TJE

That is why you need caller ID I wouldn't answer the phone, then the problem is solved. Good luck man

Muddin_dude06

I say you go "Half Baked" style on him!


In seriousness bring it up and talk to him, if he relies on you to pull his company through then he will work to makes things right. If he doesn't bounce out of there, it is one thing to be takin' advantage of once at a job, but if they make a habit of it you need a different job. I got passed over one to many times at my old job for people who were WAY underqualified but were moved up because they kissed managerial butt, so now I have a new job that is alo of hard work but I think its fun and my boss is an awesome dude to work for

berner

My thoughts, exactly. Caller ID has to be one of the best things invented in recent history.

Jeff in TD

You say you know the boss well, so you probably know how (or if) you can approach talking to him without making him think you are being insubordinate or a whiner...

If you decide to have the talk, don't burn any bridges, even if you guys decide that your needs and the job's requirements aren't a good fit.

I probably wouldn't do the call screening or use the beer next to the caller ID thing too often. It would be better to have the boss think of you as a reliable, honest and hard working guy who's life just didn't mesh with the on-call stuff he wanted you to do than it would be to have him think of you as someone who dodges doing extra work.

oilfield-trash

1. Dont answer the land line.
2. If he calls the mobile, tell him your 400 miles away on a playday with the kids. Then remind him you had this day scheduled off anyway

D2 Cat

Too many times we are passive for an extended time and then the person we needed to be more open with becomes aggressive in their attitude.

The solution is to develope an understanding of what an assertive position would be. You have rights and I have rights and we don't need to stomp on each other!

The longer the previous condition exist the more difficult it is to get things back on track. I'd suggest being very casual about the conversation. Like, during a coffee break, or any other time you're talking about pleasantries bring up the question, "Jim, the other day when I came in on my day off...I had things scheduled and had to rearrange several things to come in. I want to be honest with you. I could have avoided the call and just went on, but I didn't. I curious, how would you handle a situation like that if you were in my position? Just listen, and go from there.

As you surely know personality conflict and bad timing could precipitate you looking for other employment...

old dog

I`de be carful getting the other employes togeother< your employer might look at it as you being a trouble maker ! Might be better off to settle it one on one (CALMLY) iTS PROBABLY ONT JUST GREED THAT IS DRIVING YOUR BOSS, IT SOUNDS LIKE HE IS TRYING TO BUILD THE COMPANY ,(MANY TIMES THAT IS THE REAL DRIVING FORCE AND THE MONEY IS SECOND) IF THIS IS THE CASE BE VERRY CARFUL WHAT YOU SAY BECAUSE HE MAY LOOK AT THE COMPANY AS HIS BABY AND YOU AS A THREAT TO IT. i HAVE SEEN THIS BEFORE SOME TIMES THESE BOSSES ARE HARD TO DEAL WITH AND HAVE A HABIT OF USING PEOPLE UP .
GOOD LUCK BUT BE CAREFUL!
Claude Tea, bewed in a sock,AAH !!

Sea:\>Drive

Listen to this advice! It is very good. I sometimes have to call my guys on the weekends, and if they did this to me, I'd typically thank them for their service and give them a small bonus (cash, day off, dinner for two at an expensive place). If they came in screaming at me, I'd tell them to suck it up and drive on or find somewhere else to work.

If addressed tactfully and the boss still won't do anything, it may be time to move on. Your other option is to point to him that he is losing margin on these calls, the numbers always hurt, and if it doesn't make money, don't do it.

SoTexRattler

I'd be very careful about getting your co-workers involved in this! All it takes is one scheming butt-kisser to turn your well intentioned effort around against you.

To me it sounds like there might have been more to this weekend callout than is readily apparent, and you don't have all the info on what may have happened.
The first thing that came to mind about your Boss's excuse for calling YOU in instead of the other guy is, What had he asked the other guy to do that may have been above and beyond the call? If yes, be grateful knowning if someday the shoe is on the other foot he'll go to bat for you next time when you need relief on your weekend on-call... If no, suck it up this time, but keep your eyes and ears peeled for future pattern of misuse of employees by the boss. Something may be up financially with the business that you might need to become sensitive to. For instance any strange going's-on that the boss-man is staying tight-lipped about. (going broke?, creative bookkeeping?, business partner squabbles? unethical business shenanigans?)

Personally, I'd chalk this one up as a "freebie" for the company... Don't stir things up unless it happens again.. BUT, if it does happen again (and again!) I'd start looking for another place to work!

But for now,... the NEXT time you arrange a special weekend off, make Darned Sure you telegraph your unavailability for your ageed upon special weekend off.
Write it on your boss's wall calendar! Mention how you have made important plans and non-refundable financial arrangements (reservations, travel tickets etc).

Good luck and keep your eyes and ears open!

K.

SolarExpress

I used to work for a carpet cleaning company who's name I shall not say(red ,white and blue globe looking logo). Funny thing was, all of our jobs were scheduled. We also did fire/water restorations. We also did commercial which meant nightwork (playing the Playstation display, err I mean cleaning the Walmart and such). If there was a call after hours it was scheduled for hte next day or Monday. Very rarely did we have to work on Sunday. The only unscheduled work would have been a fire or water restoration because you have to get out there quick and inventory things and get the drying process going ASAP. Our boss was pretty materialistic and his wife was worse, but they got out there and worked with us to get a job done if they had too and they realized we couldnt work 24/7.

Barry St John

Good question about a difficult problem for everybody. Just remember your boss is trying to manage a small company. He is responding to his challanges and probably not spending alot of time thinking about yours. I would go to him and honestly talk to him about how you feel. Don't hold back anything but give him the chance to respond. You have reason to feel disappointed and even angry but have enough respect for his situation to let him have the chance to make it right. Until he doesn't respond to your legitimate complaint you have no need to be angry with him. You may be very surprised with his response and this may turn ont to be a hidden oppertunity for you! Good Luck

ChrisLib

Beat me to it, caller ID is a Godsend sometimes, and turn OFF yer cell.

Grit Dog

You obviously feel some sort of loyalty to your boss, or you wouldn't put up w/ it. That's a good thing.
My advice is, if you think your compensation for what you're asked to do is sufficient, then don't let it bother you. More hrs + more $$ right?
If you're expected to go beyond normal expectations (working on your day off), then I'd only put up w/ that if your boss was workign just as hard as you are.
If he's leading by example and you're being paid what you feel you should, then let it go, otherwise have a civil talk w/ him.
Worst case, make youself "selectively unavailable" when your not sched to work.

BigBlue

I can't not answer the phone. He relies on us to much and I just can't do that to him. I've been with the company for a long time (it's only been open for 6 or 7 years) and I've watched it grow up and I've been a part of that so I can't just turn my back on him. I'm gonna talk to him later this week and see what he has to say. Thanks for the help yall.

rustyshakelford

heres my little trick. i dont work "on call" but on my days off my part time job will call and see if im interested in coming in. well 99% of the time im not. so since you cant have any alcohol in your system i drink a beer when i get home from my full time job...like 8am. its worked like a charm for me and you can be a little tipsy by 11am!!

brett