Stump grinding in Kent
True…. grinding stumps may not be the most glamorous area of Arboriculture but it is a very necessary one. But we at About Trees Ltd are really excited to be able to carry out Stump grinding in Kent moreover we cover the entire county and also neighbouring ones too. So, if you have the need for stump grinding in Kent , Essex, East & west Sussex we can help.
What is a stump grinder?
It’s a very specialist piece of equipment that cuts away the stump that is left behind when tree is cut down or felled. As you may know we carry out Tree Surgery throughout the entire county and now we can advertise Stump grinding in Kent as part of our services. This means we keep every aspect of our work in house. Just how it should be. Just think, you can re-plant where that old stump was. Maybe you keep hitting an old stump every tie you cut the grass, have the stump grinder in and solve that problem.
How much access do we need?
After much deliberation it was decided to get the best machine that we could guarantee us being to help the most people out with. We ended up getting a machine that only needs 7500mm or 29 inches for access. That’s most garden gates. Job done!
How much do we charge?
Well, most times we are already on site having just completed the tree felling, this means we can keep our costs low. Obviously every job is different but prices start at £50. That’s pretty competitive we think. As always our quotes are free and non-obligational, so why not just find out how much it’ll cost.
Paternal
I find myself feeling a little bit paternal to the team, I want them to know I have their back, just as I’m exposed letting them be the face of the company, I’m also there for them. I’ve had people before with personal problems at home, difficult family life, tricky ex girlfriends and I’ve tried hard to support and understand. In the past I’ve enjoyed the fact that I’m a Boss and have lads on site to do the hard work. I’ve rocked up in the morning issued the job sheets and left the them to it, truth is whilst trying not to interfere with their way of running the job it just comes across as me not being interested which is far from the truth. My desire to not micro-manage, constantly be calling for progress reports or be Alpha male had been conceived as me just not giving a damn. This is easily changed; I started to go out on site with the team more often. Yes I got under their feet and tried to impart knowledge (that they already know) but at least on those days we are all in it together. I also realised how much of the banter I’d been missing. We also try to have regular tool-box talks. Whilst a bit American and touchy feelythey are really beneficial – team members feel valued and able to raise concerns regarding kit, jobs, timescales etc.
Sub Contractors
Getting subbies in brings a whole new ball game. In truth I feel for sub contractors, these people work HARD! Face it, you’re paying your subbie easily upwards of £160 per day, you’re going want you pound of flesh. I’ve tried to resist this urge, generally they do come in on larger jobs, and so it’s very nature is that these are harder days in fact the whole team works harder on these days. The reason you pay them more? No holiday, no sick, no pension, their PPE, their tools and so on. That’s their risk not yours. It’s not an excuse to load them up. When they are working with us they are part of our team, not some pit pony to be worked and worked and worked. This approach has worked for me, subbies want to come in for me, they’ll change stuff around for us in their diaries and my view is work more conscientiously for us. My experience has shown subbies to be amazing professionals who perform day in day out, learn how different companies work and adjust accordingly, they are worth the money, treat them well. Some may say it’s crazy but when we have subbies in I’m quite happy for the whole team to job and knock.
No expert
I’m really no expert, this is my take on trying to manage people, I’ve never brought in to the school of thought that “there’s plenty more where they came from”mentality this builds no trust or appreciation. Like clients it’s much easier to keep existing employees ones that keep finding new ones. Treat people well, understand that they will clock off and not think about work to the next day, and take them for a pint on a Friday – sorted
