The matters of sale are not complete yet, therefore, I doubt the buyers let anyone go yet. There have been a couple of terminations that I know of but havre no details.

Has anyone heard of any other cuts @ Barloworld? It sounds like only one cut was made in Florida according to BGlittlestar and the real problems were just moved around and kept their jobs. Very interesting.

well i thought i conveyed that point in my indirect answer earlier but if you want a more to the point direct answer?
From my experience with them everything they have ever said they were going to do they have done. At least the stuff that i know about anyway. I am not privy to EVERYTHING that goes on there so i cant speak for everyone else there, i'm speaking solely from my point of view.

bbforks, I knew what you were asking, but I cannot answer because I have no first hand knowledge. Maybe this time next year, I'll have an answer. I have always had the opinion one should get from the company what has been promised, but if you stay around long enough, you find many times you are told what they think you want to hear so you will continue to do your job and hang around. It's like that promise of equal pay for equal work but it doesn't get there and they make excuses.
I have learned to try to do my job and avoid the politicing atmosphere. Maybe someone will voice an opinion.

I'm not sure I made my point. The question was did anyone know how the employer Liftone was to work for. Jplayer answered that as long as you do what's expected, you'll be fine. Someone then said that was a universal answer to any job and really didn't answer the question.

My point was that with some employers- no matter what you do, it's never enough. Maybe I have a chip on my shoulder about what happened to my dad- if I do- so be it. I believe that if an employer promises you something then they should ante up when the time comes.

well thanks for those kind words chub
i try hard to do a decent job for Mr Customer and my company as well. I suppose since i'm representing the manufacturer through the company i work for i strive to give Mr customer the best service i can give, being fair across the board in the process.
I've seen alot of service managers come and go in my years working for Hyster, Cat and Yale, some good and some not having a clue about a lift or even the business in general.
I eventually learned to get to know them and how they want things to be (what their adjenda is), and adapt to what they want (if possible) and work from there.

I guess in this ever changing business no matter who you work for you have to learn how to adapt to your surroundings but in the long run the most important thing is to stick to YOUR game plan and keep Mr customer #1 priority, because its Mr Customer that your performing the service for and in my eyes thats more important than anything else jobwise, and Mr Customer sees this as well ;o)
When we get a service call and the customer asks for me specifically by name? that tells me something, i must be doing something right ;o)

chublil, It happens everywhere. You found a house gig, I livre so far from the shop, it's kinda like working a house gig, or being on my own. The difference between being on my own, and working for the other man, I don't have the headaches. There has been a lot of talk at the shop about things, but i don't usually hear the bull till the smell has died down. From your posts, you seem to have your head on straight. Glad you have found a happy home. GOD does take care of us sometimes, inspite of us.

Jplayer and melift, you guys sound like class acts. Maybe the west coast just has too many wanna bes and I have been immersed in it too long. Thank the man above I found a nice in house gig and dont have to deal with it anymore. I was never a bitter guy at my employers over the years, but I saw plenty of bad service managers and good guys getting dumped on for exceling. It does happen. Good luck to both of you.

Do I worry about whether the service manager likes me or not? Not now or ever. I learned years ago, bosses have favorites, or the appearances of such. I do my job to gain the praise of one, and that one is not of this world. I learned this, you do the job right the first time, and yes we all make mistakes, you do the job in a timely manner, the customer is happy, not calling complaining about the costs, turn in paperwork timely( one of my particular weaknesses), keep your inventory close, lost or unapplied time to a minimum, show up everyday you are scheduled for, you will get good reveiws. Do what's asked of you, if that's butt kissing, so be it. I answer to a higher authority than the man behind the desk, who merely signs off on things. I think you should work for the company that employs you just like you would work if you owned the company.
Move to sevice manager? NOT!!!!!! No shops close enough to my house for that. It's two hours from here. And those bonuses.... better left unsaid, but there are many ways to sweeten that pot.
If you take care of your business, and your job, you won't have time to worry about what someone else is getting or doing. If you take care of your responsibilities, the rest will take care of itself. If you are looking for perfect fairness, you will forever be looking.

yup, i think liftone is as fair as any other reputable company out there. they offer us many incentives that not many other companies do.

heh as far as the a$$ kissin? well call it want you want, i find that those that like to use that terminology and throw labels on guys like that are the ones that do not excel in their jobs and are usually on the low end of the scale. they have a negative attitude and can only see the bad in the company and its ways.
there is one thing i hear alot from a few of our techs and that is when they get thier reviews they come out disgruntled because they are told no wage increase or not enough of one. Its that type of negativity that the management can see, its written all over them and is reflected in thier attitude and the kind of work they do.

