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Finding Employees?

Posted By: Donnersurvivor

Finding Employees? - 08/02/22 11:37 PM

Apologies for somewhat off topic but I'm hoping some of you bosses have some advice when it comes to finding employees? I'm incredibly short handed with my Tree Service and I am struggling to find anyone to work. I was going to post an add on Indeed but that is $40 per application which seems steep. I just ran a Facebook add to see if that would attract anyone.

Any advice?
Posted By: Bob Jameson

Re: Finding Employees? - 08/03/22 12:06 AM

I know a couple local fellas that have a tree service with the same problem. Just darn hard to find people with some skills that want to work, then to be reliable.
Posted By: BigBob

Re: Finding Employees? - 08/03/22 01:22 AM

The age old conundrum! Good luck with that. I know some folks near Milaca that might be able to help. where are you?
Posted By: 52Carl

Re: Finding Employees? - 08/03/22 02:37 AM

About the only thing anyone in your shoes can do is downsize and raise your prices to stay afloat. There has been a lot of damage done to our society over many decades to lead us to where we are at today.
Trump/Noem 2024 orta be a good start to get back on the right track.
Posted By: EatenByLimestone

Re: Finding Employees? - 08/03/22 09:30 AM

Any local colleges with forestry or silviculture programs?

Our best employees came from people we knew. Not necessarily in a related field when they came to us. 2 came from bat jobs where the customer was young and seemed interested in the work.
Posted By: Donnersurvivor

Re: Finding Employees? - 08/03/22 12:17 PM

Originally Posted by BigBob
The age old conundrum! Good luck with that. I know some folks near Milaca that might be able to help. where are you?


I'm In the annandale area.
Posted By: Donnersurvivor

Re: Finding Employees? - 08/03/22 12:24 PM

Originally Posted by 52Carl
About the only thing anyone in your shoes can do is downsize and raise your prices to stay afloat. There has been a lot of damage done to our society over many decades to lead us to where we are at today.
Trump/Noem 2024 orta be a good start to get back on the right track.


I'm downsized as far as I can go. I'm offering 20 with no experience, if someone can lean on a rake and untangle a rope they can make 20 a hour and it goes up considerably from there.
Posted By: BigBob

Re: Finding Employees? - 08/03/22 06:08 PM

Sent this thread to my buddy, we'll see what happens.
Posted By: trapdye

Re: Finding Employees? - 08/04/22 10:48 PM

It's not only you, Most are in the same boat. I see McDonald's is paying 18.00 hr. Guess they figure why break your a$$ in the heat when you can stand with air conditioning & calling NEXT. We were in Maine, dunking donuts was offering 20.00 hr. Also,I don't know if it's just here, I see a lot of clients are still working from home since covid.
Posted By: COYOTE101

Re: Finding Employees? - 08/06/22 03:00 AM

I have Problems trying to hire Predator Trappers( wildlife techs) to work. They want a check,but don't want to do the work.
Posted By: TheYouthTrapper

Re: Finding Employees? - 08/06/22 03:22 AM

I've seen a few companies a couple of hours away that needed workers for their tree service too and they only got 1 or 2 people to respond to the post. I would rather work outside rather than inside any day but now that I have my license I haven't found anyone hiring.
Posted By: backroadsarcher

Re: Finding Employees? - 08/06/22 04:02 PM

Its just hard to find people that want to work. You have a big population of people where your at. Just getting the right ones is the problem. A problem the whole country is dealing with.
Posted By: Bob Jameson

Re: Finding Employees? - 08/06/22 09:15 PM

Some in the last couple of years are getting conditioned to getting better paid to stay at home. Or have a situation that bails them out enough with no real need to worry. Cut off the fluff income and take away all the bailouts then see how things will fly.

No incentive to have to actually "work" for normally reasonable wages if they don''t like what is offered or really don't want to work that hard..
Posted By: Donnersurvivor

Re: Finding Employees? - 08/06/22 11:00 PM

I'm having people comment on my help wanted add saying "I'll think about it for $45 an hour" When I was in my early 20s 70 or 80 hour weeks were not abnormal during the summer, now young guys want less than 40 hours and Fridays off and to be laid off all winter. I wouldn't hesitate to give the right guy $50 an hour but most of these clowns asking for 50 aren't worth 20.
Posted By: EatenByLimestone

Re: Finding Employees? - 08/07/22 10:38 AM

I've been deep diving on demographics, and the inflation it will probably cause. Theres a real good chance we will be paying much higher wages real soon.

Unfortunately for those thinking they are worth that now, is that they won't be worth that when wages rise to that level.
Posted By: BigBob

Re: Finding Employees? - 08/08/22 02:45 PM

Why work your butt off in the hot/cold when you can flip burgers for $20+/hr? It's insane, "LETS GO BRANDON!!!!!"
Posted By: Donnersurvivor

Re: Finding Employees? - 08/09/22 01:22 AM

Originally Posted by BigBob
Why work your butt off in the hot/cold when you can flip burgers for $20+/hr? It's insane, "LETS GO BRANDON!!!!!"


