Taming the
Cash Flow Beast! Mates in Construction Go on tour
Microplastics small things, big problem
Worldskills Oceania in New Zealand
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From the Editor
EDITOR Nigel Gorman EXECUTIVE EDITOR Caroline Miall
Hi all, Some of you will know if you’ve called the office lately, that there are a couple of new voices at the end of the line. I would like to welcome both Jenny and Mandy to the APN team. They are here to help you with any enquiries you may have and so far, they’re doing a fantastic job. This is the largest Aussie Painting Contractor Magazine we have produced to date. With thanks to our regular writers and a welcome our new contributors, bringing with them some great insight and educational information. Without their valuable input, we wouldn’t be able to bring you as much info as we do. May’s mag comes with warm wishes for all of the Mums for Mother’s Day. Take some time to spoil her. None of us would be here without them! ;)
CONTRIBUTORS • Anne-Maree Russell • Caroline Miall • Jim Baker • Jack Josephsen • Jennie Gorman
After the heat of an Australian summer, I always find the cold a bit of a shock around this time of year! We may be unequivocally associated with the sun, beach and outback heat but we do experience the cold, and sometimes are not nearly as prepared for it as colder countries, so occasionally suffer when rising on those bitter, early mornings! With electricity bills soaring, when warming your home, first consider some cost effective ways to help. Using a floor rug, a draught excluder (one of those door snakes will do), close doors of rooms not in use, heavy curtains; all will help to keep the heat in your home. Try the winter setting on ceiling fans to force heat down in rooms, and they can be used in conjunction with air-cons and heaters to circulate the warm air. Ensure filters are clean on those too, so the warm air can flow freely. Get a onesie. (just kidding).
• Jim Baker
Enjoy this issue, there is loads in it for all in the trade, including some excellent practical, professional and technical perspectives.
• Tyler Tervooren
Nigel Gorman
nigel@aussiepaintersnetwork.com.au
07 3555 8010
• Justin Barlow • Leo Babauta • Monroe Porter • Robert Bauman • Simon Clayer
GRAPHIC DESIGNER J. Anne Delgado
Contents Page 06 Page 08 Page 13 Page 15 Page 16 Page 19 Page 20 Page 23 Page 24 Page 28 Page 31 Page 32 Page 36 Page 39 Page 43 Page 44 Page 46 Page 52 Page 53
Taming the Cashflow Beast Mateship Matters Tour Solidarity not Sympathy Microbeads TIS Races adhead with Dulux The Mothers Day Classic Fun Run Tribes Can Change the World How to Manage High Maintenance Employees COLOURFUL COLLABORATION: Haymes & Melbourne Football Club Painting in Sweden Can contractors be liable for INJURED WORKERS? Worldskills Oceania Shine in NZ My Top 7 Most Favourite Architectural Features To wash the Brush or to throw the brush away? About Solventless Epoxies When others Frustrate you “OOS” and “RSI’s” Workplace Strains a real pain for Painters The 5-Step Negotiation Process I Use To Lower My Monthly Bills By 25% Industry Idiots Important Contacts
Opinions and viewpoints expressed in the Aussie Painting Contractor Magazine do not necessarily represent those of the editor, staff or publisher or any Aussie Painters Network’s staff or related parties. The publisher, Aussie Painters Network and Aussie Painting Contractor Magazine personnel are not liable for any mistake, misprint or omission. Information contained in the Aussie Painting Contractor Magazine is intended to inform and illustrate and should not be taken as financial, legal or accounting advice. You should seek professional advice before making business related decisions. We are not liable for any losses you may incur directly or indirectly as a result of reading Aussie Painting Contractor Magazine. Reproduction of any material or contents of the magazine without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited.
