Hiring Help

[kderby]

It is time to grow.  The question is how to have off-bearer help.  I am stationary and similar in scale to Bibbyman and Mary.  I have seen extensive commentary on WoodWeb's Business Forum about the dynamics of managing crew.  This Forum has been pretty quiet or I have just missed it.  I know Arky had crew.  I don't know about most of y'all.  How do you hire, train and manage help.  I hope this thread will be a big help to all of us looking to grow/sustain a profitable and safe sawdust addiction.

Right now I have a really good young man starting out.  In the past I have had some tailing help.  I have paid many more hours for others to mill.  I have been lucky to have three good sawyers (all trained from scratch).  They kept the blade in the wood while I answered the phone, decked logs, sorted lumber, etc.  Other sawyers I tried just did not have "the eye."  They were gently dismissed.  This latest youngster (20) might not be a sawyer for a while but he will get up to speed as off-bearer and increase my production.

Of course liability is a huge red flag.  I am told "You had just as well hire four as one if I you are going to do the paperwork and pay the insurance."  I am not ready for training and/or keeping four men busy.  I might get there but right now I am able to hire one at a time. 

I also see the need to keep crew as employees and not friends.  The inter-personal does matter, to a point.  I do not need to know/agree with details about choices made at Church, community or home.  I would not hire him If I did not think he was "worth keeping around."  I am not hiring a buddy or extending my family.  I am hiring crew.

I had some superb bosses while "growing up."  I certainly appreciate now, the experience they gave to me.  I hope I can serve some employees equally as well while growing this business.   

This is a classic challenge.  I need some advice. 

Thanks Gang.

kderby

[customsawyer]

The only advice I can give you is remember how those "superb bosses" treated you and try to follow there example.

[Kansas]

Not sure quite how you have handled things in the past, or what you know. Here are the basics.

First thing to do is get an employee manual. You can get one cheap off the internet. You can discard all the pages that don't apply to you. Make sure you follow it.  Next, leave a paper trail. If he runs an edger, show him all the do's and don'ts and safety around the machine. Make sure he signs a paper showing he knows all that. Of course, workers comp is a must. Unemployment insurance will be necessary. Getting taxes withheld and sent in regularly will be necessary. You can use a payroll service; your accountant may do that. You can just take the amounts off the forms the state and federal have. But now, you have to pay by ACH instead of just sending them a check.

Beyond that, about everything you said was spot on. Once you have all the paperwork set up, you are good to go. With one, it won't be that difficult.

[Magicman]

Random drug tests and no cellphone usage during work hours.  They can check it during their break and lunch time.  Otherwise, it stays in the truck.

[paul case]

I do not need to know/agree with details about choices made at Church, community or home. 

I think you will find that these should be criteria for your workers and not be ignored. A man's convictions will cause him to work and work well with others or NOT. PC

[rwthom279]

IMHO, Drug Tests First...thats weed out a few right off the bat, and some may just not come back once they hear you have a drug testing policy.  Heaven forbid, someone gets hurt, drug test at hospital.  Have to test for prescription drugs too.  Not all tests cover what people smash and snort, just the major drugs.

MM is spot on about cell phones.  Seems alot of people are attached to theirs like a baby to a pacifier.  To much of a distraction...last thing things someone needs is another safety issue round a mill.  Does the warranty cover sawdust???

Mandatory PPE, and to be worn at all times, no exceptions.

Could try using a temp. employment agency.  They prescreen, drug test, interview, and sort potential people.  May cost a little more, but it gives you room to breathe on hire/fire, comp, taxes, etc.  Can find good folks in these that just wanna work.  Then hire on permanent.

