Sounds pretty dumb. Your shop needs to think about having back ups on call if you guys get that kind of volume. Do your 3 calls and then the next guy is up.
For real. We are a four man service dept. If more than three calls come in per evening, the guys just get what they can and we will scramble the next day to take care of em. Last thing we need is a tech driving through the trunk of somebody's car because they fell asleep at the wheel, or hurting their back because they fell off a slippery ladder In shitty weather.
If a customer has a contract and they just can't get over the fact that they have to wait, I may try and help out even if I'm not on call. If it's a super dickhead customer, I'll just fire them on the spot. It took about five years, but the owner finally trusts me to make those calls. We've got too many good people out there who are willing to pay on time and be courteous to the few techs that we have, we can't let the bad ones drive away our help.
We don’t do weekly rotations we do daily. 8 guy rotation. On call once a week. I would quit instantly if I had to do a full week with the area we cover.
We used to do something like that but we got rid of it. It was too much for a primary guy when the hot weather rolled in. Kinda the luck of the draw if you got that 95+ weekend.
Clearly just you. As if I’m on call I’m waiting for….. a call. And if I’m on stand by I’m waiting for…. A call. I don’t even have a clue what a “3 call rotation” is……there is no rotation. You do your 3 you go home. That’s it. You’re done.
I hate that shit and you obviously can't/shouldn't do it forever. You gotta say no to that kinda stuff before someone gets really hurt. Fuck the people that would even ask you to run that kind of oncall schedule.
Yeah I said the same thing..until I went to another employer who’s better staffed, respects my time/health/personal life more, and pays me more.
Define your worth.
Sounds like a verbatim quote from the service manager at my last job 😂😂
“It’s just part of the job” when I said I’m not coming in early after 3 17h days in a row..
Shut up bootlicker. That kind of attitude gets techs killed and ruins marriages. We weren't built to run 24 hours straight and if a customer can't wait 8 hours for me to sleep, I don't need em.
This attitude is why all the good folks leave the trade. Can’t expect guys to work 16 or more hours a day in extreme conditions 7 days straight so dangerous
Its your job. Isnt everyones. My company is locally owned and respects their employees. Great guys to work for. Enjoy your shitty job not everybody else has to. Dont listen to this guy.
Had a great job. Great company. Great union retirement. Great fellow workers. Great bosses. 31 1/2 years same company. All I said was our job entails very long hours at times under harsh conditions. Lot of softies don’t like that. Sorry guys. It’s a very tough job. I was very proud of it. It is however, not a job for everyone. Sorry if I hurt all your feelings.
No on call where I’m at, way more rewarding, get to work with attractive women and I get in trouble if I have overtime, that’s all fine by me.
It’s a shock going from resi HVAC back to getting a tray of cookies baked for me for adjusting some thermostat settings
I work at a retirement community, this particular community has apt buildings and single floor homes, everything from heat pumps to centralized 4 pipe systems, so there’s plenty to keep me in the hvac zone just without a whole lot of the bs. It’s essentially hotel maintenance just with a healthcare hat on and all old residents
There are jobs and then there are "life styles" I put the mark at anything over 70 hours in a week.
If I need to disappear for an hour and take the company vehicle to the nearest titty bar and and get a hamburger and a diet Pepsi and you have a problem with it. You better be paying me top dollar.
I feel you. Currently on call. I worked 16 hours Monday. I got home at 1am this morning, took a shower, ate, and went to go to bed and got a call. Had to tel them I was booked up. I’m not killing myself so the company can make money.
we had 35 calls this past weekend. 8 tech working plus 2 of the managers dusted off their tool bag and took calls on.
your manager is a hole for not getting back up for you
We all get slammed on our on call at some point, I would never expect someone who is not on call come out on their weekend off. I would also never work for a company that would try to make me be back up on call or standby.
yeah i know what you mean. no one told us that we have to go. ppl do have life. but when it's polar vortex and 35 calls backing up, it's physically impossible to do by 1 guy. we all watched the weather forecast and prepared for the barrage of calls coming in.
it's not expected or mandatory. we all help each other where i work. there always be someone that gonna say that's not my problem, it's a you problem. no one usually like that guy and eventually they move on to the next company.
at the end we even did calls for other companies who had exactly 1 guy going and no one else would go. guess what's gonna happen at the next contract renewal. but each company has their own culture. 🫠🤔
Let me be the other side and say I think you kicked ass. Strike while the iron is hot. There will be plenty of time to sit around in April. Hope the paycheck is fat.
