Posted By Paul Skyrme
OK, Hornets nest away!...
Prior to being made redundant, my previous employer was charging 4 years ago £79 per hour for engineering technicians. No I was NOT made redundant because they were too expensive in the market place, it was a combination of the start of the recession / credit crunch whatever you want to call it. The failure of Rover and several other business reduction situations. However, I had a £17k co. car with around £30k worth of kit in the boot, I was sent to Germany for several weeks per year for product training as were most of my colleagues in similar positions, I held a Masters Degree in Mechanical / Electrical / Electronic Engineering, I also served an apprenticeship on the tools and worked up from there. Some of my colleagues were Graduates, others time served. Our line managers were very H&S conscious, we worked for a diverse range of customers right across the board.
This was an acceptable rate, why, because IF we were needed, machines were on stop, bottom line was HIT HARD.
Now, having moved on to being "self employed" and started to work in H&S support to varying degrees, I have found that customers / clients, call them what you will don't value the professional advice that they seek to the same level as that provided by a technician or tradesman fixing the machines that make them money. If these machines fail from a reliability standpoint, they don't hit their profit targets, if they have an accident, then the ramifications are somewhat worse, but these costs are ignored until they occur. It is the "IT WON'T HAPPEN TO ME" syndrome.
We all know this is wrong. As we all know that to under charge for our services is wrong, so why do we do it? I can charge £30/hr for one of my fitters to go out and fix a machine, he has No Degree, No NEBOSH GC, No Professional memberships, he does not need them, why should he. However, why should a customer be prepared to pay more for his services than those of a competent & qualified professional advisor, who, could keep them out of prison, and more importantly, prevent an injury to an innocent party?
I'll tell you why, PROFIT, any Trekkies out there? Think Ferengi...
OK now I will RD&H, (Run Duck & Hide!...)
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