Dealing with Job Site Theft

Construction companies (including individual contractors) lose somewhere in the ballpark of $1 billion annually to the combined menaces of equipment theft and vandalism. After you've suffered a job site theft, you face increased time on that job site, a loss of capital and a severe loss of morale.

Theft can make you feel violated ? but contrary to how you feel, the time after suffering a theft is the time you need to be more empowered than ever.

Take stock

In order to swiftly and effectively deal with theft on the job site, you need to know what you had, what you currently have and What's missing. For this reason, it's crucial for contractors to keep a detailed inventory of every tool, scrap of wood, extension cord and more.

? If you haven?t taken stock of your work site inventory, you'll have a harder time figuring out exactly what the thieves took. Disorganization can mask theft, but so can lax attitudes by work crews as far as borrowing tools or putting them back where they belong.

? When you take stock of What's missing, talk to your work crew. Someone might have borrowed that circular saw for the night or stuck the pneumatic drill in their truck for safe-keeping overnight.

? If you Don't already have policies in place for tool borrowing or use by your crew, now would be the time to implement one. it's more acceptable to lecture your workers on workplace protocol than it is to have to deal with an actual theft.

Talk to clients and neighbors

Your clients are in a unique position to prevent ? and report ? theft on the job site. So are their neighbors. Let them know that there's a problem and ask if they?ve seen anything unusual.

? Your client might remember a strange van parked at the end of the street for a couple hours on the day or night that the theft occurred.

? Your client?s neighbor might remember their dog going nuts at a certain time of the night and marked it in their memory as being unusual. This information can narrow the time of the theft and can be passed on to local law enforcement.

? Even if nobody saw or heard anything, it fosters a sense of goodwill to give those living in the vicinity a heads-up that there's someone up to no good in their neighborhood so that thefts of their property can be prevented.

? This doesn?t necessarily help you'recover your missing tools or materials, but it can open eyes in the neighborhood and help make future thefts much less likely.

Calling the law

After taking stock of What's missing, get that information to the law enforcement agency in your jobsite?s municipality. The more details you can provide, the better chance you have of recovering your property.

? Give complete descriptions of the missing items, model numbers, serial numbers and any other identifying marks that will help identify the missing items as yours.

? Pinpoint the last time you saw the missing item(s), where they were stored and which ? if any ? safety measures you took to prevent theft on the site.

? When you file a report with police over jobsite theft, these details become evidence and can later help lead to the prosecution of the thief or thieves once They are apprehended.

Call your insurance agent

This is probably the last thing you want to do, but it's entirely necessary when dealing with job site theft of tools or materials. it's entirely possible your insurance premiums will rise based on one or two thefts, but you have to consider the way insurance companies operate. you're essentially placing a bet with them that your stuff won't get stolen and They are betting it will.

? By reporting an on-site theft multiple times, you're giving them concrete proof that their investment in you is a bad one ? your tools and materials keep getting stolen. Even if it's happened only once, they can increase your premiums in case it happens again. This is just one more reason it's important to keep a close eye on your inventory and to first rule out employee involvement through negligence or carelessness.

? When you speak to your insurance agent, you'll want to give him the same details you gave to law enforcement ? detailed descriptions of the missing items, serial numbers, model numbers and identifying marks. If you're very organized, you may have identifying photos of the equipment ? include them and Don't forget to list the steps you took to prevent the thefts.

With this information, the insurance company will be able accurately assess the amount of damage caused by the theft and come up with a proper amount of reimbursement for you so that you can replace the missing items.

Be proactive

After reporting job site theft to the proper authorities and your insurance company, there's not much more you can do but wait. If you're particularly intrepid, put the word out to local pawn shops, tool resale shops and consignment shops.

If you've got the time, keep an eye on local buy/sell/trade classifieds on Facebook and Craigslist for the missing items.

The thief might slip up and try to sell what rightfully belongs to your company. These venues are most likely where they'll go if they can?t find a private buyer for materials. Shop owners will either call you or pass the information along to law enforcement, while you'll have to report any suspicious online postings yourself.

Either way, after taking all the essential steps to report the loss of your missing tools or materials, it's really just a waiting game to see if the items or thief surface.