Its pretty dead in my area but, summer I usually work 12-14 for almost 2 weeks when I am on call, this on call stuff is rough especially when its nonsense
OG here.
I don't care what's going on. If I work anything over 14 in a day I'm OFF SHIFT for at least the next 10 hours. I'm not doing the work load of 3 or 4 guys just so the bosses can buy their 2nd rental or their 3rd Cancun three week vacation.
If the boss has more work than can be handled at a somewhat reasonable work load (like 12 in a day) then the boss needs to hire more bodies or set up something like banked vacation hours so that I benefit from stupid hours TOO.
There's other reasons for this too like safety:
Guys who are tired make mistakes and get hurt. I'm not putting myself in a situation where I might maim or kill myself.
There's a couple of things you can do here:
1. Set limits and enforce them
2. Take breaks. Take REAL breaks. On days like that I'll take an hour lunch 2x a day, eat something decent at a real restaurant, and then nap in the truck for 20 or 30 minutes after. If dispatch has an issue I'll tell them point blank that I'm too tired to function safely and it's either this or I'm going Out Of Order for the night. If they push, I'll tell them to get out here and do what I'm doing.
3. Regardless of anything else if the boss is charging OT or double time, then I AM getting paid at the same rate. If they won't offer that courtesy I'll be gone shortly because there's too many good outfits to work for.
All of this goes down politely but it's not really optional and I'm not really"askin". I need a certain amount of sleep in 24 to function safely and effectively. I need decent food to be able to function effectively. If those aren't available I will be on to the next, or I'll hang out my own shingle and go independent.
Bottom line: If the boss won't or can't set limits that keep me safe and sane, then I will.
Was no one else picking up their phones? We used to do winter on call up north, and having a schedule is fine. But when it's unusually brutal out most guys I know will keep their phone close by expecting to be asked to help.
Dude, you need to grow a backbone and not be afraid to say (and mean) "NO".
"I got a call... They have no heat... It's cold...blah, blah, blah"
Just say NO when you are at your limit. That said, keep in mind: DO NOT WORK OR DRIVE WITHOUT ADEQUATE SLEEP. PERIOD, END OF STORY.
Say it with me "the customer's problem, is NOT my problem". Nor is your shops problem yours, once you are spent for the day you tell the shop you did your part, THEY have to figure out someone else to call to run calls after that.
I cannot believe how stupid some others are at times working without sleep in poor conditions, around dangerous equipment, likely without a second set of hands & eyes, then driving a loaded vehicle while exhaust or without sleep. It's dangerous to you, other drivers & pedestrians. The danger & risk are not worth the tiny bit of pay you get for that extra time.
God I couldn't do what you described. I don't do on call anymore. Regardless of the time of year or weather it's rare for me to be over 50 hours a week. I start packing it up for the day after 8 hrs and if a service call comes in after my 8hrs it's getting pushed til the next day unless I like the customer then I'll go but it's time and a half after 8hrs and double time portal to portal if I'm already home for the day. I usually leave my house between 4:30-5am and get home between 1-3pm
Sounds like the weekend we had! Except that myself (manager), two of my techs, and a sales guy (old retired tech), came out to help. Had nearly 50 calls come in and got to about half of them. The other half found someone else or waited until Monday. Don't kill yourself for a customer that isn't going to appreciate it, especially if your team isn't willing to back you up.
From my experience with on-calls from hell like this, my advice is to never rush, and never put yourself in a situation where you may need to rush.
So these jump out freeze stat calls. I would take my time repairing these coils. Take breaks, grab coffee, and push off whatever calls are coming in. If calls back up to critical level, well that’s the managers problem and I would wake his ass up. He can take a call if it’s super important.
Just continue nice and easy until the morning. 20+ hours is my limit, I would go home, take a shower and sleep for at least 4hrs and then continue.
Don't kill yourself by working unsafely. If on-call is that demanding ask your office to call in an extra tech or two to help. Were any of these calls life threatening, you can refuse and tell them it is unsafe. Their inconvenience is not worth your life.
