Stepping backwards

paul

paul

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Having been a supervisor now for three months and previously been on the tools for 24 years , i am seriously thinking of going back on the spanners as i am realising that supervisor is not for me , i dont feel comfortable in this role and its not that i find the job hard its just i am finding the switch over hard from scaffolder to supervisor , i feel all the scaffolders i supervise are just taking the piss , they want to be praised for a days work which is fine if they have had a good day but nine times out of ten they dont , they turn up late and expect to go early the quality of there work is just up to standard so i am always on there backs , i feel like i am there mother, agony aunt and a personal cash point, and to top all that the office enviroment is not a nice place to be with two women who are having a power struggle .
What do you guys think ?
 
paul said:
Having been a supervisor now for three months and previously been on the tools for 24 years , i am seriously thinking of going back on the spanners as i am realising that supervisor is not for me , i dont feel comfortable in this role and its not that i find the job hard its just i am finding the switch over hard from scaffolder to supervisor , i feel all the scaffolders i supervise are just taking the piss , they want to be praised for a days work which is fine if they have had a good day but nine times out of ten they dont , they turn up late and expect to go early the quality of there work is just up to standard so i am always on there backs , i feel like i am there mother, agony aunt and a personal cash point, and to top all that the office enviroment is not a nice place to be with two women who are having a power struggle .
What do you guys think ?
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Ahhh good old supervising.

3 months is a lot longer than a lot of others manage mate. It's the hardest job in the game. Unfortunately, you really need to do at least a couple of years supervising before you work your way up the ranks to CM or OM (unless you're the governors son) but even those positions come with a load of greif.

Give the two women a slap and pull yourself together mate. Try another 3 months before you make a decision, as it does get easier the more you work out how to deal with the everyday situations.

Good luck.
 
There noting worse than bitching woemn in an office .......... Sorry bitching men lol i the office envoroment isnt for me. Stick at it it will take time and do you feel that when you were on the spanners you worked as hard as the supervisor expected? If so you know now you didnt lol theres allways presure and you will absorb most of it instead of passing it down to the lads let the slippers stretch b4 butting back on the old gladrags time will tell good luck
 
Apart from the female power struggle it sounds like any other scaffolding firm.
Stick at it a bit longer Paul, it's still early days.
 
if a gang are giving 100% but they dont do as much as you used to do ,as long as they are trying , here is one for you when the job is complete . that was well worth waiting for lads and thank you for your effort . you may be setting the bar a bit to high .
its about man management mate not how good you are or were on the spanners ,the amount of supervisors i have met that are the best and the quickest .
you have been on the spanners for 24 years ,well you know all the tricks by now so chill and start laughing when the Monday club phone in . bloke thats nan has past over at least 3 times this year ,when they have to go home early to berry the dog ,his mate are barriers ,wife just phoned boss and the plumbing is f-----d next day he has a banging head from the stella .:mad:and you have prob had many more told you ,so chill its just one big game mate ,all my best for the future;)
 
If you are not happy go back on the spanners, but i think you will find it hard to do so at the same company.

But you are right in that with some scaffs it is just all take,take,take with nothing given back in return, the moment you pull them for some thing you are the biggest c++t going, you want to try supervising in the north sea mate.
 
Supervising in the North Sea would be my idea of hell.:eek:

I honestly believe that some are just not built to be supervisors or boss's but any skill can be taught. As already stated, maybe lower the bar of expectation a little you are obviously under pressure to get the best out the men from your boss but the men are obviously not as motivated as you are to impress him. Supervising is a difficult task maybe not on the body but if you are new to the additional pressure it's tough. I went on holiday at the start of the year and made the mistake of dumping everything out my head on to a charge hand. The work load was easy, it could have been achieved with room for at least 1 day to themselves but he tried to do it all in the fastest time possible and the result was second day mayhem with men walking off the job. I had to do a lot of rebuilding on my return but managed to bring everyone back together but it's a mistake I won't make again.
 
paul said:
Yes same company
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Be hard switching from one of the scaffs to Supervisor on the same firm, however nothing that you are not capable of handling Paul.

Supervising or managing men , you cannot be everyones friend and drinking buddy, that's when the p*ss taking begins mate.
All blokes hurt with their pockets, so if they are showing up late, leaving early, taking long breaks, note this down in your diary with times, places, jobs etc.. warn them once and once only and if no good, dock their pay.
Sounds harsh, but you have to be fair to the ones that are playing by the rules.
Don't take any crap from the off, as the blokes now that you was and are a grafter when on the tools.
Above all though, when the guys do do a good days work, then a bit of praise does go a long way and a crate of beers once in a while, when deserved!!!
 
aom said:
Supervising in the North Sea would be my idea of hell.:eek:

I honestly believe that some are just not built to be supervisors or boss's but any skill can be taught. As already stated, maybe lower the bar of expectation a little you are obviously under pressure to get the best out the men from your boss but the men are obviously not as motivated as you are to impress him. Supervising is a difficult task maybe not on the body but if you are new to the additional pressure it's tough. I went on holiday at the start of the year and made the mistake of dumping everything out my head on to a charge hand. The work load was easy, it could have been achieved with room for at least 1 day to themselves but he tried to do it all in the fastest time possible and the result was second day mayhem with men walking off the job. I had to do a lot of rebuilding on my return but managed to bring everyone back together but it's a mistake I won't make again.
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That's what am saying, you can give some scaffs off shore a job and knock at 7.30am and they would not thank you for it, you can't win with some, it can be a f**king nightmare at times.
 
toffeescaff said:
That's what am saying, you can give some scaffs off shore a job and knock at 7.30am and they would not thank you for it, you can't win with some, it can be a f**king nightmare at times.
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I take it that's what you are doing at the moment Toffescaff? Seen a few get run ragged over the years.
 
24 years on the tools is a fair old wealth of experience to draw on,surely any scaffs under you should give you the respect your due,the only problems you seem to get is when some useless **** gets in the office who was ***** on the tools but good at the ******** talk,he then expects you to do what he never did or could do.
Dont give up yet fella,it doesnt get any easier on the tools and office jobs come along rarely these days.
 
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