About the Landscape Juice Network

Founded in 2008. The Landscape Juice Network (LJN) is the largest and fastest growing professional landscaping and horticultural association in the United Kingdom.

LJN's professional business forum is unrivalled and open to anyone within within the UK landscape industry

LJN's Business Objectives Group (BOG) is for any Pro serious about building their business.

For the researching visitor there's a wealth of landscaping ideas, garden design ideas, lawn advice tips and advice about garden maintenance.

First Employee

Hi all,I am at a stage in my business where I am taking on more and more work and more and more regular clients which takes up the majority of my week. I don't want to turn down work if it is coming in!This will be my first proper summer with my business and am wondering what you guys have done about employment?I have been toying with the idea of taking on an apprentice and training them on the job, but would need to look into this further as I'm not sure what would happen in the winter months when work quietens down a tad as I think you have to quarantine a certain amount of hours a week. Also, the training aspect would also take time before I could leave them to it.Or would it be a better option to take on someone with experience on a summer contract and then play it by ear after that?It would be great to hear from you guys about what you have done about employment.Many thanksRuss

You need to be a member of Landscape Juice Network to add comments!

Join Landscape Juice Network

Votes: 0
Email me when people reply –

Replies

  • Get yourself a Pole on a zero hour contract. Don't take the piss, and try to give them as much as you can/treat them fairly- hopefully it will all go well and they will end up recruiting their mates to work for you as well.

    If you will be doing the driving you should be able to find a Pole who doesn't drive, and is sick to the back teeth of factory type work and will graft like heck for a varied outdoor job.

    Poles come ready trained in all manner of outdoor tasks!

    • Cheers mate.

      Have you had experience hiring someone like you have explained?
      • PRO
        I would not do that. Treat people properly and they will work well for you. Zero hour contracts should be banned IMO
        • A zero hour contract gives him the confidence to give it a go. He can hardly be any worse than McDonalds as an employer. My next words were "Don't take the piss, and try to give them as much as you can/treat them fairly- hopefully it will all go well and they will end up recruiting their mates to work for you as well."

          My first guy worked for me five years before moving home. I currently have one guy who has worked for me almost three years and another for almost two. I give them the best tools, the best PPE (whatever they want, ear defenders with phone inputs for music are a big win) and I even provide a washing machine at the yard for them to wash their clothes.

          Most of my work is priced clearance or maintenance, where they do not have to get involved with the customers, so the language barrier is not an issue. They just graft. Better than any English person I've ever hired.

          This works well for me, it may not work for you...

This reply was deleted.

Trade green waste centres

<!-- Google tag (gtag.js) --> <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-WQ68WVXQ8K"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-WQ68WVXQ8K'); </script>

LJN Sponsor

Advertising