Remember that the more information you have, the better your chances of bouncing back from a job site theft.

Hire an Expert to Save Time and Reduce Your Risk

As a professional, you've undoubtedly seen your fair share of jobs where someone has tried ? and failed ? to fix something on their own, creating frustration for everyone involved and more work for you. These types of jobs leave you shaking your head, wondering how anyone could think to tackle a job they know nothing about, especially when there's a safety risk involved.

This mentality doesn?t always extend to ourselves, however. While it's tempting to try to be the all-knowing, multi-purpose contractor, sometimes you just have to call in another professional to get the job done safely and get it done right.

Why Should I Outsource My Work?

The simple fact is, when it comes to construction, there are a lot of specialties. General contractors tend to know a little bit about everything, but more in-depth jobs require specialized knowledge. For example, if you're working on a whole house remodel and find that the wiring is dangerously out of date ? you know that?s a safety hazard that you shouldn?t tackle on your own ? an electrician is needed to re-wire the house before you can complete construction.

When the health and safety of a building?s occupants is on the line, it's time to swallow your pride and hire a subcontractor. Doing so might be an inconvenience, but it's not close to the inconvenience you?d face if a lawsuit were to result from sub-par work. Both your immediate finances and your professional reputation would suffer.

What If I Really Can Do the Job?

It also pays to outsource your work if you're overbooked. If you find yourself thinking there just aren?t enough hours in the day, it might pay to hire a subcontractor to do some of your work for you instead of asking your clients if they can reschedule. If your job is taking longer than you anticipated, having extra hands on board to finish up portions of the job while you focus on the bigger details can pay off, too.

Hiring someone to do the tasks you dislike can also take the frustration out of your work. So if you hate fencing but your client is requesting a job that requires you to build one as part of the process, you might bring on someone to take care of that fence.

Hiring Experts to Help Your Business

You can be the best roofing contractor in the world and still have little to no aptitude for the business side of things. Even if you can run your business single-handedly, it isn?t always the best way to go. Hiring someone to help with the office-centered aspects of your business is often a smart move.

Accountants and professional tax preparers, for example, are just as expert in their fields as you are in yours. They know the ins and outs of their business and can find ways to help you cut costs, save on taxes and prevent a potentially business-threatening audit. By outsourcing your financial work to them, you're making sure that your business and income are well cared for.

Similarly, an office professional or administrative assistant can make things go easier for you at your main base. If you?d rather focus all of your time, effort and skills on the jobsite, hiring someone to answer phone calls, field questions, deal with paperwork and find new clientele can pay off.

Employees versus Independent Contractors

There are two ways to hire extra help for your business: employees and independent contractors. While there are some similarities between the two, it's important to know the difference, because the benefits you're required to provide to each are different. When it comes to engaging expert help, you'll probably be working with an independent contractor unless you need their services on a permanent or on-going basis.

An employee is someone that you directly hire to work under your business name. You pay their salary and you're responsible for providing them with worker?s compensation insurance and for withholding taxes from their pay. In some instances, you're also required to provide them with health insurance. In short, an employee is someone who is a part of your business and who is your responsibility. A full-time office assistant or a member of your construction crew are employees.

An independent contractor works for his or herself in a freelance capacity, but is working with your business for a designated period. You aren?t required to provide them with benefits, you Don't need to take taxes out of their pay (they'll do that themselves, come tax time), and they aren?t required to have insurance coverage through your business. Someone you contract a job out to, like an electrical contractor or a painter, would probably fall under the independent contractor heading.

How to Improve Attitudes on the Job Site

?Teamwork? and ?positive attitude? aren?t just buzzwords tossed around by highly paid corporate consultants in order to make workers feel warm and fuzzy. When everyone on the job site is eager and comfortable about showing up for work ? and each has something positive to contribute to the project you're working on ? your business will definitely benefit.