Just-In Hi Good people, My role at Aussie Painters Network gives me an opportunity to discuss many aspects of painting and decorating with painters from around the country. Many members of Aussie Painters Network are expressing concerns about finding quality painters in busy times. Not only are they having difficulty finding the right people for the job, but also indicating that industry standards aren’t as high as what they use to be. A couple of things come to mind when I hear to such comments made from our industry; How will your painting business improve its reputation and reach its full potential if it doesn’t have the ready resources to complete the works to the clients required standards, and to honour your business’ goals and mission statement? It also prompts me to consider the level of training being invested in employees in our industry. When an apprentice starts as a painter and decorator they will learn to have industry standards as high as that which their mentors will set them. The trade skills an apprentice will learn during their apprenticeship will be garnered from employers, supervisors, tradespeople, brush hands and trainers. We all play an important role in endorsing and maintaining high standards, with quality training and employment outcomes. For this reason, I am finding more businesses engaging apprentices to foster quality outcomes with long term business growth. It allows the employer to train the apprentice to the employer’s own standards and practices. Additionally, the knowledge that the apprentice will likely be employed with the business for a number of years enables a consistency and stability in the business that the owner needs. Effective training of those fresh to the industry definitely contributes to consistent high quality skills sets, safe work practices, increased productivity and better business. On another note, I would like to wish my mum a very happy Mothers Day, I am very fortunate to have her in my life and I love you mum. I hope this Mother’s Day is memorable one for everyone! Justin Barlow 07 3555 8010 / 0433 724 794 justin@aussiepaintersnetwork.com.au
TAMING THE
Cashflow Beast Imagine this: Your business sales and activities are going gang busters, but at the end of the fortnight there is no money in the bank to pay your staff. If you’ve been there you would know how stressful a situation this can be. You want to do all you can to avoid this happening again. So what’s the magic pill? The answer is to pay attention to your cash flow needs by establishing systems and regular processes to firstly issue invoices regularly, and secondly to follow up your debtors if they fail to pay on time. You probably think that I am stating the obvious here, yet I find in my practice as an accountant that this is an area that many small business owners are neglecting and as a result their business is at risk of failing. The Australian Securities and Investment Commission have reported that 41% of companies reported business failure due to inadequate cash flow or high cash use. (Source www.asic.gov.au) Since it is a significant factor in making or breaking a business, I want to highlight a few key points about creating positive cash flow for you here.
Accounting Software
It is vitally important that you use accounting software to suit your business needs. There are many software packages nowadays that allow you to do things like: • Online invoicing • Payroll information • Notifications for urgent payments (that you owe or that are owed to you) • Bank account synching for easier payment processes • BAS and GST management • Accountant collaboration • Cash flow setup Making regular updates of incoming and outgoing payments in your system will allow you to head off any cash flow crisis in advance.
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Before the Sale
Whether you’re selling goods or services, you’ll need to be clear about your Terms of Trade with your customers. Telling them up front what they can expect from you helps to eliminate unintended surprises.
Invoices
Issuing invoices on a regular basis and in line with your Terms of Trade is the most basic requirement to taming the cash flow beast. Your customers need that piece of paper to make their payments. Delays in issuing invoices will put you further behind in meeting your business cash flow needs.
After the Sale
A happy customer is a paying customer! Developing and maintaining good relations with your customers is as important to your business success as giving your customers a variety of payment options, eg. cash or cheque, credit card, bank transfer, etc. The more options they have, the more likely it is they’ll pay in time. If you have customers that have not paid their invoices in time, be sure to send reminders to them about when payments are due. Remind them of how much it’ll be and of any additional costs they could incur if they’re late with their payment. At my company AD Hamilton & Associates we use a series of standard debt collection letters to follow up our outstanding client accounts according to a preset schedule.
Debt Collection
When all other efforts have failed to get your customer to pay their outstanding invoice, you can also use professional debt collectors as a last resort. Debt collectors work on behalf of companies to contact individuals or other businesses that have fallen behind
on payments to enquire about why said debts have occurred. Debt collectors will aim to resolve the outstanding debt over-the-phone and will only visit an individual or business at their physical location if they cannot reach them by any other means. So you see, there is nothing “magic” about this approach to keeping on top of your accounts. It is all about establishing effective financial administration systems to keep the wolf from your business doors. If you would like a complete system to manage your debtors please visit our website at www.adhamilton.com.au, and then go to Resource Centre, you can access our FREE eBook “Company Finances and Debt Collection”. Please Note: Many of the comments in this article are general in nature and anyone intending to apply the information to practical circumstances should seek professional advice to independently verify their interpretation and the information’s applicability to their particular circumstances.
A D Hamilton & Associates www.adhamilton.com.au
Copyright © 2015 Robert Bauman.
