toolbox etiquette in a shop

[PeteMoore]

Skin,
I have never lost my temper in my entire life.

It is one of those things that scares me, what will happen when/if i do?

Unfortunately the rest of the time I am a walkover and let people do what they want when they want, i just nod and agree, smile and wave or grin and bare it. It isnt very often i blow up or do something to release the anger/frustration.

Plus most of it was done with a smile on my face and a couple of the more decent lads laughing and joining in (not with the shitting or the wiping though, that just wouldnt be right)

 

[ZRX61]

I was working as a contractor in the local aerospace company when i left the forces.

Shorts?

 

[s14kev]

I worked part time at a car dealership in the workshop through college. I was constantly amazed at how juvenile most of the techs were. Most acted like they were still in elementary school. Reminds me of this video I just watched.. It makes me chuckle.

http://www.watoday.com.au/technolog...-bully-sounds-alarm-bells-20110315-1bvmu.html

 

[Joe H]

I am not a very tolerant person when it comes to people disrespecting my personal property. If I ever came in and someone was using the painted lid of my cart as a work surface then I would take everything on it and chuck it across the shop. I have zero tolerance for stuff like that. Whoever says that is going to get scratched up one way or another is full of ****. I work hard to pay for my tools and toolboxes. If I put a scratch on something of mine then fine but if someone else does that's unacceptable. I personally think you should stand up for yourself and start throwing anything left on your box right in the garbage. If that doesn't fix it then find work at another shop. You probably should think about going somewhere else anyways if that is the kind of people you currently work with.

 

[canuckian]

kinda glad I would never be put in that situation (I'm not a pro mechanic so I don't work in a shop) because I know I'd lose my mind if someone treated my stuff like **** and damaged it - and even worse, didn't give a ****. The least I'd do in this situation would be to throw their **** in the dumpster every time they left something on the cart. If they had an issue with it I'd likely throw them in the dumpster with their ****!!!

in all seriousness, it's gotta be hard being the new guy and at the bottom of the totem pole. Just make sure when you work your way up the ladder that you remember how you didn't like being treated that way and be careful not to be that way and stand up for the new guys when you see them being mistreated.

 

[Simplespeed]

I am not a very tolerant person when it comes to people disrespecting my personal property. If I ever came in and someone was using the painted lid of my cart as a work surface then I would take everything on it and chuck it across the shop. I have zero tolerance for stuff like that. Whoever says that is going to get scratched up one way or another is full of ****. I work hard to pay for my tools and toolboxes. If I put a scratch on something of mine then fine but if someone else does that's unacceptable. I personally think you should stand up for yourself and start throwing anything left on your box right in the garbage. If that doesn't fix it then find work at another shop. You probably should think about going somewhere else anyways if that is the kind of people you currently work with.

I had a snap on roll cart with a painted lid. Im pretty sure i could have kept it scratch free(not swirl marks) for a long time if everyone would have left it alone. There was **** on my box every day when i came into work. I never even touched the lid other than to move the cart around. Needless to say, i dont work there anymore.

 

[route246]

You don't need to do it to the whole top. You can also use honey or corn syrup or anything that will be easily cleaned off after you make your point.

Cover the top of your cart with wheel bearing grease for a week or two. People will stop putting their **** on it. And you can clean it off once your point has been made.

 

[rodm1]

Get a piece of plywood a little larger than the top. Drill a couple of holes at the edge and thread a cable lock thru it over the top. Maybe they willget the hint, and it will afford some protection to it.


jerry

Make it at a 45 degree angle!

 

[sscustom]

A guy at my work throw whiteout [ you now if you make a writing mistake you use witeout] all over my bosses madeinusa stanleybox which he has has since be an apprenetice , and the guys steals oll kinds of stuff from work he stole 10l of oil one etc

 

[PeteMoore]

Shorts?

yup, never want to step foot back in the place unless there is drastic changes to working practice

 