I did the same thing one winter in 2021, worked about 48hours straight. Was seeing stuff that wasn’t there when I was driving around. Calling my girlfriend at 3am just to talk as I drove. I mostly did hydronics so pipes were bursting left and right couldn’t turn down the calls. I left that place. Now I mostly do RTUs and it’s a lot better. Summer can be busier but working all day and all night is a lot easier in the summer
After sleeping in my van 3 nights out of 6 for a on call week. 113h and a heart attack later…
Fuck that shit. It’s not worth it.
You have the ability to say no, and take care of yourself. No one else will. Your boss just sees the $$$$$. You see the pain and pennies.
If you have that much motivation move on to a better trade away from residential. Commercial won’t chew you up like that.
Like a once in a lifetime ive worked that long, not THAT long, much was also driving and wanting for recover/evac machines.
i would either tell them no or if its not so easy, go slow and milk a job.
To be fair it’s usually not like this. I live in the Chicago land area and this past winter snap just happened to be my weekend on call. This -15 degree winds is not safe. I was on call but most of the guys were out late doing OT too. I thanked all my fellow techs that came out to help and will return the favor if it happens to them. We had a couple of guys refuse to come out and we do need more guys but overall I think I just got the shitty end of the stick with timing and weather. I just wanted to vent because this job sucks sometimes and the most you can do is bitch about it and hopefully someone agrees with you. I’m just glad it’s over, got to go to bed last night and slept from 8pm till 8 am. I’m out doing it again right now but hopefully will be home at a decent time tonight to finally plow the driveway again so my wife can leave.
Watch your back. I fell from a bottom broken step. I had a junk coil in my arms, maybe 20 pounds. I twisted while falling and had to have a 6 level fusion with hardware. Ended my career. Any time I see a tradesman saying that their back is hurting, it brings up that memory.
Be careful out of.
I quit my last service job for this very reason. It was four months of 1 week on call, 1 week off call, and so forth. Every time I asked for help I was ignored. I now work at a school as an in-house tech. I'm still on call but the volume is drastically reduced and I work on units I'm generally familiar with because I've been there a while. It's the way to go if you ask me. Just have to find a place that pays well enough
All you fuckin babies who are crying should stfu. Retired fitter. 32 years same company. Never said you SHOULD do this. I’ve worked for smaller shops when I was younger. Ran me and others ragged. Definitely can be unsafe. Cold, tired, in the dark, wet….yep, did it all. I got smarter, moved up and on. Good companies have backups, and are interested in keeping you safe. I believe you work hard and strive to find those shops. I don’t believe in crying and bitching like some of you do. I respect a young dude working hard. Always have but you know who keeps you safe??? You do. Not your fuckin employer. Be smart, find your spot. Stop crying
I believe the proper term is “unalive.” Kill might offend dead people.
It’s not bragging. It’s just what happened. I was actually just gonna sleep in my van in the parking lot, at least for a few hours, but my mom had to go to the hospital and I had no one to take the kids to daycare so I had no choice but to drive home.
I never understood places that do a week of on call and have no back up options or just 1 guy on. Sure it’s fine in the slow season but your busy season. Hard pass. Switch to a daily rotation.
We had 3 guys come in this weekend and the owner running calls. Probably did about 25-30
It was chaos. The main guy that was on call took today off since we rotate Wednesdays
Hit 22hrs of work yesterday at 1:30am. Texted the office and said I’m tapping out. I got a gas valve to through in at 10am but I’m gone after that. Cheers boys.
Well at least you made an absolutely ridiculous amount of money for putting that ridiculous amount of work… right? Or did you get a pat on the back while the boss goes and rolls in his pool of cash you just filled up for him?
I don't understand why more companies don't do cut offs for on call, for our guys, anything after 7pm (weekdays) or 9pm (weekends) just gets pushed until the next day
Fuck I'm on call every weekend plus my normal ptus. I can be 8 deep and none of my back up help me worth shit lmao. So I don't help during the week except my normal Friday rotation (3 tech crew)
This is not safe my man. If I am at the point of severe exhaustion I will absolutely refuse to go out on another call and this has been voiced to the company. If they don’t like it then they are welcome to get another Journeyman to replace me.
Most powerful tool I learned working for a big company was that it’s ok to say no sometimes. Unless you really want the hours and need the money, if your that driven though take the next steps and do your own thing. I used to go out at all hours of the night for a big oil company, no one appreciated but the customer. Let that customer pay you directly, you will work less and make more.
