In the spirit of CROSSHIRE
Paddy’s Motorbike has to decide whether his apprentice’s potential outweighs his shortcomings.
THE TRIAL OF HERCULES
No, it’s not what you might think. Young Hercules, our apprentice, is not about to appear at the Old Bailey or any other court of law. However, his trial period with us is coming to an end very soon, and I have to decide if I want to keep him on.
The time he has spent with us has been both frustrating and entertaining, to put it mildly. Our local builders have warmed to him because of his innocence and inexperience. The other day he came to me and asked if we sell tartan paint, because Jack the builder was on the phone wanting to buy some. “No, we don’t,” I replied, “but you can tell him the bubble for his spirit level is now in stock.” Which he duly did! He also now knows you cannot get a left handed hammer or screwdriver.
I named him Hercules ironically, because he is actually our weakest member of staff. However, you wouldn’t think that sometimes to hear him talk about how big his muscles are. Nevertheless, he likes to join in the banter and has learned to give as good as he gets without taking offence.
It has been handy having someone with younger legs helping us in the yard with the tidying up, loading and unloading of our vehicles. Sometimes even our driver, Satnav, stops his general moaning. Working in the yard has also given Hercules first-hand experience in helping him learn the names of tools and plant, and their purpose.
As I expected, he was very quick to learn how to use our hire software and he seems to enjoy updating stock prices on the computer - coincidentally a job I hate. He has even shown a good attitude towards dealing with customers and serving them, always offering to help them carry equipment out to their vehicle and assisting them in unloading.
However, he is still very immature with very little thought to the consequences of some of his actions. Indeed, being at work is teaching
him to grow up. Many times, I have found team members acting more like a surrogate father when he has fallen out with his girlfriend, lost his phone. Sometimes, they have had to give him a dressing down for things like getting to work 15 minutes early only to take a toilet break dead on the time he should be at his post, or stopping for a cigarette five minutes before his dinner.
So the question I am facing is, Does he pay his way? Sadly, at the moment, he does not. He has potential but he still has lots to learn and many hurdles to jump. It is unclear how long this is going to take.
I need to see him put more commitment and enthusiasm into the job. He should see a project through from start to finish, from booking in a repair, quoting for and then ordering parts, to finally giving the equipment back to the customer in full working order, having taken responsibility for it all.
After discussing my experience with other employers in different trades, it seems teenage boys in apprenticeships need a good 18 months before they start to develop, act more like an adult and become really useful. I want to believe that Hercules can eventually become a valued employee. While I’m considering my options, I hope that I can instil in him that real job satisfaction doesn’t come from looking at your mobile phone every five minutes, but instead from hard work and enthusiasm.
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