Tips For Getting Along and Building a Solid Work Relationship With Your Boss

[Shaun Kiss]

Hey guys, currently I am a 2nd Year Apprentice (from Canada) and I’m onto my second job now in the trade and this time I made a bit of a break through, I’m now on the Mechanical side of the shop. I am doing Steering and Suspension, Brakes, Wheel Alignments, and lower level Diagnostic work. All stuff I dreamed of doing in the trade and now I felt like I made it but now I have to hold the job. My boss is a great guy he’s giving me a chance and we both agree that I need to start getting into more difficult stuff, my problem is since I’m so Green in the trade I have a tendency to take too long doing some of these jobs and it scares me when I think about it, also I need to build more confidence when calling parts or wondering if I cleaned something such as a wheel hub correctly when doing a brake job. I’m getting more confident as I go along but its not coming quick enough. I don’t have all my tools at work yet I have been at this job for a week and a half now, I’m waiting for my new tool cart wheels to come in but I’m starting to lose my patients, my boss has been kind enough to let me use his tools (I know, that sounds really spoiled) but I don’t like using anyone else’s tools but my own its just the way I like to have it. They provide me with a small 2 shelve cart so I’m going to bring the majority of my tools tomorrow and put them on that so fuck it, I will be so much faster with my own tools I know it.

My question is, as a beginning Technician how can I build a solid working relationship with my boss in the Automotive Trade? Historically I’ve always got along with co-workers and other technicians but getting along with bosses has been a struggle for me and I don’t know exactly why. I see that some of the technicians have the bosses trust and support and that’s what I want. I’m always cleaning the shop whenever there is no incoming work, ask the boss if there is anything else that needs to be done/vehicles pulled in for the night before I go home at the end of the day. Any tips from Experienced Technicians/Senior Technicians would be greatly appreciated I’m trying hard to earn your guy’s respect also because you have solid advice on how to be quicker.

Thank you

Topic

[ryley]

I am not sure how your boss is. My old boss on slower times or after work. I would clean and organize the box. Now a rule of thumb, keep the tools in the same drawer but make it cleaner and more organized. My boss let anyone use his tools, so it turned into a catch all in the drawers.

I cleaned and waxed the outside of the tool box. Now I only did this when it was slow and everything in the shop was clean/done. If something goes missing replace it, even if you didn’t lose it or offer to replace it.

Keep showing an effort to buy tools, and keep a running list of tools to buy. Don’t go nuts and buy everything right away, the mechanics know how much money you have to invest and will only want to see you make an effort to get tools.

I have only just started in the field, this is what worked for me.

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