[red oaks lumber]

been there had a crew of 7 not any more just myself and 1 parttime.sure we generate alot less "money" but, at the end of the month i acually have more . when i had 7 employees it took alot of work to keep the beast feed ,which in itsself causes stress and every week they all got paid and alot of times i went without if the funds werent there.
 my happiness and mental wellbeing are priceless my advice to you... be double dam sure that is the path you want to go down, make for posative your whole family is 100% onboard with you, bigger more often is not always better.
 good luck

[JFarmer]

I've been down that road before and that is why I operate by myself. I went through probabally 16 different hands in about 3 months. Either they are strung out on dope or just too stupid and lazy to work! It was really stressfull and seems like it kept me mad at the whole world all the time. If you decide to hire help be sure they have some common sense and no cell phones and no smoking in the building. Good luck!

[VictorH]

Not sure if you have one available but I use a Labor Service for my help in my contracting business.  They do the payroll, workmans comp. and unemployment insurance.  I actually sent them the guys I wanted and they put them on their payroll.  I pay a multiplier of their wage 1.5.  So a guy getting paid $15 an hour I pay 22.50.  Seems a little expensive but when I don't have work I don't pay and this year I have no W-2's or any other stuff to do.    

[Okrafarmer]

 

"Good help-- good help- good help--
Is so hard to find!
There's no one around when you get in a bind,
Good help is so hard to find!
I've searched the world over, and I'm losing my mind--
Good help is so hard to find.
Good help, good help, good help is so hard to find.
I've tried, and I've failed, but, oh, never mind--
Good help is so hard to find."

      

[rwthom279]

Those lyrics would go good with "Cripple Creek"   You bring the fiddle, I'll pick the banjo! 

[Migal]

Hay I'm a good hand  err woo'ps forgot I just bought a sawmill of my own liked the Labor Service thingy they got boo koo's of em here. so guess the good ole boys are hard to find  ... thanks for tip. 

[Migal]

As for winning a Winning a argument I would have to argue on the spelling  as long as you argue about something you know is right and ya know ya cant teach stupid they just have learn as we did!

[kderby]

This is what  I needed to hear.  I the temp-agency route was suggested and will look into it.

I do hear the "stay simple" message and will work with that logic.  That is why I am focused on milling and drying.  I do not do any logging or secondary planer/shaper work.

One other advice I am listening to:  "Hire fast and fire faster."  I already have a tight filter.  If there is a problem I can certainly say "goodbye."

It is scary putting everthing on the line and involving young/inexperienced others.  I love the journey but not the dread.

KD   

[Kansas]

I do not need to know/agree with details about choices made at Church, community or home. 

I think you will find that these should be criteria for your workers and not be ignored. A man's convictions will cause him to work and work well with others or NOT. PC

The very worst boss I ever had was a born again christian. He treated people that did not have his mindset like crap. He ran off the best help because of it. I finally resigned in disgust. Religion, politics, and the workplace have no business mixing. Some of the hardest working people I ever knew with good morals never set foot in a church, or could care less about politics.

About drug testing. It sounds like you are only going to hire one, or maybe two. You definitely don't want to hire a hard druggie. However,if the guy goes home and smokes a few joints on the weekend, its not going to affect his work performance. Same with drinking a few beers. I think discretion is required for this reason; if he can pass a drug test, including pot, has a perfectly clean criminal record, most likely you won't be able to afford him. If you can hire locally and know the guy, that helps. Sometimes small employers have to ignore a few things to hire a good employee. They can't do things like offer health insurance nearly as easily as big employers, and everyone is in competition for employees. The employee manual will give you a probation period to fire at will, and they can't draw unemployment. You usually know by the end of that if they will be any good or not. If a problem develops later, that manual will allow you to drug test if you think hard drugs are the problem. Long as a guy comes to work and works hard and safely, does what he is told, I would focus on that more.

[crtreedude]

I have a bit of a lecture for people when they start. Number one, I pay well, and if you don't show up on time, goof off during work, or don't understand it all belongs to me and you aren't the boss, you won't be here.

It is not a democracy, I appreciate feedback from hardworking people. I don't appreciate those who wish to spend their time second guessing me, or only working enough to keep their job.

I tell people as well, it is much easier to be fired by me, than be hired by me.

Those who like what I just said, generally work out, those who look a bit sullen, won't generally speaking.