[makgreens]

well i found my socket....my mistake for overlooking it a million times....figures id do that haha


but when i got there was a towel on my box....not the same one i left on it but still a towel...but there was old brake pads,a juicer cup of some kind,and some chemicals......picked it all up and dropped it....everyone in the shopped looked at me but nothing was said haha....doubt **** will be on my box again

not to mention im tired of having 20 bosses and the guy who thinks hes my boss
(been there 5 years,only a tech c) got a big FU when he tried to tell me to do something....we unloaded 472 tires this morning and i was on truck tires and by noon my back was a little tweaked so i decided to do car tires and let the guy who was coming in at noon do the truck tires...dude tells me i cant do that and have to finish the truck tires because thats where i started....i flipped my **** and essentially talked to the #2 guy and was like how many bosses do i have cause im tired of this ********....he wouldnt give me a straight answer...talked to my service manager and he was like no tech is your boss,only if your doing something wrong should they say anything to you....

ok rant over...now that my back hurts and i never want to see another truck tire again

 

[TheGrooveking]

Good for you! Tell that guy the next time you walk out of the restroom that you did his job for him by shaking your **** off and putting it back in your pants, that should let him know that you love him.

TheGrooveking

 

[Skin]

Yeah skin throw a picture up if nya don't mind

 

[makgreens]

well so far the towel is working out...hopefully thatll be good till im out of that shop....ready to move on....never wanted to move on from a place so fast after loving it for just a month....

 

[tatra]

come in, see **** on my box, push off onto floor and go to work...........happens again, same thing and so on , except the distance from top of box to floor increases by a greater angle daily until collateral damage ensues..........only has this prob a few times as most jobs i have had the company supplied the tools and boxes.........and i agree the sloped top is the ideal answer

 

[nissan_crawler]

There's a garbage can by my toolbox. Anything on my box goes in the round file within 30 seconds of me seeing it when I walk in. I've had people ask me two DAYS later where their stuff was, apparently my box looks like a freaking storage facility.

I just tell them I don't know where THEIR stuff is, but all the trash on my box went in the garbage where it's supposed to be. They usually catch on the first time.

I found out one guy used the vise on my box to tap something, and had shavings and oil all over my box. I went over to his box, covered it with oil, and chucked shavings all over it. He got the point.

My standard answer to people that have the courtesy to ask if they can use my vise/top of my box for something is "If I can't tell you did it after you're done, then I don't care that you did.".

I've snapped at a few guys for dragging parts across it, or putting greasy/oily part directly on it without putting a towel down first. Just because you're ok with your box looking like a ragged out *************, doesn't mean I am.

 

[diesel research]

So no one has ever had a conflict by throwing the parts/tools on the ground/in the dumpster/back on other guys box?

Everybody is just passive and admits they were at fault and moves on?

 

[nissan_crawler]

Conflict? Yep. Fix the problem? Yep.

I caught a guy taking tools out of my box while my back was turned, talking to somebody else. I kicked the drawer shut. He yelled. He decided to ***** to supervision. The first thing they asked him was why his fingers were in my toolbox when I was closing the drawer.

 

[Layspeed]

makgreens, you don't happen to work for Firestone do you? I worked there as a tech about 6 years ago. Only stayed for a little over a year because of all the BS. I went in on a Sunday to unload my box. A nice GS and a tech helped me out. I came in to work on Monday for the first day of work and sure enough someone had already placed some old parts and a few cans of brake cleaner on my cheap plastic work cart. The parts went directly onto the floor and I neatly placed the brake cleaner into the bottom of my cart haha. Good thing they weren't on my nice Snap-On box or someone would've heard about it. That's the reason I bought a cover for my box. From that day, everyone respected my property and I was not about to be the "FNG" of the shop. I hate working with disrespectful assholes. Good for you for standing up for yourself...it's your hard earned money!

 

[Layspeed]

Conflict? Yep. Fix the problem? Yep.

I caught a guy taking tools out of my box while my back was turned, talking to somebody else. I kicked the drawer shut. He yelled. He decided to ***** to supervision. The first thing they asked him was why his fingers were in my toolbox when I was closing the drawer.

 

[diesel research]

Conflict? Yep. Fix the problem? Yep.

I caught a guy taking tools out of my box while my back was turned, talking to somebody else. I kicked the drawer shut. He yelled. He decided to ***** to supervision. The first thing they asked him was why his fingers were in my toolbox when I was closing the drawer.

I was beginning to wonder if I lived in a parallel universe because all of these stories had a happy ending simply ending with "no more problem". No details as to how/if any short term drama unfolded due to retaliation.

