Walking up to my truck last week I noticed a long line of gas spilled on the sidewalk. Here we go. Staying calm and collected, I found out that the Shindaiwa blower gas cap wasn’t on properly. Obviously! I stayed calm because the guilty temp is actually a good worker. He plugs away in all kinds of weather without drama or complaints. But sadly, come May, he’s embarking on a Canada-wide tour with his music band. His passion is music and he is correctly pursuing it.
Temporary landscapers are the heroes toiling in the trenches. Or, to be more precise, behind push mowers. Companies rely on these workers to get a lot of labour done knowing full well that they aren’t staying. They collect cash in exchange for their efforts and move on. Fair enough. We appreciate their help.
When I got laid off from the City of Coquitlam in November 2014, I too became a temp for five months. It didn’t feel great but I found a nice position with a private landscaping company. The boss assumed I would be going back to the municipality in spring. He filled a temporary spot by getting a Red Seal Journeyman to shear cedars and prune trees. Typical winter season tasks. I got to feed two kids and collect more experience.
Some of the crew leaders were a bit cold but overall it was a good experience. I had to show the workers how to prune trees. That was a new experience for me.
Some workers burn out when they work 6-7 day weeks. Some jump to other companies for a slight raise. Many times they get shamelessly poached. Some change industries and some start their own companies. That’s always the dream.
Some get fired for being brutal. That’s how it goes.
When we know a worker is leaving, his training is scaled back a bit. There is no point investing training time in a skill like line trimming. By the time he gets good at it, he’s ready to leave.
This reminds of a conversation between two landscapers. One asks the other why we would spend time and money on training when the workers leave anyway. The reply was, “What if they stay?”
That’s the dream. But when they leave we thank them. Long live the temp!
