The Huddle - Episode 74 - A New Generation of Labor
This week Daniel & Jose discuss new labor coming into the industry, how current tradesworkers can support them, and the differences in past generations to now.
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The HUDDLE is where the flooring industry can get together and talk about everything! Lead by Paul Stuart from Go Carerra who is joined by Daniel and Jose Gonzalez from Preferred Flooring.
oh I can't make it uh this week he's uh out working somewhere where' she say he
was um in the
bathroom talking about a new generation of Labor the the kids
that are entering the workforce and what's going on with these uh these kids
I don't know if we really say kids anymore at that age say
kids so you know everyone talks about how uh
things have changed in the industry and and I don't know if uh it's
necessarily the the work that's changed or just the people coming in and how you do the work I mean everything's still
pretty standard it's just I think expectations have changed the amount of time that you have to get
jobs done so they everyone expects more efficiency right or you have to be more
efficient in order to get the to meet the new timelines I remember when a building used to
take nine months a year or longer right now everything's Fast Track
get everything done in three months yeah I remember when I heard that first time the FasTrack um I for the name of the
company but they're like this is a FasTrack job I just remembered like everybody was cutting corners and it was
it ended up being a very horrible job but um I remember the the schedule and
the scope was just I was like we're supposed to get that done in how fast
but I'm competitive so all right up Kevin watching on LinkedIn made it uh
made it pretty easy I was like oh man that wasn't really that hard but a lot of moving Parts have to be on the same
page um I think part of the topic too was how the trades have
changed um for for me I mean been in the trades
for 25 years so I don't even necessarily not
the trades have changed but how the workers have changed yeah yeah
um to be honest man people nowadays are just soft like nobody I'm gonna have to
look at it from from how I started where where I started and what I was brought into
and back when I started you had to prove yourself and then then you ask now it's
backwards everyone's asking for their reward before they prove themselves nobody really wants to
learn um you know I I grew up uh learning on my own right
like I got better on my own because I wanted to um then when I learned I
didn't just learn at work I learned at home so that way I could be better at work the the more I learned at home and
and practice myself the more um the people I worked for wanted to teach me
because they they seen advancement uh but different breed back then I remember
being the young person and and nobody liking me older older guys old guys that were like in their early 30s old guys
that were younger than you line out um really hated that I was their their boss and I get it it was different back
then it wasn't a it wasn't the norm I would say that a
that a a 20-year-old Hispanic male was the boss of some 30y old uh white
Americans they just felt like they they deserved uh to be in that position I
guess I don't know I didn't really care I just knew that I was asked to do a job and I did it but from then till now the
people that were coming in to the trades and we were teaching were ready to learn they understood what a trade meant they
understood that once you were taught this skill it could never be taken away
it was yours to hold to keep to Cradle take home baby it whatever it was yours
now it's I don't even know how how it's viewed now to be honest with you because I I can't um I'm not in that position
I'm not not young like that I'm always going to view it like I'm learning something that that
someone can't take away um well we just run
into it's weird right because you run into the the younger people that will say that they want to learn a trade but
then as soon as that factory comes knocking on the door and they're going
to give them you know 15 cents more an hour than you're giving them right now they're they're jumping ship right away
so that's kind of what what has changed right because they don't look at the process of from point A to point B they
just come in and be like I want to do flooring and they're like I like your
truck I want to have that truck right now why aren't you paying me enough to have the same truck as you it it almost
seems like that's the mentality of the the generation that's coming to work right now like you said they want
everything right now but then they also the ones that are like they always feel
like they they deserve more no matter how much you're giving them I don't think that's necessarily A generational
thing because that's been happening for years well I don't think yeah it's not generation I think it's a culture thing
um from what the media is pushing to what they're being told in
school now like I don't even know what kids are being told in school nowadays so it's
um I don't know if they're they're pushing trades they're pushing I mean they're always pushing higher education
right because it's it's a business they they want they want to have the the education continued so that way they
could collect uh funds from from these poor unsuspecting young
kids without a plan that's weird I'll go off on a
tangent on that one too but um I don't I know that they're pushing
trades more and more because we we see it all the time where
especially like um the the construction companies that we do work for they're
always at these events at the schools and yeah well the over here we have the
the West Michigan construction Institute Yep they're very involved with the community very involved with the school systems um from believe Middle School
through high school and even adult education so that that's that's very helpful so I guess yeah they're bringing
awareness to it um but but it's it's the it's the mindset
of of these kids right because they're we in the information age um everything
is at your fingertips these days and then they see all these people becoming
