Hiring? How to get people to show up and help

Hello good people,

I can't get people to show up. Not for anything. I offer them the money they ask for, they don't show. I offer them MORE money than they ask, they don't show. I set appointments, I call for same day. No one shows up.

Today I'm so busted up because I just need someone to do the dishes while I take care of some things around the house. We are overloaded with dishes and laundry and neither one of us can manage. I had to reach out to the help I hired and ask her if she was coming after she was 15 minutes late. She said "We have to reschedule" and I said "I really don't think we do." I'm not rescheduling with people who just don't show up, but do I have any other options???"

I met a woman yesterday who needed a massage and posted the job online. She said that I'm the third person she's hired, and the first to show up. I found her very reasonable and direct! We made an appointment, I came and gave her a massage, she gave me cash! It's very simple!

I guess the other side of the coin is how do you get things done on the homestead without needing these outside hands every once in awhile? The domestic tasks are running away from us at lightning speed.

I have experienced this several times and indeed it is frusterating.

I think this is the reason that once I find somebody worth their salt, I tend to stick with them.

It took me a long time to find somebody that repaired slate roofs that wasn't just pulling my leg. After four or so folks, I found a guy that was passionate about slate. He talked about where mine was mostly sourced, how to keep the roof in good shape, and where to keep an eye out.

I pay them well, sometimes add them to the Christmas card list, and if it is routine maintenance let them come at their conveyance unless its truly pressing.

Funny enough, I got my grandfather in contact with him because my grandfather can't maintain his own slate roof anymore and gifted him some old specialty tools of his that had some history behind them.

Friends take care of friends.

Additionally: Sometimes I hire people, and they do show up. Then they don't work! (These people are more insidious, they're the government trying to "help" me weatherproof my house. They have not so much as cut a check or driven a nail, and we've been at it since 2021.)

Timothy Norton wrote:I think this is the reason that once I find somebody worth their salt, I tend to stick with them.  

This is what I'm hoping for each time, but I've been here for 6 years now and I haven't found someone to show up and do a good job. We had one for awhile, but he's nursing a foot injury now and we lost him

The contractor folks tend to show up more often, but then sometimes they break my house worse than the original problem. I have a roof leak (simple! I just can't hack it) that's been living with me since I bought the place. My shower leaked until maybe a few months ago, and my FIL is the one who fixed it.

The domestic laborers have never stepped foot on my property, not even once.

I have a good friend who has cleaned my kitchen with me before, but I don't want to ask too much of her, ya know? I wonder if she'd take a little cash to help me do a reset while I find someone who can be more consistent.

It seems to me that all the financial shenanigans that started to become apparent during the 2008 credit crunch have made a prolongued mockery of the idea of the virtues of work.  Money's becoming worthless and prices are shooting up.  I'm not sure there's much you, personally, can do in the face of culture-wide demotivation.

Unless you want to fly me over.  Dishes and laundry are my bag.  Cf. my nearly completed Nest Sand Badge. :p

Jojo Cameron wrote:It seems to me that all the financial shenanigans that started to become apparent during the 2008 credit crunch have made a prolongued mockery of the idea of the virtues of work.  Money's becoming worthless and prices are shooting up.  I'm not sure there's much you, personally, can do in the face of culture-wide demotivation.

Unless you want to fly me over.  Dishes and laundry are my bag.  Cf. my nearly completed Nest Sand Badge. :p

Having only been a pre-teen during the 2008 financial crisis, I really haven't experienced the world any other way financially. What you're describing is exactly what I see. Why doesn't anyone want to do anything valuable? It's beyond my comprehension. I jump at the opportunity to help a neighbor for some pocket money, but I can't get the same from anyone else.

I did reach out to the friend who has helped me in the past, and offered her what I was offering the housekeeper "until I can find someone more permanent." I don't want to mix money and friendships, and she's happy to do it on a temp basis. Now that the immediate crisis of "who is going to do it now???" is past, I'm hopeful that some beam of light will come in and give me a part time employee that can really get something done.

Yes, a few years ago I hired someone eager for work.  Fortunately I have a good background in vocational evaluation.  After an hour I calculated he was working at 5% of my rate.  I am in my 70s, and he was in his 30s.   I paid him for the hour and sent him home.

I do now have have a reliable person available who I pay well when I use him.

Carmen I hear your frustration and with news reports suggesting some countries are considering the return of the 6 day work-week, coupled with my son's love of history, I would suggest this is a really complicated and twisted problem. Hunter Gatherers are often quoted as the original leisure society who spent far less time than most modern humans in activities they identified as "work". We have a generation of young people who complain of being so bombarded with advertising at every turn, that they don't believe anything they see or read and want the most minimalist lifestyle they can manage. I also see how ads and computer use have fuelled instant gratification - something "work" has no hope to compete with.  

So how do we as individuals help to change that?

As John F identified, he tried until he found someone and is sticking with them at the same time as trying hard not to abuse the privilege - that sounds like a great win, John F!

William Wallace suggests trying out day labour people who were likely born in other countries, and giving them a chance. Again, one might have to be in the right place, as I don't think something like that exists local to me. However, my new daughter in law was born overseas and immigrated by choice and is certainly willing to work hard at her full-time job and then picked a couple of liters of raspberries for me because she knew how busy I was.

The Industrial Revolution truly reinvented "work" and the spoils of those efforts were not very equitably distributed. A sad era in Canadian History talks about the number of Humans who lost their lives building the first cross country railway as an example.

