The Cost of High Turnover Replacing a lost employee costs a business to a degree that isn't always appreciated. Here, cabinetmakers discuss the problem of selecting, training, and keeping valuable team members. September 8, 2007
Age Discrimination? A 60-year-old draftsman kicks off a long exchange about age, employability, and fairness. April 13, 2010
When to Raise an Employee's Pay Here's a long discussion about the purpose and timing of pay raises, and the associated communication issues. July 3, 2006
Incentive Pay for Workers This long, detailed thread takes a close look at the whole concept of bonus and incentive pay for employees. January 9, 2008
Team Player When you advertise for a "team player," what are you asking for? Seriously — this job seeker wants to know. January 2, 2012
Time Clock Cheaters A question about how to deal with workers who are punching each others' time cards leads to a wide-ranging discussion of morality, motivation, and time-tracking technology. January 13, 2009
Teaching an Employee to Optimize Materials A problem with an employee who doesn't use up scrap leads to a long discussion on hiring, training, and firing procedures. May 20, 2009
Employee Overpayment Snafu A cautionary tale: an overtime miscalculation resulted in years of paycheck mistakes in the employees' favor, before the payroll manager figured it out. How should the boss respond? June 5, 2006
Employee Overtime There's an up side and a down side to working (and paying) employees overtime. Here, owners and workers discuss the management of labor hours. October 25, 2006
Employer Vs Employee Must employees and business owners be pitted against one another? From WOODWEB's Business Forum. March 5, 2003
Finding Good Finishing Help Tactics for attracting finishers, perhaps the industry's most difficult "get." December 26, 2004
Profit-Sharing and Incentive Pay Employers and workers discuss the pros and cons of linking employee compensation to company performance. November 4, 2007
Skilled Woodworker Employee Wages A highly qualified shop employee with broad responsibilities asks how to assess his own fair wage rate, and kicks off a spirited discussion among employers, employees, and self-employed craftsmen on the forum. February 10, 2009
Cultivating Initiative and Creativity on the Shop Floor Here's a thoughtful discussion about how a shop foreman can train his employees how to think for themselves, rather than simply solving problems for them. Also mentioned: how to craft shop SOP's. February 11, 2010
Danger in the Woods Woodworkers should be aware of the reactions some people may have to certain species and take appropriate precautions. August 13, 2005
Letting Employees Use Your Shop Here's a long thread about what terms an employer should set for allowing an employee to build a personal project in the shop. February 11, 2009
Employee Bonus Incentives Most employers in this thread believe that bonuses for employees don't work. June 4, 2012
Social Conversation and Shop Morale Can a business owner help maintain a friendly and sociable work environment? The question sets off a long and lively discussion on the Business Forum. July 24, 2005
Gray Areas in Drug Testing Policy Employers and employees alike express mixed feelings about drug testing in this thread. April 29, 2012
Training Employees A rambling brainstorming thread about how to teach complex tasks to workers. December 2, 2006
Is This Job Discrimination? An African-American's story of a frustrating job search leads to a frank discussion of race as a factor in employment, along with some solid advice on landing a job. January 10, 2008
To Fire or Not to Fire? A new hire's performance is spotty and his pay is high. Should the boss let him go? In this thread, the question gets a thoughtful examination from all sides, including several different boss and worker perspectives. November 10, 2005
Eyewitness: Injury Scary stories about careless acts and bad consequences. June 28, 2005
Hard Layoff Choices A long discussion about a difficult choice: whether to lay off a valued employee when sales fall off during a downturn. June 15, 2009
Employee Side Projects in Your Shop Thoughts on whether to allow employees to use shop equipment for occasional personal projects. November 13, 2009
Converting from Employee to Subcontractor Changing your status from an employee to a subcontractor for the same shop is a complicated and potentially risky move. October 13, 2008
Can Shop Workers Legally be Subcontractors? An extended discussion of IRS rules defining employees and independent contractors, and how those rules relate to workers in a cabinet shop. February 23, 2010
Six Sigma Observations Principles for developing efficiency in the workshop. November 3, 2004
Thoughts After a Severe Accident After a shop worker is very badly injured by a machine, the owner seeks feedback from colleagues. April 7, 2008
Business Start-Up Advice Woodworker asks about a business start-up kit, and gets an earful of wise advice.