millionaires on social media right yeah influencers and everyone just wants to be an influencer and then there was
actually some influencers um that were talking about it and they're like not everyone is
is is going to be a Tik Tock star or a YouTube Star there's still people that
need to work you know people still need to build our society and that's what
what we're lacking is is the kids actually coming up and knowing
that I'm still gonna have to work everything's not just going to happen and I'm not just gonna be famous
overnight I mean it does happen to some people right I mean that's that's that's a the the thing it's and some of these
people that's all they want to do they have their mind set on this is all I want to do that's all I'm going to try
and then they come to work and don't give it their all and it's like what's how do you
change their mindset on that I don't know how to change
mindset I think um in order to change mindset you have
to show them that and here's the problem you you show them that you're interested in in helping them get better continue
their education in what they want to be better at and then instead of it being a
luxury it becomes an expectation and I think that that's part of some of the change too is that um nobody views uh
amenities as a luxury anymore it's more of an expectation which makes it harder in a lot of smaller businesses um and I
think that that's where we Chang we because everyone looks at the corporate world and thingss that that that's the the business no
matter how big it is right it's I'm going to go work for this company why don't you guys have this why don't you have that when they don't understand
that small businesses don't have that luxury we're not making billions of dollars a year uh Jake said that we came
up where with the thought that you had to work for what you wanted and earn the money to get it right and like you said
you know we've already touched on this a couple times and then we're only 10 minutes in it's they come in with the
expectation of this is what I already deserve not let me work up to this point
and then get what I want it's it's always
uh they're like I said they're essentially trying to come in
and make exactly what we're making now with
zero effort zero time yeah with no no time into the industry yeah and I think
that people ask like hey how can I get to this point um and I just said I need time I need your time like time is the
most valuable thing that you can you can offer it's the most valuable thing to to each individual but it takes time
to to hone your craft what doesn't matter what it is
um just time if you're not willing to put in the time then you're not going to get
to where you're at you said something about like the truck or whatever I remember there was a conversation on on
Facebook about that too like oh they got flashy truck like that's my truck dude
like I I bought it with with for me like so I could use for me for
work um it might say a company name on it but it's still mine just got blown
engines and smaller trucks and it that took well that's that's besides the point right because it doesn't matter
who owns the truck it's working up to that point in order to be able to get there it's like they don't they don't
look at the the 20 years 20 years ago when we started they just look at this is what we have now yeah and that goes
for everyone in the trade like construction wise like there's a couple buddies of mine
that they have small businesses too I remember when they started they didn't have anything now I'm looking at uh my
buddy who's doing landscaping he's got heavy equipment he's got like like I look at that stuff and I'm like you go
dude like hell yeah he's putting in the work caros is on here right now too he works with a lot of the I don't know if
he necessarily works with the kids but he's really involved in the job core right yes so hey young adult stent send
me that new email young adults right and and getting
them their their foot in the door to the industry and that you know that's one of the things that that really helps out
is these programs that are set up in order to to get a Hands-On approach
instead of starting off you know full bore into the industry which I
mean that's how we all started and kind of just worked out but it it's nice that
these kids have and I'm calling them kids again these uh these people have
the option to to go through so he's old yeah I'm I'm really old now
basically 40
um I don't know if we're really going off that topic or not but like if
um the new generation of Labor how important is the new generation of Labor so the generation that's getting trained
right now and that's entering the system whether or not they want to be up here right away or they're willing to start
at the bottom of the totem pole or near the bottom um you guys are the you guys are are
essentially the the doctors of the future right you're going to be so far in fewe between in 10 years that you're
G to be worth far more in 10 years than you are right now and that's going to expedite anybody's career in the trades
um they're gonna it's gonna the value is gonna be put on You by by the public not
by your achievements is by the public and
um there's not GNA be very many people uh in the in the trades I don't I don't have that metric and I don't know where
to find that metric to be honest with you but based off the conversations that we have here at the local chamber and
projections over the next 10 years plus all the talk that we have with Paul is uh it's not looking very promising for
the amount of work that's going to be coming into the trades versus the amount of people available for them whether
it's the flooring industry or not um there's going to be a a very high demand
um and and we're going to you're probably going to see a very big offset um in uh ability to adjust pricing
accordingly um and if you are getting in now and you're learning learn with
purpose 100% learn with purpose um both of these guys are like Carlos
says the future installers need us right and he's 100% right and then you look at
what Jake is saying he's like uh a lot of the guys out there didn't
