The Electrical Show with Thomas Najie sponsored by Bosh Professional, Powerful power Tools,
measuring tools and experts accessories. Welcome to the Electrical Show with Bosch Professional here
on Fix Radio. I'm your host Thomas Najie and joining me today in the
studio is rightly or wrongly one of my own employees. Jay. Now you've
heard me talking in the past on previous shows about hiring sparks, managing sparks
and actually how how difficult that is. Genuinely, anybody who is who is
self employed, you know how tough it is hiring and more more importantly maintaining
and retaining your own staff. So we've we've got Jay in a studio today.
Yeah, I mean this could go one or two ways this and I'm
not sure. I'm open and I'm open to you know, negative constructive,
negative critique. Yeah, you can hear the nervousness in my voice. I'm
going to be asking Jay what it's like working for me, and we're going
to touch on his experiences in the trade as well. The Electrical Show on
Fixed Radio. You're listening to The Electrical Show with Bosh Professional and Thomas Najie
and joined with me today in the studio an employee of mine. Jay,
He is here to talk about what it's like working for me. Now,
before you will put your trials down and think this is staged, I can
assure you we have. We genuinely spoke. We've spoken briefly, haven't we?
What about coming about this? But I don't know one hundred percent.
I don't know what your answers are going to have no knowledge of you call
me about half nine last night to see, yeah, do I fancy that?
Yeah? So I have no knowledge of what we're going to do.
I know roughly what we're going to talk about, but what your answers are
going to be, I don't know. So, just for the just for
the listener, how did you come to work for me? Just explain how
that unfolded. I was literally just watching one of your videos on YouTube,
slurking my water really hard, and I thought I'll give it a go,
and I think you're an email And the next day we had a chat,
the day after another chat, and then I came and then we came down
to the offices, did a couple of days, a couple of days,
and then and that was it. Yeah, I started that was pretty much
it. Yeah, what were your What was the reason you wanted to find
new work because you were we can't say the name, but you were working
for a big, big outfit. Well, I was a spread and I
was getting complete sick of it. Yeah, I was just not enjoying it.
But I always wanted to be a sparky, but I was told be
a spread. Okay, somebody, actually, I know. One of the
reasons we took you on was because you had a bit of multi trade experience,
which is handy. It was definitely one of the things that shone in
your favor because you were you had the ability you could just throw yourself.
You have a few tricky you had you had that was genuine. That was
one of the reasons why me and Sarah were talking about hiring you. It
was one of the things that really stood in your favor because you have the
ability you can just throw it. It's great to have a spark, but
if you've got somebody who can just throw themselves and do a bit of anything,
yes, your bulk is being a spark, but if you can throw
yourself a bit of anything, it really is. And you're absolutely right,
You've got us out of a couple of scrapes before already. So when did
you feel that you were an I say the word accepted member, because everyone
when they started a job, they always feel like a sort of the new
fish. When did you feel like an accepted member? I mean maybe you
still don't. Maybe I think we've gone past that though. Yeah. Probably
when I got invited to Scoot a night, Scoot a night, that was
a big thing. Yeah, Scoot every Thursday is Scoot at night, So
that was that was an important effect. A week or two later and yeah,
I didn't go, but you've never been invited since. Yeah, all
right, Well let's talk about, probably more importantly, what I'm like as
as a boss next, and that's I guess what, I guess Everyone's way
for the Electrical Show with Thomas Nagi on fixed Radio, the Builders Station,
Thomas Nagie And on today's electrical show, I've been joined by one of my
employees, Jay, and we're going to find out what it's like working for
me. So let's get it out. Let's get it over with. To
be honest, what's it like. You're actually a top guy to work for?
You have your moments, I'll pay you outside separately but no, you
have your moments, but obviously you've got stress, you've got issues keeping a
company. Like I was going it is, I know, I know what
you mean. I have moments, So define moments for people. Let's let's
get in defined moments. Well, I know you, I'm okay, I
don't mind. I can tell when Tom's in a mood by the way he
gets out the van and I will say he's in the mood and everyone's like,
how do you know? I was like, I can tell, I
can tell, and everyone's like, how do you know this? That's really
I actually didn't know that. I mean, I know my silence. I
have levels of silence because normally I'm actually quite acquired level though when I'm super
silent when wrong. Yeah, yeah, But in Jay's de fact, he's
actually quite good at getting me back to a sort of a working sort of
harmony. Is it because of the random questions or my just complete nonsense I
talk? Normally? It's the nonsense that you talk. Yeah, And I've
learned that you come out and you just sort of say you're feeling all right,
just because I find I feel like if you get out, if there
is something in the air, just say it and then we all know.