 

[BigMike782]

I am sooo glad I don't work in this kind of place!.If I came in and found oil and shavings down the front of my box I would probably go over and take a whizz in the guys coffee cup when he wasn't looking.
I am not the neatest person in the world but I cannot stand a total slob.I work with a guy that will take a piss and you know damned well he didn't wash his hands.Then he handles the phones and computers everyone else uses......DUDE!,I don't want your junk funk all over equipment I have to use

 

[chewy7]

Conflict? Yep. Fix the problem? Yep.

I caught a guy taking tools out of my box while my back was turned, talking to somebody else. I kicked the drawer shut. He yelled. He decided to ***** to supervision. The first thing they asked him was why his fingers were in my toolbox when I was closing the drawer.

 

[csargents1546]

If I ever came in and found anything on my box that I did not do, I would be pissed. Fortuantley, there is only one other tech on my side of the shop, bolt and bushings guy, he has 2 lifts, I have 1 lift and a flat stall. We have a good relationship, he gets stuff from my box and visa versa, Had to get on the intern we had at the shop, barrowed a few of my tools one day, two days later still sitting in his box. Told him you barrow it use it, put it back. Glad to hear you are getting respect for YOUR cart. Did the same thing with my bench when one of the trans guys left a bunch of stuff on it, took it all over to his stall and set it in the middle under the car he was working on. Needless to say he doesn't leave stuff on my bench. Good luck finding another shop to work at.

 

[Ohio Auto]

Last thing you should do is go to the boss.

Last thing you should do is let the techs know that it bothers you...they will only do it more.

My advise..find a way to make your cart not so desireable to use. Find something that would look good and not be permanent to place on top of it that would hinder them using it as a catch all.

Not that it's right..but in their mind you deserve **** until you pay your dues.

 

[Honda guy]

Another way to do this is to talk to the boss and instead of telling him all sorts of things ask for his advice. Ask him how he would like you to handle this. Let him now you are more than willing to handle this but you want to make sure you do it correctly. This puts him in a strange position, an employee has acknowledged him as the "wise boss", so his ego gets a little stroked and now he has to show you how to handle this situation. It is now his duty to step up and be the shop manager and handle his people and show you he is in control. Let him know that you can not stand for the situation as it is now but you don't want to affect shop productivity with a bunch of drama. Ask him how you should handle this.

My guess is 2 things will happen. One, the problem will be handled by the boss and two, the boss is going to look at you as a team player and he is going to find a reason to promote you sooner than scheduled (if your work is good) because you handled the situation without bringing unnecessary drama to the shop.

Of course he could tell you to shut up and get back to work! Who knows!

Uncle Joe you sound like a very wise man. I bet you have a few years experience under your belt. Everybody gets what they want with minimum drama.

As far as loaning tools, I don't mind doing it , but I'm very straightforward about my tool rules. If you break it, no big deal, just be sure and let me know. I like to know where my tools are, so ask before you borrow. Other employees can borrow tools, but you better not be borrowing my tool to loan to a customer. Ratchets, screwdrivers, etc are NOT hammers. Only hammers are hammers. So far, in 25 years of turning wrenches, have only had a couple newbies that couldn't follow the rules.

I used to work with a mechanic named Mark, who had a way of helping people remember to bring back borrowed tools. If Mark had to go looking for a tool that was borrowed, he would take something from that person and hide it. It might be car keys, cell phone, a commonly used tool, or whatever. He'd just let that person go through the whole day, wracking their brain wondering where they could have left the "lost" item. Then, around quitting time Mark would kindly inform that person where he could find whatevever it is he was looking for and proceded to give them a lecture about returning borrowed tools in a timely manner.
Taught 'em a lesson plus had a little entertainment whatching 'em look for their stuff. Hehe

 

[Brad54]

well since this cart is impossible to find in the first place i know i wont find a ready made cover for it but im in serious need of a cover

Pick up the phone book and find a seamstress. Take measurements and have her make a denim cover for your box.

-Brad

 

[Simplespeed]

or put an old sheet over it with a bunjee cord around it. These are band aids on a problem though.

 

[Thumper]

I still think you need to kick the ********** in the nuts.....