really teach the young people coming in right we and we we constantly touch on this too it's where it's like I'm not
going to teach you because then you're going to start taking my work so in in a in a nutshell like we not we but like
industrywide we as an industry kind of put ourselves into the position that we're
in and well that's where the like the word trade secret right like that's a
trade secret well you know what should never have came up with that term because that's what put us in the
position we're in now nobody wants to go somewhere and devote their time to not learn
everything to not learn the secrets um I would rather teach somebody how to do
what how to do what I know how to do so that way I can do something else and
move on um but and and that's you know something that that the kids coming into
have to understand as well though right it's you you have to start at the bottom and work yourself up to the top so you're
going to be doing trash you're going to be doing you know the thing that no one necessarily wants to do but still have
to get done it's part of the process um and and that's where I can see where you
know a lot of the not teaching comes in because a lot of the time
and you know some of us I'm guilty of it it's I'll do this you just go do that
like I don't have time for this right now you just go do that and that's where the FastTrack projects came into play
right like before when I started um just in general back in the day you'd have
time to teach and train people once everything got fast-tracked and that became that became the new control that
became the new um standard and expectation um your your window of
opportunity to teach comfortably uh shrunk right uh uh so you had to get
more people with more skills faster to get the job done in a shorter amount of time but then we're still expected to
pass on information and train properly um and and that's where like uh like the
unions and all that have a oneup where they have their own requirements and training programs and and you know some of that like they have to go up every
other weekend or once a one weekend a month right and it's all it's paid training and that's
what what a lot of the guys don't understand it's that a lot of what you
learn has to kind of be on your own time whether it's a half hour a day that you're not scrolling on social media and
you're actually learning something I mean look at all the the Publications that are out right grab one of the
flooring magazines read an article there's plenty of of guys that are
sharing their knowledge that you can learn you know just a little bit you know something that didn't know yesterday you can learn today and take
that time out and like I said like many small time make big time it's read this
today read that you know in a few days read the the bucket grab some Lit
Literature out of whatever flooring that you're doing and and read up on it it's the amount of people that don't
know that there's actual standards in flooring installation is mindboggling
and um I I think that's where we have a leg up on the the new people that are
coming in right now is because you can teach them right off the bat there's standards this is what we're following
um NCT I've got their hat on today their substrate and subfloor program is
amazing it I've been we've been doing this for over 20 years and we learned so
much on going through that you know it's it's crazy the amount of information
that you don't know you have until you actually have front view yeah it's
um this just one of those things like Daniel says another tool for you toolbox
is um coming into the industry right now and in order to be prep for the future man you better better load up that
toolbox with as much as you possibly can um I think uh the future of any industry
flooring or any industry in the trades is going to be in a very bad shape or
very bad condition if if you don't start loading that toolbox sooner than later and Jake says right here you know the
guys that that taught us weren't necessarily and I'm not reading verbatim
but you know they weren't the nicest right it's get this done or guilty or they they get angry and
it's like uh and then he says right after that that it takes a lot of patience to train
the new people and it really does because it's not we're not training the
same people that we were 20 years yeah there's definitely um and that's what it is is is they're
approaching life through a different lens than what we had right the lens that they have now this is the same way
like my son's 10 years old talking to me about gaming PCs and all that I don't
know anything about that stuff right but he's that's what he's growing up with like he he's 10 he knows a lot about
that and Daniel's only six years younger than I am and the difference in knowledge on Tech versus uh in this sixy
year Gap is was very substantial so he grew up through it with a different lens
than what I did even six years apart I can only imagine 20 years apart 25 years apart and that's what we're dealing with
right now and it's not just just the the world changes technology Changes
Everything Changes and then we have to start looking at ourselves too through that lens and
like you can be like those guys that you learn from and be an a-hole all the time
or you can Channel your inner wooa and have to just let me back up a little bit and
think about what I'm going to say before it comes out of my mouth and sometimes it's real hard sometimes stuff just comes out
still but it's like so like in um in
baseball we use the 24-hour rule right it's if you see the coaches doing
something that you don't necessarily like or the kids doing something it's like you don't approach him right away and say this is what's going on this is
what needs to change it's let me take some time process process it think about
it and then I mean a lot of the times it's like you know TW I come out 24 hours later and it's like you know what
I kind of understand why they were making the decisions that they were do I agree with them
still Maybe maybe not but at the same time I understand why those decisions
were made so it's it's us having to to take a step back and look at the new