How Strict Should Work Hours Be? Woodworking employers and employees discuss working hours, flex time, performance, and shop morale. March 4, 2006
Safety Glasses in the Shop The owner gets advice as a new eye protection rule creates a labor-management dynamic in a woodshop. August 27, 2009
Subcontractor or Employee? Learning the rules about worker classification and managing the details correctly is a hassle, but the risks of doing it wrong are major. September 24, 2009
Taking on an Apprentice It's good for society when young people gain skills. But the rules for apprentices are the same as for employees, and the management problem is not trivial. April 8, 2013
Health Benefit Solutions Woodworking shop owners discuss their experiences trying to provide employee health insurance benefits. March 5, 2008
Attention, Safety Practices, and Loose Nuts A woodworker describes how a moment's inattention damaged his machine — but luckily, not him. The tale sets off a long thread of similar stories (including one fatality) and lessons learned. November 16, 2011
Radios In The Shop A discussion with as many opinions as there are styles of music. February 25, 2005
Motivating and Guiding a Commission Sales Rep This thread starts with a question about how to structure a contract with a commission salesperson, then expands into a broader discussion of effective sales and marketing strategies. February 6, 2010
Smoking Policies for Wood Shops How should wood-shop employers deal with the issues raised by employees who smoke? The question leads to a lively debate. December 2, 2006
Holiday Bonuses in Hard Times Shop owners discuss whether they paid holiday bonuses to their employees, and how they feel about it. March 12, 2014
The True Cost of Overtime When you back out overhead, time-and-a-half wages for overtime hours may work out to a wash. But not always ... October 2, 2007
Productivity-Based Incentive Pay One woodshop owner's take on how to calculate and pay bonuses so they will effectively motivate the workforce. November 19, 2008
Company sponsored, on-site drinking Legal implications of the Friday afternoon beer-drinking session, and off-site alternatives to it. November 7, 2000
Project manager compensation A conversation about PM pay grows into a detailed look at the cost of doing business. December 17, 2003
Downsizing your shop Businesses that have grown too fast or too big choose to cut back and go small. October 2, 2001
Pay Scales for Cabinet Shop Workers Pay rates vary by skill level, and also by region. Here, cabinetmakers dig into what makes a worker worth his wage. October 18, 2005
Hiring a Manager A long discussion of how to find a manager for a busy shop, and how to define that person's role. October 14, 2009
Employee Issue: Train or Let Go? A shop owner is on the fence about a new hire: keep him on and hope for improvement, or fire him now? Experienced employers discuss philosophies and approaches. July 24, 2005
Motivating Employees for Productivity Shop owners discuss management styles, regulating work hours, and ways to cultivate a good employee work ethic. June 23, 2006
Managing Growth as a Start-Up Cabinet Shop In its second year, this small shop owner's cabinet business is starting to take off. Here, he gets advice on his next steps.October 19, 2011
Classifying Workers An accountant's suggestion to turn a few employees into "subcontractors" comes in for criticism — along with some information about the rules for that sort of thing. September 30, 2010
Finding Software for Design and Visualization It's hard to find one application that will quickly create design visualizations for a customer during a sales meeting, but also generate good designs suitable for construction in the shop. This thread offers some insight into software capabilities and some nice example drawings. December 28, 2010 ......