Foster Positive Attitudes

What are some of the benefits of taking steps to encourage positive employee attitudes on the job site? Here?s why it's worth your while to monitor the atmosphere among your team members:

? Work is completed more quickly and efficiently
? There will be fewer mistakes, resulting in less waste
? Fewer distractions on the job site
? Less risk of accidents
? Projects meet schedules barring delays from weather or material deliveries

Make New Hires Feel Comfortable

When you bring someone new onto your team, make sure that he or she is formally introduced to the crew he?ll be working with and knows who his immediate supervisor is for any questions or concerns.

you'll also want to make sure that everyone on the team knows what the new person?s role will be so there's no confusion.

Ensure that each person who joins the team receives safety training, even if they have previous industry experience. it's a sign that you care enough about them as workers (and individuals) to keep them safe when They are on the job. It also sends the message that you take jobsite security seriously.

Make sure your new hires have the right equipment to complete their assigned jobs properly and have adequate training in operating all types of equipment.

Improving Attitude on the Job Site

No Hazing New Employees

Let everyone know that no form of hazing, harassment or initiation of new workers will be tolerated. Each employee has already been through a hiring process. If the owner and/or managers determined that he/she is an appropriate choice for the company, then that decision stands. No further evaluation by employees is required.

Keep Job-Site Humor Appropriate

Having a sense of humor is a good trait in a prospective employee ? and telling jokes is a way to make the workday go by quickly. Make employees aware that their jokes should not single out a particular person out or make him feel uncomfortable on the job site. There are plenty of jokes and funny stories that are not offensive and do not focus on race, religion, country of origin or sexual orientation.

Offer Employees Positive Feedback

When you see the people on your team working well together, completing jobs on time and on budget and lending a hand when necessary, make sure to let them know They are doing a good job. They are getting a reward for their work when they get paid, but hearing they have done well is also important. If you can, let them leave early on a day when they finish ahead of schedule or reward your team with gift cards to a store or restaurant after a large project. they'll appreciate the gesture.

Listen to Your Employees? Concerns

One of the best things you can do to improve attitudes on the job site is to listen to a crew member who has an obvious concern. It may be job related or personal, but it's serious enough to have an impact on a worker?s job performance.

Listen carefully and without comment while your employee explains the situation and ask what you can do to remedy the problem. Your worker may have needed to confide in someone trustworthy or may need to let you know something that requires some flexibility, cooperation or type of action on your part. Take the time you need to consider all options before making an appropriate decision.

Facts before Judgment

If anyone comes to you on the job site with an allegation against a fellow worker, a supplier or one of your clients, never jump to conclusions. it'shouldn?t matter who is making the allegation. The word of a client or supplier should not carry any more weight than that of any of your employees ? nor should you assume that your workers are infallible.

Your goal is to listen and find out the facts, separated from emotions ? which can run high when people get upset. Approach every problem in a calm, non-judgmental manner in order to find out how to resolve conflicts.

Treat Everyone Fairly

Once you establish the fact that you maintain a level playing field on your job site ? and that everyone receives fair and equal treatment, your crew?s overall attitude will improve. New hires won't be out to prove themselves by trying to do more than they can handle and your more experienced workers won't assume they can get away with slacking off because they have been around longer.

All you ask for is that each person does the work to which they are assigned to the best of their abilities. This approach not only ensures that jobs will run smoothly ? attitudes on the job site shouldn?t become a major issue, either.

Handling Homeowner Voyeurism

Clients often like to watch you do your job. This isn?t always a problem ? some simply like to see What's being done or how it's being done to satisfy their own curiosity. However, a client that literally hovers over your shoulder while asking millions of questions is very disruptive to your workflow.

If a homeowner is hovering because They are afraid you'll damage their home, you might spend more time assuaging fears than you will working. Even worse, if your client is a weekend warrior DIY-er, you might find yourself subject to a lecture on the ?right? way to do things.

Finally, some contractors just work best when there's no one watching over their shoulder. If you can?t handle homeowner voyeurism, there are a couple ways to address it.

Point Out Safety Concerns

Whether repairing a damaged load-bearing wall, putting an addition onto a house or merely replacing a few roofing shingles, contractors are usually working in a dangerous place. As a professional, you know these hazards well and know how to avoid them or minimize the risks ? a homeowner doesn?t. You know the importance of having the appropriate personal protective equipment on hand ? and when and how to use it ? most clients Don't.