5 years of flipping burgers and you'll still be flipping burgers. 5 years working for me and an 18 yo went from couldn't drive a pickup to a class A commercial liscense, equipment operating skills and 28.75 per hour all on the books with addional $1,000 Christmas bonus. Company supplied cell phone and random cash bonuses.
Posted By: BigBob

Re: Finding Employees? - 08/10/22 08:08 PM

They don't know that, or likely care. Whatever is the easiest!
Posted By: LT GREY

Re: Finding Employees? - 08/26/22 02:57 AM




Baby-sitting grown men is a thankless job !
Posted By: MattLA

Re: Finding Employees? - 08/26/22 04:16 PM

For that one hour of work that you are offering $20, how much do you make on that hour? Why should somebody come work for you? Can they make an honest mistake and not get fired? Try offering paid meals in with that $20 and I bet you get good candidates coming out the woodwork, because it's a different benefit. All you gotta do is go by the MN per diem rate of $42 per day, it equals out to $5.25 added per hour for an 8 hour shift, and $50 per day in high localities or $6.25 added per hour. Good luck!
Posted By: run

Re: Finding Employees? - 08/27/22 10:45 AM

Donner survivor, I just want to wish you good luck finding quality employees. What brand of chainsaws do you run?
Posted By: Donnersurvivor

Re: Finding Employees? - 09/01/22 12:14 AM

Originally Posted by Tofan
For that one hour of work that you are offering $20, how much do you make on that hour? Why should somebody come work for you? Can they make an honest mistake and not get fired? Try offering paid meals in with that $20 and I bet you get good candidates coming out the woodwork, because it's a different benefit. All you gotta do is go by the MN per diem rate of $42 per day, it equals out to $5.25 added per hour for an 8 hour shift, and $50 per day in high localities or $6.25 added per hour. Good luck!


I almost always buy or provide lunch, clock starts when we leave the house and ends when we get home. I've had guys run over chainsaws, smash up and roll over equipment, I've never yelled or degraded someone for it though they are talked to respectfully and asked to be more careful.

I've had some luck finding guys lately, currently have two who are being trained and one seems like a possible good long term candidate. I just talked about a career path with him, told him he would go to 25 an hour when he could run saws and equipment comfortably which should be a couple months, 30 if he studies and obtains a CDL this winter which I'll pay for. Hoping giving him something to shoot for will keep it interesting and him motivated.


We run a variety of saws, stihl 201 261 and 500i are the main ones, also have husky electric climbing saws as well as huskies 2nd biggest saw which I'm spacing out the number. Stihl 500i is my favorite
Posted By: Willy Firewood

Re: Finding Employees? - 09/02/22 06:10 AM

You are doing everything possible to attract and keep good employees.
Lunch is generous.
Babying them about damaging equipment can cause the to not care because no consequences.
Pay is generous.
Shop to shop is generous.
Paying for the CDL is generous.

You must have a good customer base to pay these guys.
Your overhead for trucks, equipment, insurance, worker’s comp, fuel, etc. must be huge.
You run a good ship!

Please be safe, an owner of a business like yours had a bad accident a couple years ago while climbing on a job.. He barely lived.
Posted By: run

Re: Finding Employees? - 09/08/22 06:19 PM

Originally Posted by Donnersurvivor
Originally Posted by Tofan
For that one hour of work that you are offering $20, how much do you make on that hour? Why should somebody come work for you? Can they make an honest mistake and not get fired? Try offering paid meals in with that $20 and I bet you get good candidates coming out the woodwork, because it's a different benefit. All you gotta do is go by the MN per diem rate of $42 per day, it equals out to $5.25 added per hour for an 8 hour shift, and $50 per day in high localities or $6.25 added per hour. Good luck!


I almost always buy or provide lunch, clock starts when we leave the house and ends when we get home. I've had guys run over chainsaws, smash up and roll over equipment, I've never yelled or degraded someone for it though they are talked to respectfully and asked to be more careful.

I've had some luck finding guys lately, currently have two who are being trained and one seems like a possible good long term candidate. I just talked about a career path with him, told him he would go to 25 an hour when he could run saws and equipment comfortably which should be a couple months, 30 if he studies and obtains a CDL this winter which I'll pay for. Hoping giving him something to shoot for will keep it interesting and him motivated.


We run a variety of saws, stihl 201 261 and 500i are the main ones, also have husky electric climbing saws as well as huskies 2nd biggest saw which I'm spacing out the number. Stihl 500i is my favorite

Thank you for the reply, dinner survivor.
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