generation that that's coming in and realizing that they come from a different time they're not going to be
like us and and kind of empathize with them and
almost baby them into the industry right it's like no we don't want to give you
everything you want like right off the B but we're going to explain to you that this industry is can be lucrative
and you can have a a great life it's just a matter of how much are you gonna take the re on
it and and control your learning to the point to
where I want to be able to to just delegate to you without having to micromanage right hey go do this well I
don't know how to do that well I already showed you this and it's
like that's where the training programs and stuff come in too it's it's it's on us to create these programs in order for
these people to go through because um over the past couple years I think that's what we've learned right
because we we keep on going this is how you do this all right go do it and then it comes back and this is in in the
office and in the field and then it comes back well I don't remember I don't remember you telling me this
I never did this it's like we do this every single day you guys want to say
like I always have a notebook and this is old school stuff like I like to write it out a lot of
people use notes on their phone but that that's that's the biggest part of it too is
uh showing initiative to to take notes not just mental notes but actual
notes um to refer back to like you hear it now you're writing it
now you're seeing it less chance of you forgetting it and that's part of that's part of uh the the training and
absorbing it too is uh is doing doing your uh your part to make
sure that you don't forget because I don't man if someone
tried to make it as easy as we try to make it for some of the guys today I don't like I don't know if I would have
honestly I don't know if I would have tried as hard so I don't even know if I would have would be here right now to be
honest with this so I don't I it's hard for me to accept some of the uh I forgot or I
don't remember when literally everything is written out for everyone and handed
to them in a in a gift basket here's what you have
to do today and like it becomes so redundant for for us because it's like I'm going
to give you a work order I'm going to print it out I'm going to put it in here where you know on team so everyone can
see it and then I'm gonna when you get here I'm gonna tell you what you need and then when every day someone has to
come back because it's like I literally told you to grab that like
why and it's frustrating for us but that's just the reality of the
workforce that we have right now it's like babysitting every single
day but but trying to get them to a point where you don't have to right it's like
raising a kid teach them as much as you can but at some point whether they're ready or not it's like go do
this yeah you you sometimes the best way to learn how to swim is jump in the deep end and
fight for it and that's what that's what people don't want anymore people don't
want to get thrown into the deep end and fight for it anymore they they want to sit on the diving board watch everyone
Splash until the until the water's low enough for them to comfortably jump in and
that's that's not going to work in 10 years I don't know if that's ever gonna work to be honest with
you Carlo says uh being patient and training the next generation is worth it because giving them a skill set that
would help them raise a family and become self- sustainable that's that's that's the always the goal right it's
just a matter of who which one of these young kids is going to start grasping on and realizing
that people it's you can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink right you can tell them hey I'm G to
teach you what I know but it's on you to to take what I'm teaching you and expand
on that so when we were so I started when I was 12 he you were
18 so fresh into the trade at 18 and then once I graduated high school
started working with you you started teaching me right and teaching me the way that Jake says getting all Angry go
do this you messed it up and then get all angry right yeah 100% so that it's
it's different and it does you know what I will have to say that there are different styles of learning and teaching right some people do react to
that some people don't and most the people who don't are under
are 30 and under right now because they've been so coddled that they don't
understand what it's like to nobody talks to them like that anymore they don't even talk like that
in school teachers can't your parents can't right I mean you can't even say you can't words that I grew up saying in
a household U to my I mean I say it to my family but words he grew up saying
normal conversation can't even say it anymore without being uh Pol Politically
Incorrect or whatever you want to call it so but what I did was I took the information you gave me I went and tried
it maybe I did it like you maybe I was like this ain't working for me let me figure out a different way but I didn't
just give up or not expand on that I took that knowledge that you gave me went and did a little bit more expanded
that it better and then for you yeah and then now I'm able to go to that next
person and teach them and that's the the constant evolution of of how training
should be right um I've gone through trainings where they were like how did you explain
that because and then I explained it to them and they were like I've never thought to explain it like that before
but that's how I'm going to teach it from now on and that's how it should be it's not
you didn't teach me how to do this that's that excuse only goes so far it's you showed me how to do this and then I
tried it I didn't like it so I expanded on it and learned myself and that's what
the young people are are kind of missing it's not just all come to work do your
job leave go home because just think about it in terms of any other industry
you you got to do training you gotta the teachers that you know we have half days
once a month so the teachers can go through training and just to clarify too and this came up in conversation the