New Hires and Production Problems Adding new employees to speed up production can have exactly the opposite effect. Here's a case in point. July 20, 2011
Paying for Woodworking Training Is it worth it to go to a "school of woodworking" (or send your employees) to learn skills such as veneering? October 18, 2011
Wages and Expectations Here's an interesting article about the relationship between pay and performance, in the mind and motivations of an employee. July 23, 2014
Going Out on your Own in Cabinet Installation A skilled and responsible employeed for cabinet installation sub ponders the practicality and ethical issues involved in going solo and competing with his present employer. February 12, 2009
Correcting Employee Mistakes Too many mistakes cost a company time and money. Here's advice on managing an employee whose elementary goofs have become a problem. October 2, 2007
Finding Good Employees Cabinetmakers lament the lack of qualified workers in the market, and share thoughts on how to find good help. April 19, 2015
Overtime and Productivity Here's a valuable discussion of mandatory overtime, the four-day week with ten-hour days, and related labor-time organization and productivity issues. July 2, 2008
Employee Attention Problems Should an employer try to train a worker on attention, focus, and work discipline — and if so, how? August 15, 2011
Headphones in the Shop Here's a lively discussion about concentration, hearing loss, and whether it's okay for employees to listen to personal music on headphones in a cabinet shop. September 15, 2011
Woodworkers and Labor Unions Woodworkers discuss the relevance of organized labor to modern conditions in the industry. February 6, 2007
Hiring, Training, and Firing Employees Based on a Paul Downs column in the New York Times, here's a thoughtful thread about how to optimize your workforce for skill, teamwork, efficiency, and morale. July 18, 2013
Structuring a Paid-Time-Off Policy Businesses describe their approaches to providing sick leave, personal days, vacation time, et cetera. June 8, 2008
Cost of Carrying Employees Shop owners discuss the costs associated with employing help, the value of good employees, and the advantages of going through a temp agency. September 4, 2005
Training Workers The interviewing, hiring, and training process lays crucial groundwork that sets the tone for sound employee management. 1998.
Interviewing Potential Employees The interviewing, hiring, and training process lays crucial groundwork that sets the tone for sound employee management. 1998.
Time Clock Problems Advice and discussion about how to make sure employees punch in and out reliably. March 18, 2006
Getting Started Three basic tips for getting a new woodworking business off to a healthy start. 1998.
Attracting Qualified Woodworking Employees Employers and workers discuss how to advertise effectively for good help, and how to separate the wheat from the chaff in the responses. February 27, 2013
Jointing Door Stock Twice Is a shop worker being too careful and creating double work? How much trouble is it worth to be extra sure that door parts are precisely milled? January 19, 2012
Ramping Up When You Need Workers When the work starts to roll in, you need help — but employees are expensive. Here's advice on optimizing the cost of help as you increase production. September 3, 2014
Training a Cabinet Installation Crew Advice based on experience about how to teach a pair of promising shop employees how to install cabinets in the field. November 26, 2007
Managing a Slow Worker Cabinetmakers discuss the problem of whether, and how, to terminate an employee who is slowing the shop down by being too darn meticulous. October 2, 2007
Almost Cut My Thumb Off A close call with the table saw sparks a conversation about safe equipment and careful practices. January 11, 2008
Profits, Bonuses, and Debt This interesting discussion considers the significance of a Christmas bonus in the context of company financials and taxes. February 27, 2015
Union or Non-Union Apprenticeship? A woodworker starting out asks about the choice between union and non-union training employment. Lots of information and some opinions are supplied in the discussion that follows. November 11, 2005
Should You Pay Workers for Travel Time? Business owners discuss whether workers should get paid for driving from the shop to the job site in a company truck. April 4, 2011
Shop Floor Management Systems Woodshop owners discuss ways to improve the techniques they use to organize and run their operations. July 3, 2006
Screening Job Applicants Woodshop owners discuss the methods they use to assess prospective employees. April 19, 2015
Health Insurance for Employees Shop owners discuss the ins and outs of employer-sponsored health insurance plans. November 10, 2005
1998-Rewarding your People Creating a productive, inclusive shop atmosphere, and rewarding employee initiative. 1998
Cabinet Assembler Productivity How many cabs should an assembler put together daily, assuming all the pieces are cut and ready? In this thread, bosses and workers offer their perspectives. November 12, 2005
Hiring a Woodshop Helper Advice on hiring the right person for the right wage for general shop labor. April 22, 2014
Working Four Ten-Hour Days a Week Employers discuss the pros and cons of unconventional work hours, including the costs and benefits of overtime. December 24, 2012
"Temporary Worker" Loopholes? Looking for a way to limit your unemployment insurance rates or your payroll taxes? Hiring workers as "temps" won't help you any. August 13, 2007