Explain to your clients that entering your work area poses a safety hazard to everyone. The clients are at risk from hazards ? if your attention is on the client?s questions and their safety, it compromises your own safety and that of your crew. If anything happens on site, to either the homeowner or your crew, you're the one in trouble, not the client.

This works for some homeowners who take safety very seriously. Not all do, so if your client seems disinclined to quit peeping at your work, add some incentive by pointing out that any fines levied by the Occupational Safety And Hazards Administration (OSHA) because there's an improperly protected person on site will be passed onto them and reflected in the final bill. When reason fails, money talks.

Set the Ground Rules

If you're not comfortable telling your client to (politely) buzz off, give them an opportunity to ask questions and observe, but on your terms. Explain that you need to concentrate while you're working, but would be happy to answer any questions before the day begins or after your work is finished.

Homeowner anxiety frequently accompanies all the variables involved in a home project. How much personal upheaval will this job entail? Is anything going to go catastrophically wrong? What's going on with their house ? probably the biggest investment they?ve ever made? If you can preempt those fears by explaining to nervous clients what you're doing and by proving you're willing to answer questions and concerns, it might stop the hovering before it'starts ? or at least minimize it to a more bearable level.

If a homeowner still wants to observe, set up rules for doing so: they have to be a certain distance away from the action and not right in the thick of things. By putting them at a distance, they get what they want and you get a little breathing room.

You Are the Professional

When it'seems like a client doesn?t just want to watch, but wants to give advice on every step of the process, it's hard not to get irritated. After all, you're the professional and you know what needs to be done and how best to do it. Remind your client of this fact, but check any sour feelings, bitterness or attitude at the door before you do so.

Your client hired you for a reason. Maybe you came highly recommended, you had the best rates or your reputation is well earned. Whatever the reason, the client chose you and signed a contract. it's your job to do the work, not theirs. All of these points bear repeating when you've got a ?guy with a hammer? client who thinks he?s Bob Vila.

You Don't want to create bad blood, but you must set some ground rules about accepting suggestions from your client, if at all.

Create a List of Homeowner and Contractor Responsibilities

People love paperwork, so a list of what that your client can expect from you and what you expect from them can go a long way in clearing up any ambiguities lost in the legal-speak of the official contract. Much like some hospitals have a ?Patient?s Bill of Rights? posted in each room, you can hand your clients a copy of the ground rules.

Think, in a general sense, what you expect from clients. Certainly, you want them to bring up concerns or problems, but you also want them to approach you at a time when you're not working.

Consider the homeowner?s point of view ? what do they want from you? Setting up and maintaining honest, two-way communications about the job?s progress, concerns or budget is certainly a reasonable starting point. Hand out printed copies of the ?rules? to your client and crew when the job starts. Hopefully, the client will refer to this document whenever the itch to drill you about the differences between a band saw and a miter rears its ugly head ? especially if you're perched on the top rung of an extension ladder.

Choosing and Using Window Films: Types and Terminology

Forget the cheap, ugly window films you may have grown up with. Brittle, easy to bubble, and peel ? but nearly impossible to remove, it'seemed ? they didn?t offer many advantages.

Today, it's a different story. From lowering your cooling bills to protecting your family and home ? or merely decorating your glass ? you can find a window film perfect for you. Installation is fairly simple, too. So the next time you're working on windows, you may want to discuss window films.

Types of Window Films

When you'read about window films, pay attention to which category of window film is being addressed. As the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors discusses, there are three categories of window films: tinted film, made from cellophane-like material that is applied for temporary use such as with glare-reducing retractable shades; semi-permanent films applied to the windows directly and intended to stay permanently; and permanent tint, such as the brand Heat Mirror and other low-E coating makers who develop their own coating system and apply it to the windows at the factory.

If there's money in the budget, today's manufacturer-applied coated glasses are a great investment. However, all homeowners can benefit from cheaper at-home films that are easy to apply. These semi-permanent films last a very long time, too. Look for specialized films such as:

Insulating Window Films

Everyone benefits from insulating window films. Well, except for the energy companies, who get to collect a little less of your money. Insulating / thermal films reflect the heat from outdoors in summer, while in the winter they help retain heat. No matter what the climate, homeowners will find these films indispensable.