But history also tells of alternatives. The Gift Economy was practised by many Indigenous North Americans, at least within their own social groups. Direct trade pre-dated coins and "money". Trading labour  -  there was a neat group I saw in Northern Europe made up of 4 couples and once a month they all gathered at one property, did a big job like mending fences, then had a potluck evening meal. So 3 times a year, ones own homestead could plan for a bigger project than 2 people on their own could manage. Trading tasks - I mend my east neighbour's clothing and he cuts me boards on his mill. Since I enjoy mending and he enjoys using his mill, we don't over-much worry about how "balanced" the task trading ends up. He's generally surprised by how thorough I am, but I *really* appreciate getting milled wood!

I also find how easy it is for tasks to "expand". Hubby will claim otherwise, but he tends to be a perfectionist. I would rather have the job done and functional than perfect! The OP mentioned the kitchen needed cleaning. Yesterday we were juggling my need to get cookies baked with my Son's need to mix up sourdough no-knead bread for me to bake first thing this morning. Looking hard at one's kitchen and considering ways to set it up to work more efficiently might take time up front, but save lots of time in the long run. Most of my cooking ingredients are in a lower and upper cabinet right by the counter space. People think our eating dishes are in an odd spot, but the house came with a dishwasher and it was the kids' job to empty it, so the dishes are opposite it at 5 year old height. It's worked out generally well, so even if the son I mentioned just turned 30, the dishes still live there! So another way to not *need* people to show up and work, is to eliminate or reduce the jobs you think you need done. Permaculture is all about that! But it's maybe easier in the long run than during the development stage.

Like many problems, there isn't one perfect solution!

Finding farm workers is tough. Lots of people seem to like getting money,  but showing up or doing the work...not so much.

For us, the hardest thing is finding someone who will follow instructions.  So I have started using SKIP to filter out time wasters.  Do two bb and we'll consider the application.  Hire on the ease in which they follow the bb instructions.

https://permies.com/wiki/skip-pep-bb

It's made such a big difference to the quality of the workers we get.

Although it also helps that we don’t have a cell phone so they cannot text to say they are running late.  There is no way to adjust the arrival time, so they actually have to show up when scheduled.

Our daughter has an AirBnB business which she does remotely.

She has had the same problem trying to get workers to keep the cabins clean, sheets changed and washed.

What happens is that someone is scheduled to come and then get an offer which pays more so they take the better opportunity.

She finally found a management company which solved the problem.

Have you tried this company I have seen advertised on TV:

We Apologize In Advance If Our Great Service Is Not Available In Your Area

We are only able to offer your first cleaning for just $19 by providing a limited number of discount cleanings in select locations.

Enter your zip code to see if there are still discount cleanings in your area!

https://try.homeaglow.com/deal

The only people I ever need to hire are construction trades people. We have a great plumber, electrician, HVAC, tile guy, and some carpenters now for when we need something done that's too big or we need it more quickly than I can do it. We were connected to all these folks by hiring a general contractor to do some renovation to this house before we moved in. It was expensive, and not everyone can afford that, but it did have this side benefit of establishing a circle of professionals that the GC had previously vetted.

So maybe you can find other people in your area who need to hire the same kinds of folks that you do, and find out what's working for them?

Christopher Weeks wrote:but it did have this side benefit of establishing a circle of professionals that the GC had previously vetted.

You just reminded me again of that slate roofer! I had made an offhand comment about projects and the need for some electrical work and he made a solid rec. The people who do show up and do work might have recommendations for other tradespersons who do good work. As an introvert, I'm not fond of networking BUT it does have the tendency to develop good working relationships with quality folks.

This has been a problem pretty much since the advent of currency, which is why most employers started to pay weekly or every other week. Originally, people were paid daily, for their work, but many would then spend it to get drunk, and be too hung over to go back to work, the next day. By paying weekly, they knew they'd at least get a full week's work, and hopefully, by the next work day, their employees would be sober and ready for more work - and that was when the 'weekend' was only one day.

Since the SkIP program has already been mentioned, here are some other ideas for places where you might find more motivated folks to work:

How to go about finding folks to work depends largely upon the type of work. For simple chores, local youth groups - anything from Future Farmers, to Boy/Girl Scouts, 4H, and even some teachers (for various reasons), will recommend or even assign teens to assist individuals with household, garden, landscaping, or farm chores, for credit toward their badges, community outreach, or even as part of their grades, or to pay for scool/ organization trips.

For help with bigger jobs, that maybe wouldn't be appropriate for youth, many other organizations have members who are looking for odd jobs, or even permanent full or part time positions. Some are seniors, who are looking to be/ feel useful, get out of the house, and have more social interaction. Some are looking for temporary work, to augment their main income. Places to check around for these folks might include the local VFW, churches/ synagogues, American Legion, Salvation Army, food banks, garden clubs, homeless shelters, women's shelters, and other community outreach groups.

Building a rapport with any of these groups could go a long way toward making a wonderful, positive difference, for you. I wish you well in your search.

Just chiming in here that I’m a homesteader/farmer who also feels the same pain. It’s true for people who say they want to work in permaculture, through to electricians and handymen. Younger folks seem to be the most chronically bad at this.

From my experience, I’ve found that more mature folks (above 40) are more reliable, and more likely to know when they don’t want to do the job and say no, and to follow through when they say yes. And recent immigrants are more willing to show up and do an honest day’s work. They are building their American dream, and willing to put in the sweat to do so. I’m an immigrant myself, and done well enough that I can now own land and give the homesteading thing a real try.

Also, I pray. For the divine to help me find/attract the right people to support us in building our dreams. It does seem to help. And I am always grateful to the folks who do show up. I keep in my heart that someone who comes to help me put up fences or run an electric cable to the yurt is actively helping me live my dreams. They may not understand it that way, but I do, because it’s true.

No kidding. I’ve been trying to find anyone to just weed eat. Posted stuff around the little town I live near $25 an hour cash thinking I’d find some kids wanting gas/beer money. Not one call.