I am looking for someone who doesn't take advantage of others - first sign of selfishness, and they are out the door, and I don't care if it is against me, or someone else.

Also, no gossiping, no "jokes" at the expense of others - etc.

Because I am a good but strict boss, we have the best workers, and all the good workers want to be with us - and the vagos want to work for someone else. 

Oh, and if we have to lay someone off, they are the first people to be hired by others.

[Peter Drouin]

Hi Kderby, I have had as much as 15 men at one time working for me at a time. and made a lot of money. and spent a lot too.but in the long run the bull was not worth it. and I have seen the labor service thing dont go there. the man they send you on monday and you train for the job .on tuesday they will be a new man that will have to be train, not allways but most times a new face. so now im all a lone and love it. if I want to take a day off I do. I mean the work comes first, but I can plan for it. and I think the best part no one out side wating for me to go to work or give them a ride to work .good luck to you

[Dave VH]

I've also had a lot of employees through the years.  I'm a proud born again Christian, however I agree that ones personal faith should not be a hiring factor.  It is good to find out a little about a future emplyees home life, just for stability.  If they are more stabil outside of work, they are more likley to show up.  Inteligence, work ethic, and reliability,  these are the main things that I find important.  Anything else can be delt with.  At one time I had 15 personal emplyees, and running 60 workers hireing crews to subcontract to me.  Now I work with me and 3 others.  I make what I need to and am a lot happier now.  I get to see my family more now too.  You cant put  a price on that.

[Okrafarmer]

If you're working by yourself, you can do that, obviously, but there is a limit to what one person can do. Adding the second person is very difficult, and there is a big cross-over difficulty between being able to get something done and doing it during the transition. I never used to understand that, but I do now. Good help is hard to find, and even harder to keep. Once you know you have someone good, be sure you keep them happy. 

[tomsteve]

background checks are good, too. it would suck to see ya hire someone that appears to be an awesome, trustworthy worker, only to have equipment come up missing along with the employee.
it might take ya time to weed out the lazy, dishonest ones, but eventually, you will find someone who knows the value of a job, takes pride in hard work, want to learn, and will be dependable.
i'm 44 now. it wasnt as bad when i got my 1st job out of high school, in a wood mill, but there were still a LOT of employess in and out the door in the time i worked there.

[customsawyer]

One more thing to keep in mind is that in most cases you end up working more for your employees than they do for you. What I mean by this is that you have the worry of providing work for them and all the paper work that comes with them.

[Lambee10]

I am glad someone brought up the background check.  I hired a guy that was recommended by a couple of people since he did good work.  I did not ask the question "can I trust him".  Lost many tools and the nut and bolt box was always empty.

Found out later he was charged with theft before.  too late for me, however.

[Cedarman]

I have had employees from 5 to 15 for more than 20 years.  And all that says is I have experience, nothing more.  There is only one reason to hire someone.  This is so they make you more money after all is said and done than you would make without them.  I even ask some prospective employees what the only reason I am hiring someone is.
As Kansas says, have a good employee manual.  Have them read it and sign that they have read it AND understand it.  That right there has saved me several unemployment claims.  Make sure each rule is enforced evenly.  Consistency in enforcement is important. 
Safety is very important.  PPE is a must and must be used.
Learn what OSHA considers important in your area and make sure you have as safe a work place as can reasonably be done.
When you communicate directions make sure they are clear and not ambiguous.  Saying "Cut those boards in two" won't get it.  They can be cut crosswise or lengthwise or diagonally and still conform to directions.
If you are saying "You know what I mean", then you are not giving good instructions.  Written instructions are very good, but verbal can work well.
Instruct, let them do some work, follow up to see it is correct, and so forth.

If you find yourself angry at an emplyee more than a few times, it is time to let them go. It is a good indicator that they are not doing a job to your satisfaction.  You either haven't trained them properly or they are not the person for the job. Do it by the employee manual.

This is just to add some more to what has been said.