other day Corporate America is different than construction America everyone Corporate
America is they they build that that that onboarding system in there right
like Corporate America usually has a facility big enough to have a conference room full of people being trained all
day every day learning the basics construction America doesn't really have
that at their disposal they they got to go out and they gotta sustain and make money they don't have hundreds of people
already out there making uh money to sustain you know 50 people who are learning for the next two years that
just want to make that clear that there is there is a black and white difference from
construction America to Corporate America um the Hands-On portion you got to get out and do it
you can't someone who went to college for engineering cannot go and do the install
if they're out there doing the architectural on a drawing and they're dragging and dropping and
like that is that is not going out and learning how to do the handson and you
can't you can only read a book so many times before you have to put your hands on it to make sense um and you know
sucks to say but I would say 80% of what we've learned is by putting our hands on it um the the other 20% is just
information that doesn't make any sense until you're ripping it apart tearing it apart cutting it putting it together um
I just want to like make sure everyone knows that there is a separation there um and and I think maybe that's what it
is too is Corporate America built up so so so good of reputation as a uh the
easy button click the easy button that that's what the younger Generations uh kind of expect fact right like I'm going
to put six months in and in six months I should know how to do exactly what these guys know how to do and that's that's
not it that's not that's not the case well that and uh a lot of these
factories are based on time in I think like they have their their set schedule
you're here for this amount of time you get a raise you're here for this amount of time you get a raise and that they
have that that mindset as well yeah that's like a 1% 2% not even yeah not even like I mean I
remember Mom working in the factories um and she she came home one day and she
was like I quit my job I was like what they gave me a a I had my review yeah I
had my review they're like you're you're doing great here's a 10-cent rise she said I
quit 10 cents like what does that do you get next it well I guess four $ four a
week like come on makes no sense in construction you do have you do have
opportunities to you might have a small jump in Pay
small jump in pay and then a substantial jump and then you might be there for a little bit right but the the the
longterm um the long-term value in Pay doesn't come from every getting a raise every
quarter every six months every year and a substan raise it comes from I'm doing great work they're keeping me busy while
other people are staying home um and if everyone is busy and you are not
then must be something wrong there and it does suck like in the bid
Market a lot of people stay busy because they just throw low numbers out and get the jobs and that's what people want to
hire um but we try not to to be that that
company yeah we we try not to be low bid and I'll be honest with people
at the at the GetGo it's like I'm probably not going to be low bid so
and I mean we've gotten a few projects that we weren't low Bid And I mean it's been great
but it's it's the whole
industry looking at looking at the new people that are coming in what us as the
the old guys and the crazy thing is is I call us the old guys and then we go to the conventions and they they call us
the young guys and it's like
um and we say the same thing about them like honestly they want to see all these
changes in the in the industry but it's like they don't want to change the way
that they're doing things and then we look at us and it's like we want things to change the way
change the in the industry and it's like what do we have to do in order to change ourselves in order to accommodate them
but not actually we have someone here hey she's weigh in the background our
niece she she doesn't like to be on video she don't have to be on video but I want to ask you a question since you're here you're young you're a kid how old
are you 17 17 dang get old you want to come on camera what what do I leave like
five minut no that's fine you can leave in two minutes I just have a simple question
what you're young going in you're still in high school right now you're a senior when you get out of high school if you
weren't looking at higher education would you even be attracted to
the trades and if not why and if so why the
trades as in foring construction just construction it doesn't have to be thoring just like does any of that even
interest you and it's okay to say no because if it's if it's us know it's not something
I've ever thought about okay and why is that I always knew that I wanted to um attend that higher
education okay so the trade is just something that doesn't interest you from
from just being interested in learning how to build something for the most no not
really okay and what is interest interesting to you and maybe some of the
people you go to school with like what does what does everyone talk about like when they when I grow up and I'm 21
years old and I'm a full-grown adult and I know everything what what are they gonna do what what is everybody talking
about nowadays in school in high school yeah you don't really hear about when I grow up or when I'm 21 it's when I go to
college and how much fun I'm gonna have how how much parties I'm gonna go to so that's
so you heard here first that is a big
problem um and that all students right because I know the teachers ain't talking about that oh no right so that's
the student so that's all on perspective and so so what is leading that perspective and who whatever is leading
that perspective is also creating the expectations so
it's it's we're live the the times have changed right so you look at it you
gotta get out you got back people are staying their parents longer and longer
these days it's not you're 18 get out go find something else I told my kids that