Moving On - Time To Work At Another Shop? After eight years at the same shop, a woodworker's ready for a new situation with more potential for growth. But he has a strong personal relation with his employer. Here, he gets advice from seasoned pros on how to make the transition to owning his own shop. November 10, 2005
Taking On Your First Employee A one-man shop owner has more work than he can handle, and needs advice on starting to staff up. November 26, 2007
Sub or Employee? The Legal Puzzle A discussion of when you legally pay someone as a subcontractor rather than an employee. February 17, 2006
Should engineers do parts drawings? Product engineers can draw impressive sketches. But should they be expected to write code? November 15, 2000
What is a Project Manager's Job? Here's a list of responsibilities for the project manager at one commercial outfit. January 25, 2013
Possible yearly earnings What kind of sales volume does it take to support a six-figure salary in a two-man shop? May 9, 2001
Guarding Against Embezzlement All humor aside, here are some practical tips for maintaining security in the financial operation of a business. September 24, 2009
CNC Routers Versus Jobs for People Despite employees' fears, a new CNC will not replace people — it will make their lives better. June 11, 2010
Finding good help How to find and keep reliable employees for your sawmill business. January 16, 2002
Training a New Salesman A cabinetmaker who has just hired his first salesman gets advice on how to orient and train the new hire. August 13, 2007
Paying Workers for Travel Time Is a boss required to pay workers for travel time to and from a jobsite (such as a cabinet install)? That depends on the circumstances. June 15, 2009
Piecework: Promise and Peril A brief discussion about how to structure piece-work shop labor in a way that works. April 29, 2012
Who Supplies the Tools? Practices vary, but in most shops the employer supplies all power tools — and often, small incidentals as well. March 22, 2013
Shopping Around for Comp Coverage By shopping for competing quotes, a business owner got his workers compensation premium lowered. January 20, 2011
Adding a Salesperson The owner of a growing shop mulls adding a salesman and reaches an interesting decision. February 25, 2005
Moulder Operator Skills and Pay Feedback on the going rate for moulder operators in different parts of the country, and thoughts on how to earn at the top of the scale. December 30, 2007
Job Descriptions A shop owner with 20 employees gets advice on creating employee job descriptions. November 10, 2005
Responding to Competing Employment Offers A skilled woodworker accepts a new job, then gets a better offer from another employer. How should he communicate with both prospective employers? January 7, 2007
Shop Floor Teamwork A sofa shop struggles with coordinating part production and assembly. March 17, 2005
Employee Bonus Strategy Shop owners discuss whether, when and how to award employees a bonus after an outstanding month for the company. September 4, 2005
A Finisher's Pay Scale More thoughts and information on what a skilled, experienced finishing craftsman is worth in the marketplace. November 11, 2005
Vacation policies for employees Setting standards for how much vacation time employees earn, based on their tenure and value. April 24, 2002
Looking for Work in Cabinetmaking A couple of useful tips for woodworkers on how to present yourself to prospective employers in a tough market. May 11, 2011
Creating a partnership Is a successful partnership possible in the woodworking industry? May 9, 2001
Compensating Employees Who Opt Out of Health Insurance Should employees who opt out of your company's insurance plan get a little something extra in their check? Maybe not — the practice could create complicated tax issues for you. April 24, 2006
Overtime pay Good reasons to pay overtime, whether or not your competition does. June 6, 2001
Heavy-duty CNC router recommendations Suggestions choosing for a good-quality CNC router, offering adequate tech support and training. February 28, 2001
Establishing a formal absenteeism policy Shop owners discuss policies they've adopted to ensure consistent employee attendance, and how those policies are administered. September 26, 2000
Hours Worked Versus Hours on the Clock Thoughts on measuring how much of an employee's workday consists of actual work in the real world of the shop floor. November 5, 2013
Employee Upward Mobility Hired as a CAD draftsman, a worker finds himself handling much more, and more varied, responsibilities. Now he's wondering how he can upgrade his job title and pay accordingly. November 10, 2005
Sales Staff Expense Allowances Business owners discuss whether and how to reimburse salespeople for vehicle use, cell phones, laptops, et cetera. December 14, 2005
Closing Shop for a Vacation Week Key people need a break. But how will clients feel when you shut down the whole operation for a week? February 27, 2013
Growing a business Keeping your mind on what matters in a healthy business, with a nod to Paul Hawken. May 19, 2003
Outsourcing Accounting How does it work to have an outside company manage your payroll? And is it worth the cost? April 13, 2010
What to Include on a Resume Put everything down — experience that seems irrelevant to an advertised job may qualify you for something better at the same company. October 2, 2007
Employee ownership Ideas for keeping employees, who expect more than standard benefits, happy. June 6, 2001
Team Player
