Better safe…When’s it time…

Better safe…than really sorry

 

There’s an old saying that goes, “Familiarity breeds contempt”. When it comes to electricity, however maybe we need one that goes, “Familiarity breeds danger”. Truth is we can all get nonchalant around electrical power because we so frequently have to stick our paws inside machine control panels.

Perhaps the most dangerous situation is when we’re troubleshooting a problem that has us repeatedly switching power off and on as we diagnose which component might be the culprit of today’s problem.

In that situation it’s pretty unsettling when we suddenly realize that the power is on just as we’re about to touch a connection that we momentarily thought was cold.

Then there’s that main breaker that’s located well out of sight from where we’re working. Is it possible that some helpful, but misguided worker sees the breaker that we turned off and flips it back on? That’s why you either invest in a lock out sign and a security lock, or post a very trusted person at that panel when you’re working inside that machines’ circuitry.

Finally, if you’re really unsure what to do or just have little or no electrical experience, maybe you need to call in some help or (better yet) learn more about electricity so you’re better prepared to provide a more complete service level for your customers.

When’s it time ….To call it quits?

Of course you believed the new team member you hired last month was going to be a great addition. But somewhere during early training you began to have doubts. Maybe he seemed less mechanically skilled or to even have a lower technical aptitude than you’d assumed. Or perhaps his with demeanor with operators was a bit cold and pretentious rather than warm and welcoming.

No matter the perceived shortcoming, you now have a problem. You’ve worked hard to address it, but it’s clear it’s just not fixable. Regrettably the time to deal with that deficit was when it became apparent. Even if that was on day two or three, we needed to act. It would have been easier to address it as a showstopper right then and amicably part company.

But for any number of good (or not) reasons we didn’t. Done early rather than later we can explain that the business isn’t for everyone and that it’s probably our fault for bringing them into a situation that just didn’t fit their skillset. It’s likely and understandable they’ll be disappointed, but don’t be surprised if they admit sharing the same concerns.

Regardless of the embarrassment (on both sides) of ending an employee relationship just as it’s getting started, the discomfort of doing it three months later isn’t any easier or and it’s certainly not any better.