the other day I said man soon as you guys turn 18 guess what you're out of here they're like what so
the we're essentially creating a a generation of people that think
that they can just Coast on their in their parents basement or
whatever and don't have to worry about their own
thing this is all this is all like our our thoughts guys don't hold us
to it uh or don't think that that's what Society is thinking or how every person
who is old like the anal thinks that that just makes it so you know that puts into perspective why they come in
thinking that things are just going to be handed to them because they've been having things handed to them their entire lives right the participation
Trophies the oh yeah everything like that it's um I showed up pay me yep
and the horrible thing is is that there are jobs out there that it's like you work today get paid today I've gone
through uh some fast food drive-thru that's like apply work today get paid
today so they work their shift they get paid that day
that's that's crazy to me I don't know how you can sustain long-term employees like that especially
if they have and and me I'm always going to revert to how I grew up especially if they have habits um that could prohibit them from
showing up to work the next day but you made me think about something too right everything was handing them I wonder
like if we were to compare a kid let we just take an age like an age of
transition right so let's say a 12y old kid from 50 years ago a
12y old kid you know every do increments of 10 years um starting 50 years ago till till
now what was the responsibility of a 12-year-old kid or expectations versus now and I think that that would kind of
shed the light onto why so may maybe it's not even the generation yes and no
because it's all depends on on how you grew up right because right we grew up
we grew up with raising our kids and then in sports right and we we
constantly put push Sports because kids have to learn how to be coachable you can't just show up and be
like all right I deserve this it's show up let I'm gonna prove to you I'm worth something this is what I want to do like
my son I want to pitch what does he do he works really hard on perfecting that
crap to be to be that in that spot so that that's what we teach right and then
at the same time it's you know Dad I really want to do this
and nine years old go ask your coach I'm not going to do that for you oh dude yeah and and that's where
um like I was just I was just listening to Simon synic right and I and I'll
bring we bring him up a lot too and he says that the the younger generation are
the people that don't like to to ask for things they just show up you're not giving me what I want I'm leaving it's
never I'm going to come in and I'm going to talk to you hey this is what's going on I have this going on at home can you
guys do something for me or can you help me out I think I need just ask for something anything and
they don't like to ask for raises it's I've been here for 30 days they didn't give me a raise I'm leaving and that
that's the mindset that the generation has right now and it's that's not coming from us that's coming from someone that
actually has to deal with this and deal deal with these people on daily basis that's the mindset that they
had right and if you think about it too like the people who like just for us
right um even the most recent person who left there was Zero communication as to
likes and dislikes and we come here this this is this was taped to the
door yeah I quit which is fine at least you left that a lot of people don't do
that yeah they just St showing up so I I guess you could look at that but I have never quit a job or left a job without
having a conversation with the person that was in charge or the person above them I've
never and and I have to go back right like I gotta go back to when I was younger but even when I was in construction I've never just
like I quit it's hey um you got a minute to talk and talk things
through and I've always done that I don't I've never I don't know any other way
like I I feel like no matter how upset I am at a situation or or if I felt like I
was being taken advantage of I still feel like it's worth a conversation because it's a learning experience for
both sides right I get practiced at expressing myself they get practiced at being uh better or seeing some cues that
could lead to something else and and that's that that can benefit both sides
right because everything is learning opportunity yeah
always no idea sorry you have to ignore that phone for a
second spam anyway they're calling about Daniel's extended vehicle
warranty he didn't get those calls anymore is that even the thing anymore but I think um
so to kind of condense everything that because we we get off on tangents a lot
right so that just
so the workers and the trades have changed um looking back on on how we
started it I came it was rough he was rough on me but that pushed me to not
only not want want to mess up right it's like I don't want to mess this up but I'm going to do things on my own so that
way I can learn how to not mess it up on my own I'm not just going to be like well I don't know how to do that don't
send me over here um which kind of was
like I'm Gonna Keep On Learning in order to not work under him anymore so I don't have to keep on getting yelled at yeah
and you know what if that works for people then that works that's awesome like it to each their own but just know
that someone who is gets upset when you don't do something the right way is not they're not getting upset because you
you did it wrong you know they just hold you to a higher standard than you are currently holding
yourself that's all and um if I didn't if I didn't love my
brother I wouldn't have been like that right but I knew that he could do it like dude you can do this dude stop and
it it it was always the the simple things that everybody it's always the simple things
that everyone makes mistakes on because they overthink it um so I guess uh don't
overthink a a career in the trades because it could it could be well worth
it there was a um I saw a video he's talking about Simon syic I think I saw
