I was about a month out of tech school at my first wrenching job when I learned about the shop foreman. A guy I was friends with before I worked there was supposed to check the fluid level in a manual transmission. He pulled the wrong plug out and I think it was the reverse rod dropped. He called me over and I didn't have a clue so we called the foreman over. He knew what it was and how to fix it. It was simple but the transmission had to come out. The first thing he told us was don't start until he talks to the customer and nobody talks to the customer but him. He said we are not taking apart a car without the owner's permission. He wanted me to call the parts stores and find a clutch disc and price. He had my buddy help him finish what he was on. Once I got a clutch disc located he called the customer. I didn't hear the conversation but he told us after how it went. He asked the customer if he wanted a free clutch disc install if he paid for the disc. He said one of the guys pulled the wrong plug out and we would be fixing it on our dime. It was simple but in order to fix it we will have to pull out the transmission. If it was his own car he would be tossing in a new clutch disc and suggested he do the same. Since it was going to be 90% of the way to swapping it because of our mistake he wouldn't charge for the labor. The guy was actually pretty happy about it. The first thing he said was nobody panic it happens. No yelling or screaming. Nobody got docked pay and the three that were there that day were all in it together. In the end the customer was happy and nobody did anything underhanded. A few years later we were both groomsman at my friend's wedding. The marriage didn't have the same success.
our shop foreman is also the crazy micromanaging shop manager. he's done every job 1000 times, everyone else can do it in 30 minutes, and you are costing the shop money.
I work in a massive shop, it's essentially a factory and and they fired our lead tech/shop foreman in December because he was "too expensive". He was making mid 40s an hour, and now all we've got are kids in their 20s making 15-30 an hour with nobody to guide them, and I've seen all kinds of preventable things that would have never happened if we had an experienced foreman keeping an eye on things. I'm a mid level technician, been doing this for 6 years but now I'm somehow one of the most experienced. I've seen expensive mistakes ending in blown engines/transmissions, a few severe injuries, all preventable. Makes me mad to think about how much greed there is in this industry and how little it cares for those that make it possible
@Sid The sloth Exactly, on paper he was too much but I'd guarantee they've lost money on that. Having to pay out of pocket for more mistakes, having people out on workers comp, it all slows things down and adds up fast
Lol 15-30 flat rate sucks ass. Never work at a dealership they pay Pennies and have bad flat rate times unless you are in an expensive one. Hourly is the way to go
I’m the Forman/ controller/master tech in our dealership I agree all I do all day is help out the other guys fix stuff ups and teach them and get pulled off my job that many times I have to double check my self but hey with 35 years in this trade I love doing the job I’m there to help and train them to replace me 🇦🇺
Work as a Diesel mechanic. Most shops have gotten rid of Shop foreman. I have seen Shop managers get too involved on the floor and less time in the office. Shop foreman is now a Shop lead. It’s the same thing. Except the supervisor title and perks and bonuses. When I first started 22 years ago. Most shop foreman only had to work 1 hr in the floor.
I used to do it but not by choice. As a Master it held me back. Whilst I did it I was apparently very good at it according to management and wanted me to become workshop manager. I turned both jobs down. Key was getting right man on right job. Having a good dialogue and helping. By accommodating them with personal problems, being a little flexible they would pull out all the stops when our backs were against the wall. It’s how you treat people.
Your describing my good ole friend, manager/ foreman/ mentor to the T of all he was and is. Long story short he ventured out on his own and doing really good.
I’m the workshop foreman in a Dealership here in Ireland and let me tell you it’s a thankless job. You have to have a certain mentality to do it well and sometimes it can get on top of you but it’s the type of job that you are made to do or aren’t it’s not something that can be learned or taught in my opinion
I was just offered the foreman position at my shop the current is moving to a first shift position looking forward to it and helping these younger guy's
Interesting moving into heavy equipment and everyone is hourly. But their is still respect amongst each tech to go to other who have more experience and knowlege on certain systems or brands.
Have to have the right personality for the job like you said. Lots of management in our area does not understand that and just give the job to the most senior tech
We're small enough we just have one person at every level. Luber goober, state inspection/brakes guy, me who does literally everything else. Works well enough. Anything questionable/broken/problem just becomes my ticket generally. I'm the only one doing rotten cars or diag.
As a foreman you have to be paid for your time but incentivized with whole shop production. If I was going to be a foreman I would need a salary/hourly equivalent to 60k a year and then I would want a total production bonus. This would ensure that my bills are paid and I'm never going to starve. On the other side of that pay scale would be me trying my butt off to keep my technicians producing at max efficiency to get as many billed hours out of the shop as possible. If you're not paying a foreman a wage that makes sure they're going to survive on the worst weeks out there, they're going to want to suck gravy and not help. It's a tightrope walk and the pay system has to match.
