Working in the Summer for Dad -- Not Working -- Need Suggestions
 

Well, here's my story, whether you care to read it in it's enirety or not.

During the break from College over the summer months, I'm working for my father at the family business (which is a factory job). Dad promised me that he'd have me switching and moving around as far as what I'm doing, learning first the shop, then outer tasks, and the office as well, etc.

Well, I only had June, July, and August to work. I recently was accepted as a RA at college (which means I get my own room + free food + $$$ as long as I police other students and basically keep residents in line. It's a good deal). This fortunate event means that I now have to go back to school on August 17th.

I've made prior arrangements with my Girlfriend to stay with her at her cabin on August 8th till August 15th, so this means that I can work at the latest up to August 6th.

Now, I need to earn money to spend while at college, and I can only do so in this short period of time. HOWEVER..

Dad isn't holding up his bargain. I've been in the shop the entire time, doing the same things. Even despite the fact that I now must leave a month earlier than before, I'm still doing the same things. What makes it worse is the fact that it's a factory job, meaning his employees will sit down, stop working, take breaks and whatnot at every possible oppertunity.

I obviously will not do those things because it's costing my father money. I've informed my father of my findings and he doesn't care, citing the reason being that "They have to do this job day in and day out every day, they aren't going to break their backs to do it."

So..I'm supposed to? But I can't just sit on my ass, what kind of an influence is that? And I can't quite tell them to "get to work" because I'm the new guy, just starting this summer, and if I were to do that it'd cause more internal politics (there is already bickery between the Caucasians and the Mexicans, though I am cool with each party), and then I'd become an outcast from both parties -- all the while I really have no justification in barking out orders.

I got so frustrated today (Monday). I worked for an hour and a half straight from 6:30 till 8:00 AM, and in that time period others must've sat around for at least a half hour if not more. In that time I watched one employee take position on a saw, and promptly go outside, get on a forklift, move material around meanderingly (non-progressively), park it, come back, take a drink of pop, smoke a cigarette, use the bathroom, come back, and hold a conversation with his buddy working another machine.

A different individual, to lazy to start fabricating raw materials into product, opted to pick up boards and hold them pointlessly in order to hand them to another worker who was operating a machine which only required one person to operate. Once every three minutes he would hand him some boards, then he'd pick up a few others and sling them on his shoulder and sit around.

My co-worker, working with me on a repair table is supposed to be building new material while I'm tearing apart old ones to recycle or set up for repair. Nope..instead, while I'm tearing apart, if he has nothing to repair, he won't fabricate new material, he'll sit on the repair table and smoke and drink soda.

A different employee simply crouched between a few stacks of pallets in an obscure place, making him hard to locate while he haunched over for nearly 20 minutes straight, before he made his exit and left the building (presumingly headed for the bathroom).

While this was occurring, I watched on while I worked continuously. I got soo damn pissed off at this, I worked hard while they sat on their asses. Gah! And I could do nothing, and my father won't change things.

So I'm held to a double standard, employees can sit around like lazy bums while I must work like a dog because I'm his son. WTF?

I left work at 8:00 AM this morning and drove off on my motorcycle, got some lunch and drove around trying to think.

What should I do now? Where can I get a temporary job for the next 25 days? I stand to lose $1200 if I don't work 40 hour weeks for my father the next three weeks or so, but to hell if I'm going to bust my ass while others sit around, that makes me so angry that it becomes unbearable.

So..what do I do? I need some advice..

I do not see a problem, work till you need to go out of town.

How can you not see a problem?!

It's an unfortunate fact of life, most people are lazy. Especially the ones who have some tenure at their jobs. If the $1200 means that much to you, just keep your head down and work. It's only a few more weeks, besides, chances are you'll spend the rest of your life working with at least a few lazy jackoffs, best learn that lesson now.

having worked in a family business before... it's worse than being a regular employee... more is expected out of you since you are a family member.

Been there, done that, got the tshirt...

my advice... take a job somewhere else, at least then you'll have reasonable expectations governed and guided by legal precedents.

What Cynthetiq said. You <b>are</b> being held to a higher standard...and justifiably so. You see, if <b>you</b> get to sit on <b>your</b> ass and fuck off, then you are just "The Boss's Lazy Assed Kid". It makes no difference that <b>they</b> fuck-off twice as much as you are. Fair? No, it isn't...but at least you have a light at the end of your tunnel. You will move ahead in the company, albeit obviously not as fast as you would like. Whereas, the rest of your factory "co-workers" are probably going to be there until they retire. They know this, trust me. So my advise to you is this...use this time to learn the down and dirty aspects of the business. Learn to talk their "language". One day you may find that experience usefull in dealing with these same people from a management perspective. Bear in mind that there is a reason that your dad told you "They have to do this job day in and day out every day, they aren't going to break their backs to do it." Your dad expects a certain amount of work from his employees. If they can get that done, and still "sit and chill" for a bit, then so be it. The worst thing that <b>you</b> can do is to go down to the shop floor and stir up a bunch of trouble. On the other hand...you are <b>always</b> going to have lazy assholes that will try to get over any chance that they can. Learn to deal with them now. Those types of people will be around for the rest of your life. Might as well learn to make peace with it. Besides...we <b>need</b> these people. How else would we know how great the rest of us are without them?

Tough call since only you know the nuances of the situation.

Perhaps you should sit down and tell your dad how you really feel. Openly, honestly, from the standpoint of helping contribute to him and the business. Find out where he's coming from.

Option: work somewhere else but trust me, you'll find lazy people in the best of companies.

Look at the future. You'll probably be inheriting the fruits ($$$) of your father's labor. You can be a part of that and accept that not everyone has your work ethic. Maybe you can be the person to help your father grow the business into being even better.

It's all dependent on what you're committed to doing in life. But if it's not for you, forget about it, and move on.

also we only see your perception of it...sometimes people do more then it appears they do.

Think of it this way....you can still make money. Your make money because you work, not because other people who work with you don't. Take it with a grain of salt.

I work with a lot of VERY! lazy people. It's a union shop, and some people just don't do much of anything.
Many of us work very hard, we do our job to the best of our ability.
Being the child of the owner puts you in a prime spot!
get your education, learn more about your father's company.
Do your job to the best of your ability!
When you are ready....take up the reigns.....become a supervisor
run YOUR factory the way it should be run.

Well, I'm already trying. I've shifted positions to the office temporarily (upgrading computers, mainly, the office computer is a Pentium 120 w/ 32 Mb. of RAM and a 1 GB hard drive, and Dad wants to upgrade to the latest office [good idea], but it'll run terribly slow on that old system -- therefore I'm putting in a Duron 800, 128 Mb. of RAM and Windows 2000 for them to run the Quicken machine off of.) When that's finished, I guess I'll return outside, and maybe I'll try changing things.

then do like Devo.... CRACK THAT WHIP!!!!

Without a mandate from your dad, don't even try. They'll know that they don't have to do anything you say, and they'll resent you.

Take the money for the next 25 days, observe everything that goes on around you and try to figure out why things are that way (is it just laziness? is something else in play? Why doesn't your dad care? Does he ask them to work in overdrive occasionally for important orders and so doesn't care if they slack in slow times? Does low pay have anything to do with what's happening? See why things work the way they do -- and if there _is_ not good reason go back to college and study hard because Daddy's not going to be in business that many more years.