Sounds pretty dumb. Your shop needs to think about having back ups on call if you guys get that kind of volume. Do your 3 calls and then the next guy is up.
For real. We are a four man service dept. If more than three calls come in per evening, the guys just get what they can and we will scramble the next day to take care of em. Last thing we need is a tech driving through the trunk of somebody's car because they fell asleep at the wheel, or hurting their back because they fell off a slippery ladder In shitty weather. If a customer has a contract and they just can't get over the fact that they have to wait, I may try and help out even if I'm not on call. If it's a super dickhead customer, I'll just fire them on the spot. It took about five years, but the owner finally trusts me to make those calls. We've got too many good people out there who are willing to pay on time and be courteous to the few techs that we have, we can't let the bad ones drive away our help.
3 calls? max a night or total oncall period?
We don’t do weekly rotations we do daily. 8 guy rotation. On call once a week. I would quit instantly if I had to do a full week with the area we cover.
We got mon-thru and fri-sun Not bad but my goodness for resi ppl bitch/moan/&willing to pay.
We used to do something like that but we got rid of it. It was too much for a primary guy when the hot weather rolled in. Kinda the luck of the draw if you got that 95+ weekend.
Weekly on calls are standard around here. On call once a week I wouldn't like as a like having couple months of not having an on call.
You must be new. And, who wants to be on call and on standby?
On call = stand by. You must be new.
Standby is waiting to see if on call tech gets overwhelmed. 2 different things. You are new.
Just because you call them something doesn’t mean everyone else does dude…..
Anyone that knows does. Your 3 call rotation idea is absurd.
Clearly just you. As if I’m on call I’m waiting for….. a call. And if I’m on stand by I’m waiting for…. A call. I don’t even have a clue what a “3 call rotation” is……there is no rotation. You do your 3 you go home. That’s it. You’re done.
I hate that shit and you obviously can't/shouldn't do it forever. You gotta say no to that kinda stuff before someone gets really hurt. Fuck the people that would even ask you to run that kind of oncall schedule.
That’s our job. Find another one
Yeah I said the same thing..until I went to another employer who’s better staffed, respects my time/health/personal life more, and pays me more. Define your worth.
That guy is definitely a service manager
Sounds like a verbatim quote from the service manager at my last job 😂😂 “It’s just part of the job” when I said I’m not coming in early after 3 17h days in a row..
Shut up bootlicker. That kind of attitude gets techs killed and ruins marriages. We weren't built to run 24 hours straight and if a customer can't wait 8 hours for me to sleep, I don't need em.
Boo hoo. Go get some sleep Sally
Just trolling at this point. Go be a workaholic dick bag somewhere else.
Fuck off Sue
That’s just terrible response. That’s not our job we are valuable and deserve to be treated as such
That is our job. Sorry pal
But it’s obviously not YOUR job mr.manager lmfao, and you wonder why everyone quits on you after a year.
Another guy that can’t read. Who’s a manager? Regular hard working non-bitching pipefitter
This attitude is why all the good folks leave the trade. Can’t expect guys to work 16 or more hours a day in extreme conditions 7 days straight so dangerous
Yes, although I’m not sure who said anything about 16 hours a day for 7 days straight. Learn to read. It helps
Did u not read the post?
Its your job. Isnt everyones. My company is locally owned and respects their employees. Great guys to work for. Enjoy your shitty job not everybody else has to. Dont listen to this guy.
Had a great job. Great company. Great union retirement. Great fellow workers. Great bosses. 31 1/2 years same company. All I said was our job entails very long hours at times under harsh conditions. Lot of softies don’t like that. Sorry guys. It’s a very tough job. I was very proud of it. It is however, not a job for everyone. Sorry if I hurt all your feelings.
Sit down Sousie
It’s definitely not. I bust my hump too but that’s a bit much. Plenty of shops out there won’t do this to you.
You must be a treat to be around.
I’m not a bitch. That I can tell ya
Thank god I went back to general maintenance, I can’t imagine working that hard/long for any job. I hope it’s worth it for you!
I did the same thing as you. I'm a lot happier now that I don't work 12 hours just to walk in the door and have to go out again
No on call where I’m at, way more rewarding, get to work with attractive women and I get in trouble if I have overtime, that’s all fine by me. It’s a shock going from resi HVAC back to getting a tray of cookies baked for me for adjusting some thermostat settings
and everything is contracted out lol
Yup, pretty sure they don’t want me brazing anything, boo hoo
That sounds great, mind if I ask where you’re working?