Is shop foreman the same as shop supervisor? Our shop supervisor, goes on part runs, cleans the shop, does building maintenance, and moves trailers/motorhomes. Kinda feel like he gets a bit underpaid, compared to us
I get the being pulled off a hundred times a day. A good stopping point shouldn't be an issue to whoever is pulling you off a big job. Not a problem where I work but does help to not get upset. Especially if it's something that the tech should have known. A drop in the bucket in the world of the lead guy. Everyone thinks we make a hundred grand a year and barely wrench.
Yeah when u was at honda the former was with hinda for 17 yrs at the same dealership. When I arrive I had the slightest experience on diagnosing Hondas. Well it was like learning all over again, for me. The formen would diagnose 30+ cars a week And would hand out all the non honda tickets and jobs he knew didn't pay it's worth in time. That guy on a slow week was making 70+ hrs. He started every SINGLE DAY with a timing belt and ended the day with timing belts. Honda is dog shit for SI and so finding labor and correct diag/repair procedures was difficult. His advice was "damn that sucks" and he would give under estimated labor time while OVER estimating the labor IF it was his work. When he left my hours dropped like a hot 🔥 brick.
Shop manager has a wide definition, back in the day he worked under the service writer and the techs . These days he is H.R. , budget manager,crisis manage, divorce counselor, semi parole officer, IT support, just a few
@@flatratemaster My job was 30yrs and they just want the young bucks put out work faster, but sometimes it bites them. I think you're a great foreman and now you can breathe a little. Stress on my job was crazy and now I'm doing the to do List'lOLGood luck and looking forward to your new stuff.
I was about a month out of tech school at my first wrenching job when I learned about the shop foreman. A guy I was friends with before I worked there was supposed to check the fluid level in a manual transmission. He pulled the wrong plug out and I think it was the reverse rod dropped. He called me over and I didn't have a clue so we called the foreman over. He knew what it was and how to fix it. It was simple but the transmission had to come out. The first thing he told us was don't start until he talks to the customer and nobody talks to the customer but him. He said we are not taking apart a car without the owner's permission. He wanted me to call the parts stores and find a clutch disc and price. He had my buddy help him finish what he was on. Once I got a clutch disc located he called the customer. I didn't hear the conversation but he told us after how it went. He asked the customer if he wanted a free clutch disc install if he paid for the disc. He said one of the guys pulled the wrong plug out and we would be fixing it on our dime. It was simple but in order to fix it we will have to pull out the transmission. If it was his own car he would be tossing in a new clutch disc and suggested he do the same. Since it was going to be 90% of the way to swapping it because of our mistake he wouldn't charge for the labor. The guy was actually pretty happy about it. The first thing he said was nobody panic it happens. No yelling or screaming. Nobody got docked pay and the three that were there that day were all in it together. In the end the customer was happy and nobody did anything underhanded. A few years later we were both groomsman at my friend's wedding. The marriage didn't have the same success.
our shop foreman is also the crazy micromanaging shop manager. he's done every job 1000 times, everyone else can do it in 30 minutes, and you are costing the shop money.
Lol sounds like my shop’s owner. 90 percent of the comebacks are diagnosed cars.
I work in a massive shop, it's essentially a factory and and they fired our lead tech/shop foreman in December because he was "too expensive". He was making mid 40s an hour, and now all we've got are kids in their 20s making 15-30 an hour with nobody to guide them, and I've seen all kinds of preventable things that would have never happened if we had an experienced foreman keeping an eye on things. I'm a mid level technician, been doing this for 6 years but now I'm somehow one of the most experienced. I've seen expensive mistakes ending in blown engines/transmissions, a few severe injuries, all preventable. Makes me mad to think about how much greed there is in this industry and how little it cares for those that make it possible
@Sid The sloth Exactly, on paper he was too much but I'd guarantee they've lost money on that. Having to pay out of pocket for more mistakes, having people out on workers comp, it all slows things down and adds up fast
Lol 15-30 flat rate sucks ass. Never work at a dealership they pay Pennies and have bad flat rate times unless you are in an expensive one. Hourly is the way to go
@@dongf5628 I don't work at a dealership. We are paid by the hour, not flag rate.
I’m the Forman/ controller/master tech in our dealership I agree all I do all day is help out the other guys fix stuff ups and teach them and get pulled off my job that many times I have to double check my self but hey with 35 years in this trade I love doing the job I’m there to help and train them to replace me 🇦🇺
Every job I've had that offers a guarantee I'm over 40 hours. Every flat rate shop I've worked in is a fucking shit show.
Work as a Diesel mechanic. Most shops have gotten rid of Shop foreman. I have seen Shop managers get too involved on the floor and less time in the office. Shop foreman is now a Shop lead. It’s the same thing. Except the supervisor title and perks and bonuses. When I first started 22 years ago. Most shop foreman only had to work 1 hr in the floor.
