employer vs. empoyee supplied tools 2

[aarenot]

I was wondering how the industry outside my small area of work deals with tools for the work we do. It seems some employers provide tools, vehicles, expense credit cards, etc. If anyone has the time and inclination please respond with what is normal in your markets. Keep in mind, I do not generaly do wiring it is less than 10% of my work load to put in new cabling. On ocasion I put in a cable run for a new ext., or for an added pots line, from DMARC to the phone system. If anyone has the time , please let me know what tools you are expected to provide including laptops etc. , and what the company provides, along with the percentage of work you do which is cabling. Also, if you are in a union position, part time employee, or full time.
Thanks in advance, and thanks for all the tips in here, this p[lace is really helpful at times.

Todd, in Wisconsin.

 

[twofeathers]

For what it's worth, I've been on both sides of this issue.
I worked for 33 years with a major company as a Union employee where they supplied all the tools and equipment. After I left the company and started a small interconnect and had to hire employees, I supplied a vehicle, for safety and realiability issues. I supplied ladders, again for safety issues. When it came to tools, I require employees to supply their own. Being a small company, 3 techs, there was a lot of loss....this got expensive real quick. I set up a program where they bought tools and had it spread out via payroll deduction over several weeks. If the tech, has to be responsible for his tools, he will go back and find where he left something. If they are supplied, they dont take care of them. Of course there are speciality tools, that are required for our job, a laptop, data testers....
these are checked out and returned after the job.

When I first started, I supplied a newhire with all his tools, he worked for about 6 monts...the next morning, he never came back...nor did any of the tools.

By paying my employees a fair wage, they respect that and dont mind maintaining their tools. If your having an issue about this I suggest you have a talk with your boss before you wind up with a chip on your shoulder. This is a highly competitive business in my area. There are a lot of expenses in running a interconnect that my employees are not aware of...To settle this, we set down at least twice a year and discuss some of these issues.

Proper communications between the boss and techs is most important. and trust in each other.

Hope this might help

 

[itpphoneguy]

Hi,
I ran a repair business for 16 yrs. I required that employees supply hand tools. I supplied soldering irons, 'scopes, generators and everything else. When I started, I supplied everything. Quickly, I had no tools. I also paid for training courses and wages during.
Now I work for an interconnect. They supply tools, van, laptop and all supplies. There are some specialty tools they would not buy, so I did. They cover my training and wages also. I do most of my study at home on my own time since it's a fight to get into a course. We are in the Toronto area in Canada.
-Chris

 

[aarenot]

Thanks for your responses. I wanted to clarify I install, and service partner, magix, and sometimes IPO avaya systems. On ocasion I run a new cable for a new ext., maybe 10% includes some sort of wiring. I work for an avaya business partner, we mainly sell new systems, and service, we for the most part farm out any work for which we do not have tools, like scissors lifts, anything higher than a 6 foot ladder(which stays at the office until needed 6ft ladder). I install the hardware and cross connect and program mainly, other than changes to programming, and troubleshooting. We are not a cabling company, and we have no wiring infrastructure of our own. We resell telecom services only, TDS, choice one services for example. I do not have a company vehicle, and I work out of a Toyota corolla, my own vehicle. I have many of my own tools, toners, all hand tools except I use a company crimper, and butt set. Any other tool I have which the company payed for was a replacement for my own tool which wore out, bits, blades, etc. I am not full time(20 hrs/wk minimum), no bebnefits, no laptop, I have a my own personal pc I use for most of my administrative work from home, my own internet connection. I do not have a cordless tool of any kind, either mine or the companies. I borrow a salesmans laptop when I work with IPO, otherwise I do not have one. I get payed from first job site to last for the day, even when I dispatch from home unscheduled. Now, it is my feeling, I should not buy any tools, this was agreed before I started for the company, now a new operations manager wants to change things. Am I being unreasonable here?
As far as pay rate, 17$/hr, give me some feed back please. Job offers as well, if they are remote maint., or in Wisconsin, lol. I started out in this industry doing cabling, after two years I was moved to almost all servie work and installs/programming chnages.