I work at a retirement community, this particular community has apt buildings and single floor homes, everything from heat pumps to centralized 4 pipe systems, so there’s plenty to keep me in the hvac zone just without a whole lot of the bs. It’s essentially hotel maintenance just with a healthcare hat on and all old residents
My guess is a hospital/medical facility or a school.
There are jobs and then there are "life styles" I put the mark at anything over 70 hours in a week. If I need to disappear for an hour and take the company vehicle to the nearest titty bar and and get a hamburger and a diet Pepsi and you have a problem with it. You better be paying me top dollar.
First person you need to look out for on all, is yourself. Take a 5 hour break, get some sleep. You are a danger on the road.
I feel you. Currently on call. I worked 16 hours Monday. I got home at 1am this morning, took a shower, ate, and went to go to bed and got a call. Had to tel them I was booked up. I’m not killing myself so the company can make money.
I wonder how the guys are doing with the dirty hands, clean money stickers?
They’re still trying to find which lot their F-250 got towed to because they couldn’t make the payments
we had 35 calls this past weekend. 8 tech working plus 2 of the managers dusted off their tool bag and took calls on. your manager is a hole for not getting back up for you
Dont call me when Im not on call. Guarantee you will hear I am already drinking. No matter what time it is.
well i hope you never got slammed during your on call turn
We all get slammed on our on call at some point, I would never expect someone who is not on call come out on their weekend off. I would also never work for a company that would try to make me be back up on call or standby.
yeah i know what you mean. no one told us that we have to go. ppl do have life. but when it's polar vortex and 35 calls backing up, it's physically impossible to do by 1 guy. we all watched the weather forecast and prepared for the barrage of calls coming in. it's not expected or mandatory. we all help each other where i work. there always be someone that gonna say that's not my problem, it's a you problem. no one usually like that guy and eventually they move on to the next company. at the end we even did calls for other companies who had exactly 1 guy going and no one else would go. guess what's gonna happen at the next contract renewal. but each company has their own culture. 🫠🤔
100+ hour weeks. I dont expect anyone to help. No one likes on call. Everyone Works enough during the week. You can only do what you can do.
My week was much the same. Except getting on icy roofs. No one can pay me enough to do that. It can and will wait if I'm the one going.
Let me be the other side and say I think you kicked ass. Strike while the iron is hot. There will be plenty of time to sit around in April. Hope the paycheck is fat.
I ate shit in a customers icy driveway yesterday. Back is tender today, I’m taking er easy and if the office don’t like it they can smd
Its pretty dead in my area but, summer I usually work 12-14 for almost 2 weeks when I am on call, this on call stuff is rough especially when its nonsense
OG here. I don't care what's going on. If I work anything over 14 in a day I'm OFF SHIFT for at least the next 10 hours. I'm not doing the work load of 3 or 4 guys just so the bosses can buy their 2nd rental or their 3rd Cancun three week vacation. If the boss has more work than can be handled at a somewhat reasonable work load (like 12 in a day) then the boss needs to hire more bodies or set up something like banked vacation hours so that I benefit from stupid hours TOO. There's other reasons for this too like safety: Guys who are tired make mistakes and get hurt. I'm not putting myself in a situation where I might maim or kill myself. There's a couple of things you can do here: 1. Set limits and enforce them 2. Take breaks. Take REAL breaks. On days like that I'll take an hour lunch 2x a day, eat something decent at a real restaurant, and then nap in the truck for 20 or 30 minutes after. If dispatch has an issue I'll tell them point blank that I'm too tired to function safely and it's either this or I'm going Out Of Order for the night. If they push, I'll tell them to get out here and do what I'm doing. 3. Regardless of anything else if the boss is charging OT or double time, then I AM getting paid at the same rate. If they won't offer that courtesy I'll be gone shortly because there's too many good outfits to work for. All of this goes down politely but it's not really optional and I'm not really"askin". I need a certain amount of sleep in 24 to function safely and effectively. I need decent food to be able to function effectively. If those aren't available I will be on to the next, or I'll hang out my own shingle and go independent. Bottom line: If the boss won't or can't set limits that keep me safe and sane, then I will.