Right, let's leave you alone for like an hour. To be fair,
it's normally nothing that you guys have done. It's normally like an email from
a client that's just really aggravated me, or just any any number of things.
Generally it's nothing to do with you guys, as I mean, sometimes
it is. But normally if it is, like we talk about normably,
will talk about it separately. So it's not do you know what I mean?
So normally if it's if there's an issue, we'll talk about its sort
of thing. Yeah, but yeah, as soon as you pull up to
the office in the morning, the way you get out because I'm always first,
Tom's never first, by the way people i'm there. That is that
is your good That is one of your shining good qualities that you are.
I mean, you're your timekeeping its spot on. Well, if you're if
you're early, you're late. Yeah, what what's your perception of sort of
because it's you came from a big company and you come down to a small
outfit, so what's your perception of Like it must have changed your your perception
of the employer employee dynamic and how that works because like I said, you
came from a huge company. Well, yeah, I've worked for a few
big companies and they don't care about the workers coming here. Totally different.
You care you always. It's more personally. I think I know a lot
about your personal life. You know a lot about my personally. That's the
thing, isn't it. With big companies you kind of lose that, don't
know, if if something happens, you'll just go look, yeah it's fine,
dude, this or you know the swings and roundabouts. Really that's the
thing. Yeah, it's there's a lot of swings and roundabouts in what we
do. Because that was the conversation that we've had, Like with contracts and
stuff like, because forever I've we've spoken about contracts on the on the show,
in past shows and stuff, and your contract. You have a contract,
but there's also like a working contract, like a verbal contract, which
is separate, you know, and you just build that through being here.
You just build that through just of course. But I think there's also a
mutual respect between us two where's yeah, that's basically you know, I work
my socks off. You can you can laugh and say yeah. But then
also like if I go can I leave an hour early? Be like,
and I say okay through christ teeth. Yeah, yeah, it's because I
don't leave early anyway. We've just had we just had trackers installed and all
the company big he knows where I'm going with it. We just had trackers
on all the company vehicles, right, and it's got this really cool app
and it measures your acceleration and breaking. You shouldn't give me a nice pickup
truck that's been remapped and it's very fun, Richard, Right, Jay,
harsh breaking zero? Okay, except it was harsh breaking, wasn't it?
It literally zero, couldn't get lower, it was cornering. Was like,
yeah, well, look after some music, let's let's talk about your experiences
in the trade as an employee rather than in my position of the boss.
And that's it's a perspective we've never really had on the show before. So
let's get let's do that next. The Electrical Show will return in moments.
This is the Electrical Show with Bosh Professional Fantastic Outfit Bosh. We love them
here on the show. I'm Thomas Nagie. If you've just tuned in,
you a little late, but don't worry. We are joined in a studio
today by one of my employees, Jay, and he's here to share his
experiences working with me. Now, Jay, you've you've seen, like I
say, you've come from a big outfit, you've come to a small outfit
like mine, and you've seen that dynamic shift of going from a big outfit
to a small outfit, and you've seen the stress because like you say,
I'm a grumpy bugger. So and it is true. I don't deny it,
not all the time, a few days a month, where a few
days a week. At what's your aspects of working for yourself though, because
that is one problem I do find is that people end up working for themselves,
which is great, but it's bad. If I want to retain stuff
I have thought about this, I wouldn't do it just yet, just because
I see how we much stress it causes you. There's a lot of stress
and I'm too young for that. Yeah, it is a I don't know,
it's it's a lot of stress. But like I think, if you've
got we've got more work now than we've ever had. But it's definitely like
last week where you just basically dealt with that whole week because I was doing
other work. That was definitely easier because you just took you took an entire
week's worth of jobs and you just basically just you just got on with it
and just made it happen. At the end of the week, we had
a load of stations or with fire alarm systems all working. So that for
me is definitely what makes my life less stressful and then you get a less
grumpy boss. Yeah. Well, no, I do enjoy it, but
I was a stressful week, a long week. Yeah, we've had it.