it's a Tik Tok or something like that they did actually did a a metric of of they used a plumber versus a a doctor and at the
same age out of school someone who became a plumber was in a better better Financial
um situation at at like the 20 year mark than a doctor was granted depends on
what kind of doctor how long you went to school like how long you special right focus on specialty and you you have to
be in the right company with the um opportunity for growth in order to to
get there right but you also have to put in the work right and that you know when going back to when we started again we
started on 1099 we didn't know know the difference right we were
the internet was still fairly new they still called it the web they even called
that anymore the worldwide web you know it was it was still Fair fairly new and
you don't we didn't just hop on Google and search up anything we wanted to we
didn't have uh chat gbt to do everything for us but you know we we started on in
1099 and then it wasn't until you go to fire your taxes and it's like what do you mean I owe
money and and the these these kids know better these days
a majority of them do I mean there's don't get me wrong there's still plenty of people out there that are that
probably don't use technology right and I try to use it as little as possible
possible yeah right but it's like you know that kind of stuff
happened and then you look at today when I don't want to say you know
schools don't educate you on that kind of stuff but that that falls more on like the parenting where it's like they
they always tell you to get a good job and all this stuff right but it's like they're looking for a long-term
career they're not you can look at it as a job
or you can look at it as a career you can take it as far as you want to right you look at it as a job that's all it's
ever going to be if you look at it as a career that's where your mind keeps on
flowing what do I have to learn in order to progress and since they're looking for a
career as an industry we have to start looking at what kind of packages we can
offer in order to get these younger kids in like I said you know on a previous podcast we've had people come through
here that they're like I would have never came to work for you guys if you didn't offer a W2 and if you if you
don't offer Health Care like the these are things that you have to start thinking about the health
care is huge because I mean there's nowhere there's
nowhere around it it's a monopoly well it's there's nowhere around it like we
are hard on our bodies when we're installing right we hurt all the time and not only that talking about
sustaining your own and then growing a family you want to have that there for your family as well um so we have to
start realizing that these kids want all this stuff and put these systems in
place uh not only do we have to work on you know the insulation and the training
and all that it's all the back office work that we have to to realize that not a lot of people work on
and it's uh you know retirement health care just look at workers comp when if
you get hurt on a job site and you're working for a 1099 for someone you think that they have workers comp they're just
it it just doesn't work like that yeah they have writers but those writers are
you're usually excluded from those anyway they're just they're just a piece of paper that you pay $1,000 for for no
reason so it's it's there's a lot of things that go into these new people
that are coming into the industry and how this new generation
thinks Beyond just being on their knees it's yeah they can come in and they'll
show up every day but it's on us to to tell them you know like I can only get you so much
information you actually have to want to learn more and if you don't want to learn more then you're in a job but then
you keep on asking me for a raise but you're not showing me any progression you you you want the benefits of a
career but only putting forth the effort of a job
that's that's the first time I've ever said it like that and
wow it's a really it's a really odd way to look at having a career or a job this
sucks too like even my jobs when I had a job fast food
restaurants I still gave 110% I still tried to learn everything I didn't like
having to depend on people to do certain things I'd just rather like just get it done instead of
waiting but I think we're almost at at our hour anyway I didn't even think we g go that long without Paul no so you know
the kids are looking at it that way and us as the people that have been in in
the industry for a while we need need to look at it as we can say that you
know we're not we're not huge corporations but we kind of have to start thinking like a huge corporation
when it comes to down down to just even the installation we have to think of um
what kind of training programs can we put forth and and stuff like that and
it's not necessarily all on you right there's training entities out there um CFI has you know their
their two we courses that are happening you know we were talking about that last week one's over there um at Dwayne's
place in witch Kansas and then we have one coming over here to degraph
Interiors in in Jennison so it's like um and it's the FCF is putting the bill for
these so why not jump on board right it's like if you know someone that wants to get in the industry this is talk to
Carlos you know get your feet wet with this get with the FCF get the scholarship take these
classes you know these trainings um it's not on it's not all on us to to come up
with everything but it is on us to point people in the direction where they need to go um we
just sent baby sister to uh Nora to get trained and you know that's a really
particular product so it it's really beneficial to go through that
class but that's something that we seen that we needed to do so we send them
we're talking about we just H at the the meeting that I had yesterday um right
before you walked in with the guys it's like I need to get you guys into some some training and it's just it sucks
because it doesn't fall where we need it to sometimes but we're we're about at