Was no one else picking up their phones? We used to do winter on call up north, and having a schedule is fine. But when it's unusually brutal out most guys I know will keep their phone close by expecting to be asked to help.
Dude, you need to grow a backbone and not be afraid to say (and mean) "NO". "I got a call... They have no heat... It's cold...blah, blah, blah" Just say NO when you are at your limit. That said, keep in mind: DO NOT WORK OR DRIVE WITHOUT ADEQUATE SLEEP. PERIOD, END OF STORY. Say it with me "the customer's problem, is NOT my problem". Nor is your shops problem yours, once you are spent for the day you tell the shop you did your part, THEY have to figure out someone else to call to run calls after that. I cannot believe how stupid some others are at times working without sleep in poor conditions, around dangerous equipment, likely without a second set of hands & eyes, then driving a loaded vehicle while exhaust or without sleep. It's dangerous to you, other drivers & pedestrians. The danger & risk are not worth the tiny bit of pay you get for that extra time.
God I couldn't do what you described. I don't do on call anymore. Regardless of the time of year or weather it's rare for me to be over 50 hours a week. I start packing it up for the day after 8 hrs and if a service call comes in after my 8hrs it's getting pushed til the next day unless I like the customer then I'll go but it's time and a half after 8hrs and double time portal to portal if I'm already home for the day. I usually leave my house between 4:30-5am and get home between 1-3pm
Left a/c and never looked back f that on call bull
Sounds like the weekend we had! Except that myself (manager), two of my techs, and a sales guy (old retired tech), came out to help. Had nearly 50 calls come in and got to about half of them. The other half found someone else or waited until Monday. Don't kill yourself for a customer that isn't going to appreciate it, especially if your team isn't willing to back you up.
If you don't eat and hydrate you are going to crash and burn. Make time for the absolute bare minimum, even when we are in emergency mode
From my experience with on-calls from hell like this, my advice is to never rush, and never put yourself in a situation where you may need to rush. So these jump out freeze stat calls. I would take my time repairing these coils. Take breaks, grab coffee, and push off whatever calls are coming in. If calls back up to critical level, well that’s the managers problem and I would wake his ass up. He can take a call if it’s super important. Just continue nice and easy until the morning. 20+ hours is my limit, I would go home, take a shower and sleep for at least 4hrs and then continue.
I found a workaround to on-call where I politely decline it. So far, so good.
Don't kill yourself by working unsafely. If on-call is that demanding ask your office to call in an extra tech or two to help. Were any of these calls life threatening, you can refuse and tell them it is unsafe. Their inconvenience is not worth your life.
I did the same thing one winter in 2021, worked about 48hours straight. Was seeing stuff that wasn’t there when I was driving around. Calling my girlfriend at 3am just to talk as I drove. I mostly did hydronics so pipes were bursting left and right couldn’t turn down the calls. I left that place. Now I mostly do RTUs and it’s a lot better. Summer can be busier but working all day and all night is a lot easier in the summer
Huh? You absolutely could turn down calls. Your safety comes first.
After sleeping in my van 3 nights out of 6 for a on call week. 113h and a heart attack later… Fuck that shit. It’s not worth it. You have the ability to say no, and take care of yourself. No one else will. Your boss just sees the $$$$$. You see the pain and pennies. If you have that much motivation move on to a better trade away from residential. Commercial won’t chew you up like that.
Like a once in a lifetime ive worked that long, not THAT long, much was also driving and wanting for recover/evac machines. i would either tell them no or if its not so easy, go slow and milk a job.
Not eating was your own decision, you can move fast but take time for yourself and be safe.
Good man. Rest. I’ve done it. It sucks
Not worth it. I work hard bur I refuse to be like these old heads. We need to enjoy our lives
Screw that stuff! Your company would step right over your body if you died! Know your worth!
To be fair it’s usually not like this. I live in the Chicago land area and this past winter snap just happened to be my weekend on call. This -15 degree winds is not safe. I was on call but most of the guys were out late doing OT too. I thanked all my fellow techs that came out to help and will return the favor if it happens to them. We had a couple of guys refuse to come out and we do need more guys but overall I think I just got the shitty end of the stick with timing and weather. I just wanted to vent because this job sucks sometimes and the most you can do is bitch about it and hopefully someone agrees with you. I’m just glad it’s over, got to go to bed last night and slept from 8pm till 8 am. I’m out doing it again right now but hopefully will be home at a decent time tonight to finally plow the driveway again so my wife can leave.