I used to do it but not by choice. As a Master it held me back. Whilst I did it I was apparently very good at it according to management and wanted me to become workshop manager. I turned both jobs down. Key was getting right man on right job. Having a good dialogue and helping. By accommodating them with personal problems, being a little flexible they would pull out all the stops when our backs were against the wall. It’s how you treat people.
Your describing my good ole friend, manager/ foreman/ mentor to the T of all he was and is. Long story short he ventured out on his own and doing really good.
I don't understand how you can not be on salary being foreman with interruptions and being compensated enough to be on flat rate
Im salary plus production bonuses for gp
I’m the workshop foreman in a Dealership here in Ireland and let me tell you it’s a thankless job. You have to have a certain mentality to do it well and sometimes it can get on top of you but it’s the type of job that you are made to do or aren’t it’s not something that can be learned or taught in my opinion
I was just offered the foreman position at my shop the current is moving to a first shift position looking forward to it and helping these younger guy's
Interesting moving into heavy equipment and everyone is hourly. But their is still respect amongst each tech to go to other who have more experience and knowlege on certain systems or brands.
Auto mechanics are a dying job
Many jobs are with the lousy pay for skilled labor. Why work hard when you can get the same pay in a factory or as a Security Guard?
@@I_Died_2_Weeks_Ago Fuck that get a union job, doing electrical or HVAC.
It's actually a great time to be a Technician/Mechanic, making more money than ever
Have to have the right personality for the job like you said. Lots of management in our area does not understand that and just give the job to the most senior tech
We're small enough we just have one person at every level. Luber goober, state inspection/brakes guy, me who does literally everything else. Works well enough. Anything questionable/broken/problem just becomes my ticket generally. I'm the only one doing rotten cars or diag.
As a foreman you have to be paid for your time but incentivized with whole shop production. If I was going to be a foreman I would need a salary/hourly equivalent to 60k a year and then I would want a total production bonus. This would ensure that my bills are paid and I'm never going to starve. On the other side of that pay scale would be me trying my butt off to keep my technicians producing at max efficiency to get as many billed hours out of the shop as possible. If you're not paying a foreman a wage that makes sure they're going to survive on the worst weeks out there, they're going to want to suck gravy and not help. It's a tightrope walk and the pay system has to match.
Your right on the money. No pun intended.
Is shop foreman the same as shop supervisor? Our shop supervisor, goes on part runs, cleans the shop, does building maintenance, and moves trailers/motorhomes. Kinda feel like he gets a bit underpaid, compared to us
Salary plus productivity bonuses of monthly gp 😊
I get the being pulled off a hundred times a day. A good stopping point shouldn't be an issue to whoever is pulling you off a big job. Not a problem where I work but does help to not get upset. Especially if it's something that the tech should have known. A drop in the bucket in the world of the lead guy. Everyone thinks we make a hundred grand a year and barely wrench.
But,.... what if i'm tired of being the shop foreman / owner ??
Shop foreman should have work experience and education, also good people skills
Yeah when u was at honda the former was with hinda for 17 yrs at the same dealership. When I arrive I had the slightest experience on diagnosing Hondas. Well it was like learning all over again, for me. The formen would diagnose 30+ cars a week And would hand out all the non honda tickets and jobs he knew didn't pay it's worth in time. That guy on a slow week was making 70+ hrs. He started every SINGLE DAY with a timing belt and ended the day with timing belts. Honda is dog shit for SI and so finding labor and correct diag/repair procedures was difficult. His advice was "damn that sucks" and he would give under estimated labor time while OVER estimating the labor IF it was his work. When he left my hours dropped like a hot 🔥 brick.
I'm no spelling cop but I think the title has a misspelling. Foreman not forman.
Or, as my friend says, he's a floor man
The word "foreman" is a trigger warning or a mircogresion for some of these younger kids. No, im not making this up.
Was this before or after you got fired?
🤫
My opinion is if you apply for a job you need to know how to do it. If you're a Foreman you need a guarantee. End of story.
Man, the title made me think you were looking for a new job.
Shop manager has a wide definition, back in the day he worked under the service writer and the techs . These days he is H.R. , budget manager,crisis manage, divorce counselor, semi parole officer, IT support, just a few
Who knew four weeks later, your gone. Amazing they didn't need your service.
went from 2 shop foremans to just 1 Bam Bam is now in charge of both upper and lower
@@flatratemaster My job was 30yrs and they just want the young bucks put out work faster, but sometimes it bites them. I think you're a great foreman and now you can breathe a little. Stress on my job was crazy and now I'm doing the to do List'lOLGood luck and looking forward to your new stuff.
Hell no
Lol, picking a number? No wonder you got fired. Childish.
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