When i go into a review i keep an open mind, take any critisism they have (yes they will and do usually have something to improve on almost always), and i dont go in there expecting anything, i HOPE they will reward me in some way, and I HOPE i get a good review. If i dont then i just work harder to get it next time. So far(with the current management team), i havnt had to go this route because they seem to like what i'm doing and how i'm doing it.
Just because my review took 45 minutes instead of 5 or 10 like some of the other guys said, they deem me a 'brown noser'? or a a$$ kisser? If they, (any other tech) doesn't care enough about THEIR job and how they are perceived by thier company (management), and they dont take the time to talk to the manager and ask questions or make suggestions, and they go into the review with the only thing on thier mind "MONEY?", then maybe they should be EXACTLY where they are, and most likly they will stay right there.

I really do believe you can find something wrong with anything if you look hard enough for it, and trust me i've done my fair share of it over the years, and i have yet to find ANY company that is perfect... its just not gonna happen. I finally learned it got me nowhere and i got tired of fighting against a system where i wasnt going to win.
We can strive to be the best and do the best we can under any circumstances we face if we stay motivated and keep the positive outlook.

Now... as for "service manager" promotions and such?
nah... i'll pass on that, way too stressful for my taste. I've been down the management road before and it's not what you think, most of the time it doesnt pay as much as you'd think and if your salry based then you wind up loosing that way by working more hours for the same base pay. Yeah some companies put incentive based packages together to help you get bonus's and such for various things related to your work but i found they arent all thier cracked up to be. You'll find yourself making certain compromises you normally wouldnt make just to meet the goals required. Thats a thin line i'm not willing to cross just to make that extra buck. And please dont ask me "what compromises" because there could be a whole range of things that could cover that particular subject, but if your smart you'll know what i mean. If you dont then... oh well....you probably never would and trying to explain it would only confuse you more ;o)

I think i like where i'm at because its what i know best, i feel i can make a better impact on my side of the business here, so i have no desire to move up into management. :o)

I have to agree with Jplayer. Sounds like he works for a company that is fair. I don't think that he's kissing anyone's a**. If his employer respects what he is doing & he enjoys doing it, what's wrong with that? It's the companies that always ask for more- more- more and give nothing in return are the ones to look out for.

My dad woked for a hyster dealer & was #1 tech in the shop. He did everything they asked him to do & he worked there 10 years. The company kept dangling the carrot of "Keep it up & you're the next service manager". Well -don't ya' know that the service manager position became available & do you think that my dad got his promotion? NO! They hired a college grad who was good with numbers but had NO experience whatsoever with forklifts.

As far as there being 2 catagories of tech's in the shop- the ones management likes & the ones they don't, the question I would ask is what is the difference between the tech's? If the answer is that management likes a** kissers, then that's not an employer I personally would enjoy working for. I've had customers with this type of management philosphy, and it's always been a loosing proposition for me in the end, when brown nosing overides honesty & hard work.

hey.... the man asked a question....
i gave him an answer....

nuff said

:oP

Not baiting either one of you for conversation, but setting aside your ethics and kissing the bosses backside is just as effective as the positive traits you have noted. There is always two sets of techs working for any service company, the one set the boss likes, and the other the boss does'nt like. Who cares what the skill sets are, if the boss likes you, it really doesn't matter. Eventually you will get the help, learn from your mistakes, and get promoted to service manager for the new shop one state over! For you guys to plaster your names over this forum, and extole the virtues of your employer speaks volumes. Not trying to be a jerk, but there are always two sides to the story. As to the point EdT makes below about controlling the conversation, isn't that kinda whats happening??? Just asking.

That's kinda standard rules isn't it? Do your job, keep your boss happy, keep the customer happy, customer not complaining, boss happy. Minimize lost time, and rework.
I have a few questions but this open forum is not the place to discuss them. Wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea or misunderstand the questions or the answers.

yep
do your job
keep customers happy
keep up your productivity
dont **** off the boss (or anyone else for that matter)

do these things as a basic rule and you will be treated well.

the management team they have in place right now i like, they let me do my job, if i need help i ask for it and usually get it.
if they ask me to do something i make it a point to make time to do it without question.
i usually stay busy and keep my lost time down and keep my rework levels as near to 0 as possible.
my last reviews were very good so i have no complaints here :o)