It's at the end of the month, so government budgets. People are
going to submit their books and stuff and we've got work we have to finish
their last The last sort of two weeks has been like half five towards eight
o'clock, it's been there's a long day. Yeah, So when I sit
here and I look like a chew topee on camera, that's why other aspects
of this job that you enjoy more than others. No, to be honest,
I like it all because it makes me use my brain. It's not
like you just do the same thing inside day inside every day. It's just
something it's always different. Yeah, Like even if we're doing what we were
doing yesterday and you can see it doesn't go right and you'll be waiting a
two hours for something to Yea. The highways work that we do is quite
fun though, isn't it. That's good. It's good laughing, it's a
good crack. It's public. Just yeah, there's a lot. Yeah,
I think you hate me in public. I do hate you in public because
you have zero filter, yes, literally less than filter. Yeah, but
I do. I do enjoy all aspects. If I had to say what
I love the most, I do enjoy doing a board change. I really
do enjoy them because you just get left alone. You can do it how
you want to do it, and just get on with that and get on
with it, and at the end of the day you're like, wow,
I've done that. What bit do you not enjoy um? Working with me?
No? No, No. The drive sometimes, I've always been driving
for work and it's just when you're driving two hours somewhere for a job,
yeah, and you get stuck on you in twenty five going on the way
home, You're like, yeah, a lot of our work is out in
Essex, and that it does. I mean normally we meet at the unit
at like quarter past half past six. I mean he says he's there first.
Always it's not always true, all right, okay, but normally we'll
drive out there and do you know what, not always true? You do
not fill up my fixing tray, right? That is that we're dealing with
that. I don't care what's on this memo sheet in front of us.
Right, we've all got fixing trays, right, because I ah, mate,
this just annoys me so much. Right, we've all got fixing trades.
We use those Sawtomo cases and they've got a lot that you can put
all the little screws in your nutsy boltsy washers and all that sort of stuff.
You've done it once, right mate? How does it work mate?
You? Oh my god, you turn out to a job. Mate.
I opened your fixing tray the other day, Mate, I literally almost I
almost passed out. There was just there was nothing in it. I'm also
blaming Richard for that because he kept taking all my bits. To be fair,
Richard doesn't even have toolbags. Yeah, it's kind of I don't know.
I'm trying. I'm working on Richard. It's a slow It comes to
work with a test goes carrier bag I'm working on him, but grow fixed
tools. It's a hard road to hold this one, but I'm working on
it. But I just all I'm saying, is it. Look if you've
got a case and all of you nuts and bot I know everyone's thinking,
I'm sad. I don't care nineteen years of doing this. If you just
turn up with a case and you've got your one and half in shapes,
your red plugs, your washes, your spring washers, and they're all nice
and neatly, you open the case and they're all beautifully they're presented, it
does make your life easier. You're right, You're right, but you don't
always fill it up like you say. It's not my responsibility to fill it
up, but I have fit to you number of times. Can we order
a load of bits in and then we can peel off my face and terror
it's confetti. He's only being like this because he knows I'm I'm killing the
truth. May you're listening to I'm still literally listen to fixed radio to build
a station, get set in the morning. The Electrical Shower with Thomas Naji.
I'm Thomas Nagie bringing home another electrical show to an end where I've talked
to Jay, one of my employees, about what it's like working for me
and my company, and despite the fixings, tray grievances, we're we're all
good. Jay, just a final word, what give us? Give us
a score? Go on, give us a score out of ten and saying
I can give us a score out of ten and something you'd like to see
me improve on. Um, I'm not going to give you a ten out
of ten because then you won't improve or anything. So I'll say, oh,
I'm going to give you a ten. I'll give you an eight out
of ten. I'll give you an eight out of ten, but one thing
you genuinely like to see me improve on the way you talk to your fans.
Wow, because you get very nervous, and I have to deal with
it right, okay in person. Okay, I have to deal with it
right when you're there, because you get very Yeah, you have to do
with that, mate. I can't hope with it. I can't change it.
You just be like what I mate, Yeah, I can't cope with
it. Yeah, Yeah, you get very nervous. It's not that it's
just when people meet you, right that. We had that guy the other
day, totally cool, totally chill, happy to talk to them. But
some people just literally just they just sit there and what they just and I'm
like, what, I'm I supposed to stay back? I don't know.
I've said hi, I've said how are you doing, I've said are you
all right? I don't know. I'm not like you all right? Well,
look you, I genuinely I would also give you. I'd give you
also a nice steady aid happily can I improve on? What can you improve
on? You're fixings tray? I would love you. I would the day
you have a fixing tray where everything is beautifully presented and the back of your
pickup is exactly the same. Mate. That's that's a Paul Hollywood handshake right
there. Every day. Honestly, I don't mean anything because I know you
want cash, but yeah, yeah, that's a Nargie handshake. Yeah,
handshaker. On the readies, you can hear the show again from ten o'clock
tonight here on fixed Radio. This and indeed all the previous shows are available
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