[mikeb1079]

The very worst boss I ever had was a born again christian. He treated people that did not have his mindset like crap. He ran off the best help because of it. I finally resigned in disgust. Religion, politics, and the workplace have no business mixing. Some of the hardest working people I ever knew with good morals never set foot in a church, or could care less about politics.

About drug testing. It sounds like you are only going to hire one, or maybe two. You definitely don't want to hire a hard druggie. However,if the guy goes home and smokes a few joints on the weekend, its not going to affect his work performance. Same with drinking a few beers. I think discretion is required for this reason

i could not agree more.  thank you kansas.

[Okrafarmer]

If you find yourself angry at an emplyee more than a few times, it is time to let them go. It is a good indicator that they are not doing a job to your satisfaction.  You either haven't trained them properly or they are not the person for the job.

Not saying this is the case for you, probably isn't, but another possibility is that the boss may become angry too easily. Whenever there is an anger issue that comes up, try to think about it objectively and decide which was more unreasonable-- the cause of the anger, or the anger itself. I have had many, many bosses in the past and am glad to have one now that I am fairly compatible with. But many bosses I have worked for have been the type to get angry far too easily. It is a two-way street.

Remember, there are basically three things that cause a person to want to work for someone else-- either to start out, or to continue working.

1. Compensation. In the form of money, or sometimes other things like benefits, perks, and so on.

2. Treatment. Employees want to feel respected, needed, liked, and appreciated.

3. Satisfaction of the work itself. This is more available from some jobs than others.

It will almost always be one or more of these factors that will bring a person to you, or keep them with you. Some jobs, like sawmilling, may be so "fun" or "satisfying" that a person will put up with low pay and somewhat shoddy treatment for the ability to have a fun job. Sometimes an unpleasant job, like working in a mortuary, will pay high enough that an employee will put up with the unpleasant aspects of their work. Sometimes a personable and understanding boss or manager can make an employee love their job even if the pay is low and the job is not very pleasant. But usually it is a matter of two or more of these factors that will keep a good employee around for a long long time. Number 2, the boss's attitude toward the employee, is the one that is *probably* the easiest to improve...... And certainly the cheapest!   

[Migal]

Dang OkraMan you hit the nail on the head !
    Just hoping it wasn't with the sawmill again 

If you find yourself angry at an emplyee more than a few times, it is time to let them go. It is a good indicator that they are not doing a job to your satisfaction.  You either haven't trained them properly or they are not the person for the job.

Not saying this is the case for you, probably isn't, but another possibility is that the boss may become angry too easily. Whenever there is an anger issue that comes up, try to think about it objectively and decide which was more unreasonable-- the cause of the anger, or the anger itself. I have had many, many bosses in the past and am glad to have one now that I am fairly compatible with. But many bosses I have worked for have been the type to get angry far too easily. It is a two-way street.

Remember, there are basically three things that cause a person to want to work for someone else-- either to start out, or to continue working.

1. Compensation. In the form of money, or sometimes other things like benefits, perks, and so on.

2. Treatment. Employees want to feel respected, needed, liked, and appreciated.

3. Satisfaction of the work itself. This is more available from some jobs than others.

It will almost always be one or more of these factors that will bring a person to you, or keep them with you. Some jobs, like sawmilling, may be so "fun" or "satisfying" that a person will put up with low pay and somewhat shoddy treatment for the ability to have a fun job. Sometimes an unpleasant job, like working in a mortuary, will pay high enough that an employee will put up with the unpleasant aspects of their work. Sometimes a personable and understanding boss or manager can make an employee love their job even if the pay is low and the job is not very pleasant. But usually it is a matter of two or more of these factors that will keep a good employee around for a long long time. Number 2, the boss's attitude toward the employee, is the one that is *probably* the easiest to improve...... And certainly the cheapest!   

[Cedarman]

Let me clarify a little.  If you have 6 or 8 people working for you and there is one that gets your dander up all the time.  They come in late, make mistakes, never seem to see the work staring at them etc.  When you find yourself aggravated at them time and again, it is time to get rid of them.  This is after you do your best to train them and let them know what you expect.
Ask yourself if you would feel better if they left, if yes,  then it is time to make yourself feel better.