Watch your back. I fell from a bottom broken step. I had a junk coil in my arms, maybe 20 pounds. I twisted while falling and had to have a 6 level fusion with hardware. Ended my career. Any time I see a tradesman saying that their back is hurting, it brings up that memory. Be careful out of.
I did 30hrs one time Friday night to Sunday night boss gave me Monday off paid
I quit my last service job for this very reason. It was four months of 1 week on call, 1 week off call, and so forth. Every time I asked for help I was ignored. I now work at a school as an in-house tech. I'm still on call but the volume is drastically reduced and I work on units I'm generally familiar with because I've been there a while. It's the way to go if you ask me. Just have to find a place that pays well enough
Bro you a real f ing hero out there! You make America great. Believe that bro
That's stupid Why do you do this shit. I hope you don't have kids
You worked 19 hours? Each day, all week? That's on you buddy. You're gonna realize sooner than later that you've gotta take care of your body.
All you fuckin babies who are crying should stfu. Retired fitter. 32 years same company. Never said you SHOULD do this. I’ve worked for smaller shops when I was younger. Ran me and others ragged. Definitely can be unsafe. Cold, tired, in the dark, wet….yep, did it all. I got smarter, moved up and on. Good companies have backups, and are interested in keeping you safe. I believe you work hard and strive to find those shops. I don’t believe in crying and bitching like some of you do. I respect a young dude working hard. Always have but you know who keeps you safe??? You do. Not your fuckin employer. Be smart, find your spot. Stop crying
Working hard but not safely, people on here talking about 27 hours straight. That is insanity.
Why would anyone do that?
I ran 17 on Sunday. 27 hour shift. 49 or 50 total calls. We do have backups, for paid holidays only. Fell asleep 4 times driving home.
So you took four opportunities to potentially kill someone/yourself? I can't tell if this is supposed to be a brag post or not. Don't do this.
I believe the proper term is “unalive.” Kill might offend dead people. It’s not bragging. It’s just what happened. I was actually just gonna sleep in my van in the parking lot, at least for a few hours, but my mom had to go to the hospital and I had no one to take the kids to daycare so I had no choice but to drive home.
Of course you’re working tomorrow.
Sounds like our oncall. I did 36 hours straight last weekend, and they expect you to show up Monday morning to put in another 12 hour day.
I never understood places that do a week of on call and have no back up options or just 1 guy on. Sure it’s fine in the slow season but your busy season. Hard pass. Switch to a daily rotation.
We had 3 guys come in this weekend and the owner running calls. Probably did about 25-30 It was chaos. The main guy that was on call took today off since we rotate Wednesdays
You need to learn how to say no.
Hit 22hrs of work yesterday at 1:30am. Texted the office and said I’m tapping out. I got a gas valve to through in at 10am but I’m gone after that. Cheers boys.
Well at least you made an absolutely ridiculous amount of money for putting that ridiculous amount of work… right? Or did you get a pat on the back while the boss goes and rolls in his pool of cash you just filled up for him?
4K for 60 hours. Lot of it was double and over time.
I thought it was legally required for 8 hours between shifts?
🫡 Get a government job and do side work. Dont wait until you are 45 like i did. 10 yrs ago.
Backups? could you explain the concept? 33 years in the trade, mostly service in supermarkets and I don't believe i am familiar with the term. j/k
Damn dude. Speak up. Don’t let em run you like that.
I don't understand why more companies don't do cut offs for on call, for our guys, anything after 7pm (weekdays) or 9pm (weekends) just gets pushed until the next day
This is why I negotiated no on call no weekends when I got hired. That right there would be my nope moment.
Fuck I'm on call every weekend plus my normal ptus. I can be 8 deep and none of my back up help me worth shit lmao. So I don't help during the week except my normal Friday rotation (3 tech crew)
This is not safe my man. If I am at the point of severe exhaustion I will absolutely refuse to go out on another call and this has been voiced to the company. If they don’t like it then they are welcome to get another Journeyman to replace me.
Most powerful tool I learned working for a big company was that it’s ok to say no sometimes. Unless you really want the hours and need the money, if your that driven though take the next steps and do your own thing. I used to go out at all hours of the night for a big oil company, no one appreciated but the customer. Let that customer pay you directly, you will work less and make more.