themselves and boosting their self esteem rather then ripping them apart works much better. I have never cared for people who trash a persons self esteem.
I should add that the Marine Corps DI's had a difficult job. They had to take 75 men from all walks of life and with all kinds of attitudes and tear them down to nothing. They then ( after having everyone at the same level of worthlessness similar to whale crap) began the task of instilling pride, motivation and alot of encouragement. After 16 weeks everyone graduated with such pride and belief in themselves that all the abuse you suffered was an after thought. You graduated 10 ft tall and bullet proof and had an immense amount of self respect and respect for others. Obviously their system works as they are still the most feared fighting force in the world. But I should add that their methods will obviously not work in civilian life. :)
Chris
Paul:
Home economics is pretty much gone from our areas schools curriculum. Kids now days barely know what a sewing machine looks like and if it isn't computer operated could care less. :(
I think you would be an awesome instructor at a community college. You should approach Hernando CC about starting an upholstery curriculum. I am serious. You love teaching people and have alot of skill sets from numerous areas in our industry to pass down.
I taught a class one year at a community college and enjoyed it ( non upholstery related ). It paid VERY good money too.
Chris
I agree with the belief that Paul would make a great instructor.
I have followed several of your tips, Paul, and after fumbling a bit found my stride and was able to get through the project (most notably tying buttons on a project that had a LOT of them..76! Actually, I've learned tons for all of the regulars on this forum.
I've kicked around the idea of teaching. But will be buying the shop the first of the year so I doubt there will be time. I have even placed an ad about teaching this out of my home. I got one interested party and told her if there is more interest I would contact her. Didn't hear any more. Never tried a real school though.
I do enjoy teaching people but it ain't in the cards right now.
Quote from: MinUph on June 25, 2014, 04:15:21 pm
I do enjoy teaching people but it ain't in the cards right now.
Too bad. I can tell by reading your posts that you would be very good at it.
Thanks,
Thats a nice compliment to get from you all.
Well peoples,
I followed the idea of teaching and contacted the local community college about it. Time will tell what they say and think. I figure I have 6 months before I make a major commitment to buy this business and would like to see if there are any other options out there. This one (teaching) has been in my mind for several years.so what the H@ll.
At my age buying a business is a bit scary but I am excited about it nonetheless. Still gotta make a living.
I really think it is a shame that trades are no longer taught in schools. Not everyone is college bound and we all still need trades people. It's an honest living and better than the other jobs around. Flipping burgers, ringing registers etc.etc. Nothing wrong with them either but where is the self satisfaction in those jobs.
Anyway thanks for the push and I will keep you informed of the outcome of my letter to the CC.
That's fantastic Paul. Options are good, always keep them open.
i am now having trouble finding work . no one wants to recover furniture they just buy the cheep stuff and replace when it has come apart .
Best of luck Paul. If there is anything I can do to help let me know. If you need a reference feel free to use me.
I would love to see HCC add this class. Alot of it will depend on if they can fill the class not to mention space and equipment needs. I think it would be awesome though if they added this subject and brought you in as a teacher. :)
Keep us posted.
Chris