I am not talking about coming in and being mad at everyone, that is not good.

[Magicman]

Every person, including the owner, is either part of the solution or part of the problem. 

[Red Pill]

The very worst boss I ever had was a born again christian. He treated people that did not have his mindset like crap.

I respectfully submit that your very worst boss just said he was a born again Christian. Those actions do not support what he said.

[Okrafarmer]

The very worst boss I ever had was a born again christian. He treated people that did not have his mindset like crap.

I respectfully submit that your very worst boss just said he was a born again Christian. Those actions do not support what he said.

Being a "born-again" Christian myself, I can clarify a little bit-- true Bible-believing born-again Christians are supposed to live a spirit-filled, humble, righteous, but not self-righteous life. What Red Pill says is generally true. However, Christians are not perfect, and there is no one more miserable than a true Christian who is currently running from God and following his own way. We believe that God never forces anyone to obey Him (in this life), and lets us make our own decisions to either follow Him or not. Sometimes Christians disobey and run from God for a time in their life, and are miserable during that time. I know, because I have done it. These disobedient time periods can range from a few seconds to many years-- but usually when someone is consistently doing wrong-- including pride and self-righteousness-- the fact is usually, as Red Pill said, they think they are true Christian, but they never truly put their faith in Christ to save them from their sins. There are many people who think they are truly "saved" who finally realize they are not. After that, if they decide to then trust Christ to be their Savior, then they are a truly different person. I have known a fair few for whom this has happened. One of my good friends had this happen-- and now he is a highly dedicated missionary in the Pacific. Another friend had this happen, and now he is a very dedicated missionary in the upper Amazon. Sorry to help derail the thread here, but please understand I wished to clarify. Let's not do a full derail, though. If anybody would like to talk abut spiritual things with me, feel free to pm me, or we could start a thread in an appropriate place.   

[Okrafarmer]

Dang OkraMan you hit the nail on the head !
    Just hoping it wasn't with the sawmill again 

T'anks.

And Cedarman, thanks for clarifying, and I wasn't intending to make trouble there. What you said earlier just reminded me that hiring someone does go both ways.

It's good for all employers to realize that for a worker to take a new job is just as nerve-wracking and difficult a process as it is for the employer. The job should be mutually beneficial to the employer and employee, like oxpecker birds eating ticks off the back of a rhino-- a symbiotic relationship. 

If either the worker or the boss begins to treat the other like a tool or a doormat, then the relationship is damaged.

[Okrafarmer]

Okrafarmer's hopefully helpful suggestions to bosses, employers, managers, etc.

1. Don't hire someone unless you are reasonably sure that you will be very better off by doing so.

2. Once you have a worker working for you, do your best to "figure them out" and do whatever you can to improve their usefulness to you.

   A. See the work and workplace through their eyes. Are there any obstacles or difficulties making the work harder than it needs to be?
   B. What are the unique or unusual strengths or talents of your worker? Figure out how you can use these strengths and skills to maximum effect.

3. Be sure to teach your workers extensively about your business. Teach them as much as you can before and during the hiring process. Don't just show them the work they will be doing. Show them your entire outift and explain to them why you are in business, and how it is that you make a profit. Over the weeks, months, and years, continue to teach them.  The more they understand, the better work they will do.

4. Be sure to be the sort of person that your people will love to follow. Be professional, courteous, fair, kind, consistent, and efficient in your dealings with all people. If your workers observe that you are a square sort of guy, they will be much more motivated to guard your best interests.

5. Invite constructive suggestions. Listen to your workers' ideas even if they don't turn out to be good ones. If you are too busy to talk about it right NOW, then nicely let them know you'll be happy to talk about it after this truck of lumber leaves, or whatever. Then follow up with them. If you shut them down when they try to suggest things, they will give up trying to tell you anything. That is demoralizing. Over time, they will see opportunities to improve your efficiency and bottom line, but they won't bother telling you because you don't listen. 