Most insulating window films block up to 99-percent UV rays. This means on top of energy bill savings, you help protect your furniture, walls, and flooring from fading. Insulating window films also reduce visible light transmission (VT). The disadvantage to this may be less light in the room, but it also means less glare on televisions and computer monitors. For more light, choose a film that specifies it allows VT.

Some insulating window films count towards local, state, or federal tax credits. Aiming for LEED certification? You may be surprised to learn that your film qualifies you for points toward it. Best of all, the money recouped from lower bills will eventually pay back what was initially spent on the film.

Safety and Security Window Films

Live in a crime-prone neighborhood or concerned about the safety of a relative? Safety and security films work wonderfully to protect your home and loved ones. These films reinforce the glass to increase the shatter resistance. Some are even rated as able to wit'stand a bullet from a small caliber gun or small explosions, according to manufacturer?s claims. Nature?s hurricanes and tornados, or break-ins and robberies ? all can be just a little less of a worry.

You can also find UV blocking ability, and other characteristics, combined with safety and security in window films.

Decorative Window Films

Stained glass, etched designs, frosted coatings ? they are beautiful, but who can afford to go replace perfectly good glass on a whim? Enter decorative window films, in such a wide variety of designs you may have a hard time deciding which one you like best. Take some time and browse the Internet for decorative window film and comparison shop first. you're sure to get great ideas!

To their credit, decorative films aren?t just pretty. They may also block about 70- to 80-percent of the sun?s UV rays. Some are easy to remove, so you can switch them to other windows if you want. You may enjoy it'so much you simply want to buy more, and at the generally affordable price for most films, you can, too.

Privacy Window Films

Blurring the lines between decoration and privacy are today's privacy window films. Not only are they often made with pretty designs, unlike decorative films, they also make sure all view is blocked. From frosted panes to dark film (such as used in cars), crumpled tissue paper or mirrored surfaces, privacy windows make it difficult to impossible to spy inside your home.

While some privacy films won't allow you to see in, you may find it harder to see out, as well, depending on the film. You can also expect some level of UV protection ? up to 98-percent reduction, according to some manufacturers. Be sure to look for the VT rating as well.

Important Window Film Terminology

it's not enough to know that you want a window film, or even what type of film you want. While shopping for your film you will encounter many terms. Understanding the lingo will help you buy precisely what you want:

• UV Rejection: UV-rated products block a certain amount of ultraviolet rays A and B, which the sun emits. UV rays are harmful to the skin plus fade interiors. Look for high UV rejection rates for best results.
• Light Transmission: Simply put, the light transmission level is how much light will pass through the film. Police officers test light transmission on vehicle tints to ensure that car tints are legal ? the lower the score, the darker the tint. For home use, aim for around 50-percent light transmission to balance glare and visibility properties.
• Visible Light Transmission and Reflectance: Visible light reflectance and transmission (often called simply VT) measures how much light is reflected away from the window. The higher the film rates, the shinier it appears outside (hence a mirrored appearance).
• Shading Coefficient: A term used in the energy field, the shading coefficient simply measures how much a window film prevents (reduces) the heat gain from outdoors. Look for film with a shading coefficient level of .50 or lower.
• Solar Energy Rejection: Another energy term is solar energy rejection. Simply put, it's the measure of the film?s ability to repel UV and VT as well as infrared (radiating) heat. The higher the film?s score, the better it insulates your windows.
• Thickness: Another important quality, the film thickness is expressed in either mils or sometimes, microns (1 mil is equal to about 25 microns). Thickness becomes particularly important in safety and security films; generally, the thicker it is, the stronger. Look for film measuring at least 4 mil ? keeping in mind that 14 or greater is best.

In the end, what matters most is how the film performs for you. By understanding the types of films, what they will and will not do for you, you can better select the ideal treatment for your windows. Understanding the terms the manufacturer uses makes it much easier to translate a film?s qualities, as well. Now all you have to do is find the film you want!