that point where we got to start making the time to do it and that's one thing that we have to look at industrywide as
well it's it's never a good time when is a good time to have a kid it's never a good time to have a kid it's never a
good time to just to go to a training it's never a good time to go to a trade show but it's these things that you have
to do in order to to progress your guys or ladies right because there's
your career I'm talking about the the people that work for you yeah the crews Oh I thought you said career I I just
sound like I have an accent but it's like let's start expanding everything
let's know that the people that are coming in aren't built from the same cloth that we were and there's things
that you kind of have to baby step around and get used to and we're having to do it constantly it's a constant
Evolution it's not you can't just be setting your ways and no this is the way
that everything's going because once you're in that that mindset that's why a lot of the guys are working by
themselves because they're not willing to change yeah and that's one one
constant that we talk about all the time is that the flooring IND industry is
constantly changing and that's the evolution of it the products are changing and and and you have to look at
it that way as a business as well it's a constant Evolution like you can have your don't get me wrong you want to have
your your your solid core right you want to have your your mission your your values you know write all that down and
then expand on that but know that things change and that the
people that are coming in the industry right now are different than when you came
into the industry and realiz and a lot of what we do like we talk to Adena when
she was just in here a few minutes ago and you know you asked her some questions and think back to when you were that age
age which was different because we weren't in the same position as she is but you know her friends are what
college are are we going to go to so we can go party I have plenty of friends
that went to college and partied and I have friends right now that are
going through AA because they never sto partying so it's creatures of habit so and and
that's where if you in if you instill in your nephews
nieces your children that life is going to be on Easy Street and you just say
hey just go and ask for this instead of go and prove you're worth this and I
think that that's where a lot of uh a lot of the issues come from for for
the trades nobody wants to prove they're worth and like we said say every single time communication is everything take
talk talk to your kids talk to the the younger people and ask them like you
don't know if you don't ask and that's what we constantly do you know we ask her we ask some of the the younger
people that come through here and we're we're grateful that some of them just tell us you know I wouldn't work here if
you guys didn't have these benefits if we weren't W2
um just start asking and and change your your mindset we're
trying to change ours meet us in the middle and that way uh we can keep on
growing this industry and get these uh younger people in the door and that way when they're our age
they'll be going through the same struggles just a different generation it's I mean you you look at it like that
right it's like every generation complains about the generation that comes after that them they're lazy they
don't like to do this they don't like to do that but that it's that constant
Evolution Jake says Where can he get some pf swag I think you need Jake you need to just come visit us
bro te text one of us and when you got some free time come over to the office
and say what's up and just so you guys know like Jake and I go wait way back before flooring
days well he said that you were at his house when you found out that uh you were starting your flooring career said
you got the I got the what when you got the call that was that was like 50 years ago
that was a long time ago but uh we're about at the hour guys
we're going to wrap up change your mindset any young folks out there want to add to this please comment um you
know like like us subscribe we got the the Huddle podcast uh Facebook page now
um um subscribe to to the podcast on Apple
Spotify YouTube YouTube where wherever we're at and just
look us up find us um right there we got the QR codes right on the screen if you
the on your phone you can actually take a screenshot and if you go to on the iPhone you can anyways if you go to your
photos on the QR code if you long press on it it'll take you right to the site so it's like I now years old I learned
that so give us a like subscribe and I
appreciate everyone you know for chiming in today this is what this podcast is really meant for it's we want the
interaction because the more people that we get to interact with us the better we can understand how we need to change as
well because we don't do everything right it's a constant Evolution teach us something that's that's what we need
we're we're here to to teach you what we've already been through through but we want to know things as well
so um yep yep go to cfi's website and
see what trainings they got go to nct's website fcca see what trainings they got
but the big one right now is the the scholarships that the FCF is giving for
100% paid training you got someone new this is what you guys want to do
right now go to cfi's website see what events that that are close to you and
get get your guys signed up sign up yourself and then I believe that uh go
Carrera is doing the goera is doing the Sim scholarship so um I didn't link it
in here but but if you go to the podcast on the
one of the like Spotify or apple I believe I have a link in there and and follow the Huddle on on Facebook too if
you guys are um have a chance go ahead and click on it I believe I shared the live feed from from uh the Huddle so
just go and click on that and follow that as well so Jake says this is his uh first one he wants to be part of more
we we do this Tuesdays at 4M
Eastern Paul usually says it in central time because he's in central but we're Eastern so 4 pm Tuesdays well uh catch
you guys on the next one appreciate you and take it easy have a one thanks
everyone