Best Posts in Thread: Hurting Workers where it Hurts (in their pocket)!

I found out a long time ago that is unwise to pay a Filipino in advance. When you are paying in advance you assume you have the terms and conditions define, but they do not... they immediately try to change the terms, conditions, quality and quantity of the item(s)to be exchanged and seldom in your favor. Seldom in Filipino to filipino transactions is anything delivered early, particularly in the private segments or family segments of society.

That said, there is no saving plans so most of the time any unexpected need is an emergency. Foreigners usually respond in kindness to the family tragedies only to find those involved drunk the next day with the money extended. As Dustin said, take them to buy the needed medicine, meet them at the hospital or whatever it takes to insure that you will feel confident that you are helping them. There is no worst feeling than the feeling of thinking you are doing a good deed helping someone with a medical emergency and then realizing the medical emergency was an addiction to something illegal, drugs, and gambling. Be nice to them but do not teach them that we are always easy "marks".

 

It has been my experience, that after working for you for some time, workers become blase. You try to understand their situation and give them an advance or a loan. With family members an advance or loan is understood by them to be a gift. I am not being nasty, but I use an example : if you feed a dog too much, he will only comeback to you when he is hungry. So you must not spoil him, otherwise he will only return when his money runs out. I think we have all experienced this at some time or another.

 

The next time he asks for cash advance I would tell him " NO, every time you have an advance you do not show for work the next day." No more, finish the work and I will pay you, finish a day or week early and I will give you a bonus. You have been much to easy since he repeats the lack of showing up. If he needs money advise him there are many places he can get a loan, doubt he will ask again. You could also hire another worker unless you like his work.Good luck and hope the job is finished sooner as opposed to later.

 

I am not Stingy, I am careful
Because we got married later in life, I was 60 Azon was 42 and had a good idea of what she wanted in a house. We decided that it would be as we both wished for. She works hard and many hours per week and ploughs in a Big Chunk for the Upkeep and Finishing of our Home. We have a painter Full Time that deals with a lot of the maintenance ( he is actually a Sparky [Electrician] and is a keen Gardner and is good on Plumbing too) so all in all we are lucky in many respects but and I hate to say it, there is always a but He has been with us now 5 months and looks like being another 6 months maybe more But we felt to have what we wanted we would have to pay.
The thing is, there are times that we are let down and it is always at a crucial time.
It is by looking back and checking his time record becoming a feature, that if we pay him early ( BY Request)
Or he gets a Larger than normal Cash Advance he tends not to turn up the next morning or sometimes not at all.
As I said it always seems to be at a Crucial time and the finish of that particular project he is on gets late in being Finished and it annoys us both ( Azon and I) Last time it was a Dinner party we were hosting and I had Scaffolding left up very near to the Seating Area we had Chosen in the garden, Not a pretty site.

Anyway, Not to bore you all, I decided Today, as he had a cash Advance Yesterday and has not turned up today That there will be no more cash Advances or Payment early. We are losing a weeks work per month. I have to make him see/understand some responsibility somewhere

He uses silly excuses but never on the day, never phones or text me or Azon but the Morning after or in the Afternoon always an excuse I usually think OH YEAH! he is Single 30+ and no current GF or other reason for his disregard to Duty.

Now am I being too Strict on this ?

JP

 

I don't mind giving an advance to people that work for me as I seem to have found some fairly reliable people and its not a loan. They are actually going to work it off. But if they did not turn up on time? Its over. Sad thing is you try to help here sometimes and just get abused as an easy mark.

If someone asks for a loan I tell them I only give loans to foreigners.

 

I believe we train people how we expect to be treated. If you have a spoiled child (or pet) just asked: Who spoiled them? It usually is not the neighbor.

 

The wife would regularly give an advance on the worker's salaries, documented and at the end of the week it would be subtracted. Never seemed to be a problem though we did have some of their wives stopping by on Friday to confirm and/or collect their husband's salaries...

Cherry would never advance more than a day or two pay that they would earn during their week and if they did not show those daily rates would have been taken out as well.

Not as many problems as you would expect.

Shawn

 

We pay are workers daily, they still ask for cash advance. so wife deducts so much from their daily pay until it's all square