Back in the day, sharing tools and stories was part of the job

Early on, the senior guy would show us tricks while we laid vinyl. Now, it's all about speed and separate tasks. We used to fix errors together, but today, blame gets passed around. Management focuses on numbers over how good the floor looks. I miss the team spirit that made tough days okay. Do you feel this way about your crews?

4 comments

4 Comments

mia_jones471mo ago

Honestly, feels the same at my job.

sage3081mo ago

Remember when that tile setter guy fixed my friend's rookie cut without making a big deal about it?

quinna891mo ago

That bit about blame getting passed around instead of fixing errors together hits hard. @mia_jones47, when you say it feels the same at your job, does that mean people just point fingers now instead of stepping in to help? It's like the goal shifted from getting it done right to just making sure you aren't the one who gets in trouble. What happened to just being able to say "hey, that's off" without it becoming a whole thing?

william_harris13d ago

Last year on a big commercial job, I saw two guys almost come to blows over a bad measurement. It was a simple fix, but they were so worried about their own time sheets. I started buying coffee for the whole crew every Friday, just a small thing to get everyone talking in the morning. It didn't fix the company's focus on speed, but it made people a little more willing to help each other out. Sometimes you have to build that team feeling back up yourself, even if it's just with a cheap cup of coffee.