6. Have a sense of humor. Allow a healthy level of joking, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone, or interfere with work. Smile or laugh when they try to be funny. Be funny yourself once in a while. Be able to laugh at yourself when you make a silly mistake. They will respect you more if you don't take yourself too seriously.

7. Use positive reinforcement. When the workers do a great job, find ways to reward them for it. It can be as simple as telling them they did a great job, or it can be ordering pizza for everyone for lunch. Or whatever.

8. Be understanding and reasonably flexible. If a worker has a concern, take them seriously, as the situation demands. What if a worker comes to you and asks, "Boss, it's hot, can't we have a little break?" Then it's a good idea to take them seriously. It is miserable to feel like your boss is a slave-driver.  Be reasonable on the little things and the big things. If a worker comes to you and says, "Boss, uh, I'm having a little trouble at home. My wife and I are having some real struggles, what do you think I should do?" Then you should consider allowing him to be flexible with his schedule so he can take care of his family problems, and give him advice on where he can go to get counseling, etc. Ask yourself what you would do if you were in his shoes.  Don't be a rigid I-beam about policies if there are extenuating circumstances. Your workers will appreciate if you understand.

9. Be humble. Yes, you are in business to make money, but you are just a human, and you put your pants on one leg at a time, same as everyone else. If you find that you are wrong about something, admit it and move on. Remember that it is totally legitimate that you work for you, and your workers work for themselves. You are motivated to work for your own needs and desires, and they are motivated to work for you, to meet their own needs and desires. It's true that they are replaceable, as far as you're concerned, but you are replaceable, too, as far as they are concerned. Working for a humble boss is a rare treat and garners long-lasting respect.

10. Find ways to connect your workers' prosperity with your own. Institute a profit sharing program, a production quota bonus, safety bonus, quality bonus, sales commission, etc. way of doing things.  Reward the types of behavior that lead to your company's profitability. Connect the dots in their heads to show them how to help you, and them, earn a better living.

Hope this helps.

[DeepWoods]

Okrafarmer, what you described sounds just like Bobby Goodson from the TV show Swamp Loggers.  He treats his employees pretty much as you said.  I would have no problems working of a Boss like him.  Unfortunately the company I worked for and the Bosses I had did not see it that way very often.  I was just a cog in the machine, and very few of my Bosses had any compassion in them.  And the corporate view kept going against the employees in the 30 years I worked for them.

[Okrafarmer]

I just thought back over time, and I have had at least 45 different bosses and managers over a twenty year time span. I'm talking about people I had to answer to directly. Of those, I would say that around 10 or 12 were great to be around on a daily basis. That's about a 25%. I would also say that around 6-8 of them were just miserable to be around on a daily basis. The rest were fair-to-middling. Over time, I have learned a lot about how employer-employee relationships work.

I had one person describe it to me like this:

The boss is the captain of a sailing ship, leaving home port to go exploring and trading on the sea. He has a crew of people to help him sail the ship. The captain's main goal may be to reach a far-off port and take on a cargo. Some of the sailors may have other goals. One may have a goal of running away from home. One may wish to find adventure on the high sea. One may hope to find treasure. One may hope to reach a far-off land and bring back a wife. One may be sailing around the world to try to find his lost brother. One may not care where he goes, he's only in it for the money. But as long as they all have compatible goals, they can all help the captain achieve his goal. The captain is generally happy if these sailors achieve their own goals on the voyage, but the thing he is most concerned with is obtaining his cargo and coming back safely. If he can keep his crew working toward goals compatible with his, he will obtain his objective. But if he does not keep the crew happy, they could abandon him, or simply fail to obtain his objectives. It's  hard to sail a big ship by yourself.... a small boat you may manage alone...

[kderby]

Okrafarmer, a sincere thank you for the thoughts and perspective. 

I do love the process (sailing the ship).  I know I can not do this entire operation on my own.  So I look for the right crew.   Through storms and pirates, I hope to manage the people and the journey well.

Tip of the hat.....

Kderby

[Okrafarmer]

 

[Silver_Eagle]

Kderby;

Also on thought you should keep in mind hiring quality people. Once a person is trained, understand the process, know the equipment needed, have first hand knowledge of your supplier's and customer base, pricing etc. You may just create your own competition or a good manager for your competition in your market area. These kind's of issue's are very common across all industry based businesses. These problem's can turn into reality quickly just when a small business owner is in there growth curve.

I am not trying to paint a black picture of personnel, but growing up in North Eastern Oregon knowing your rural area, one customer or supplier can make a huge difference in your bottom line potentially if lost overnight from circumstances you did not create. I don't know what the legal rules are in Oregon on non disclosure agreement and non compete agreement's, but you might want to highly consider getting advice to implement these agreement's prior to hiring your first employee. A few call's to good legal labor counsel or other business owner's in your area can answer these local legal question's and possibly supply the cookie cutter's agreement's prior to hiring you team.

Again, not trying to paint a bad picture but these are real issue's you could possibly be faced with one morning when you least expect it. Also make sure if these agreement's are in place that a copy is held outside the office grasp of employee's so they can't disappear some how. I know these agreement's are double edged issue's but you are going to have alot of time and money wrapped up into a trained team that you don't want to evaporate into thin air. 

Just food for thought and it's always better to have your eyes wide open in my opinion.   

[Okrafarmer]

Respectfully, I disagree with Silver Eagle on this one-- I understand the concerns, but if you maintain a proper relationship with your workers, this will not be an issue. If you train him up well, and he decides to strike out on his own, you should be happy for him and consider yourself a success for having trained another good company owner. If you have a good relationship with him at work, you will part as friends, and he will not do you dirty by truly competing with you. Instead, he will either move to the edge of your operating area and start up, or move away to another area and start up, or he will fill a niche that you are not able or interested in filling. I have maintained good relations with many of my previous bosses, and several of them have hired me back again a second time, or asked me to come back and pinch hit for them on occasions after I have left. It is good to keep it like that.

Now, if your worker does turn out to be a jerk after you have trained him up, then he will be a jerk to his customers, too, and he will not survive on his own. there is a whole thread about people "asking your advice on how to start a sawmill business, so they can compete about you." The conclusion of most of the guys on that thread is, that it really isn't a big thing to worry about.

Also remember that most really good workers never work for you forever. They work for you until they figure out how to go into business for themselves, and then they do. Be open and honest with your workers, and they will eventually trust you enough to tell them your dreams. Help them work toward their goals, even if their goal is to own their own business. When they leave you, they will still be your friend, and if they are still in the area, they will compliment you rather than harm you. There will be days when they don't have much to do, and you could welcome them back to help you for a while until things pick up, if you have work. They will pinch hit for you when you are sick or broken down, and you can pinch hit for them when they are sick or broken down. There's no need to be jealous or bitter. Honesty and mutual respect is the key.

Think of it like marrying off your daughter to a great son-in-law-- you sure will miss your daughter, but she still loves you and will come back to visit, along with the great son-in-law. Your feelings of happiness for her overcome your feelings of sadness that she no longer lives in your house. So it is for training up a great employee to start up on his own and become successful. 

[Migal]

Amen does say a lot to that!
Migal just a want to be sawyer.

[Cedarman]

My main sawyer has worked for me for over 20 years.  He has left twice to be in business.  Even competing against me. My feeling is , if you can outcompete me then I needed outcompeting.  His deals fell through and after a while, I needed him and he needed me.  Now he is working on a turkey call business that is doing well and putting all his money toward getting completely out of debt.  At some point he will strike out again.  That is ok.
Young folks only work a few months to several years and off they go.  Many times to get a higher paying job.  That is ok.  They have learned to be on time, follow directions etc.  Those that won't learn those things are not here long and won't be there long.
My job is get the greatest productivity from them while making their work as easy as possible and as enjoyable as possible.

[Okrafarmer]

My job is get the greatest productivity from them while making their work as easy as possible and as enjoyable as possible.

Well put. With a perspective like that, you should maximize your company's productivity.