Mateship Matters Tour SOLIDARITY NOT SYMPATHY
In late February, early March of this year, John Brady from MATES in Construction led a speaking tour of internationally renowned speakers on suicide prevention, to Tropical North Queensland and to Outback Western Queensland. The speakers were Sean McCarthy, who has been working in the area of suicide prevention in Ireland for many years and doing innovative work with sports coaches around suicide prevention. Kevin Briggs from San Francisco - Kevin was an ex motor cycle policeman who was known as the ’Guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge’ for his work in helping people not to jump from the bridge. The third speaker was Kevin Hines who survived a jump from the Golden Gate Bridge – less than 1% survives. John was asked about the tour and in particular the regions he was visiting and why a theme such as “Solidarity not Sympathy” was chosen? “We chose Northern Queensland because there had been a number of recent suicides and the community had approached MATES in Construction for help as some of these occurred within the construction community,” he said. Cairns and Townsville were looking for ways to raise community awareness of suicide and some effective preventive strategies. “We linked with local networks in the construction community such as MBA, BUSSQ, QBCC, CSQ, and with local groups such as the Suicide prevention network, Edward Koch Foundation and Standby,” John said. “By doing this we were able to create a simple event where both support and inspiration could be found. Both events were well attended and we are still getting positive feedback,” he said. The tour then headed to Western Queensland for quite different reasons.
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”The Uniting Care Community had asked if we could combine with their networks to support the communities in Barcaldine, Longreach, Jundah and Stonehenge. They are experiencing the ravages of a long drought and all that goes with that, as well the plight of a locust plague,” John said. Sean McCarthy commented that the tour gave him a new understanding of isolation while both Kevin’s were taken by the desolation of the drought upon the land and the wildlife – thousands of dead kangaroos!! The “theme of Solidarity not Sympathy came from discussion with the local community. “The community was sick of “city do gooders” coming out to lecture them on what they needed to do to look after their mental health – we don’t need sympathy, we need solidarity,” John said. This then changed how the events were approached and where they were held. “We made a choice to simply tell our stories as briefly but as honestly as we could – a good mixture of tragedy and humour with some simple lessons thrown in for good measure!” John said. “We also steered clear of psychological jargon as bush people have sensitive bullshit detectors” he laughed. “We wanted them to hear our stories of struggle, survival and hope so they could then feel free to tell their stories of struggle, survival and hope, “John said. Each event went for about one hour but people stayed and talked with us for hours afterwards. Kevin Briggs was even invited to a station down the road from Stonehenge (50 minutes on dirt in a 4 WD) to pat a pet kangaroo.
Continue to Page 11...
Contact Graco Australia: 03 9468 8500 | 0417 723 360 darren_jones@graco.com
2015 May Issue | 9
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Sean, Kevin and Kevin were blown away by the hospitality, resilience, and tragic stories of these people and their communities. “In Barcaldine, we had 60 people come to a night session under the Tree of Knowledge; In Jundah we shared breakfast with 30 workers in a shed who faced an uncertain future. In Stonehenge, we had lunch in the centre with the Flying Doctor – every family from the area was represented; at Longreach we had over 100 people at the Jumbuck motel with more than half still there talking two hours later. – the support was phenomenal” said John obviously moved by the experience. “It could only have happened with key community people getting behind it and inviting the community to participate, “he said. Jane Williams, a key organiser from Longreach/Barcaldine commented that she has never seen such numbers at anything to do with mental health; the tour obviously hit the right nerve. When asked what the tour had taught him, John’s reply was emphatic; “People matter; people’s stories matter
– each story is unique – who will listen for that uniqueness?? This is the lesson we have learnt at MATES in Construction and has been reinforced during this tour”.
Sean McCarthy from Ireland, Kevin Hines from the US, John Brady from Mates in Construction and Kevin Briggs from the US, under the Tree of Knowledge in Barcaldine
“We don’t need sympathy; what we need is a mate who can see we are struggling and then has the courage to listen to our story without trying to fix us”, he said. John said that positive feedback from the communities continues to come in on a regular basis. www.matesinconstruction.org.au 1300 MIC 111 (1300 642 111)
‘My Costing Guide’ is a fully automated program where all you have to do is add or change the variables and the total price will appear in an instant. It is simple to use and can be personalised to your own business. 2015 May Issue | 11
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Microbeads By now, you’ll probably be aware of the massive problem that the human race has with their rubbish. Even though the privileged first world, with our modern sanitized ways, manage to, for the most, part keep the gruesome truth away from sight. There are great masses of plastic and sludge swarming together like grotesque islands in the currents of the ocean, killing wildlife and choking up water ways. What’s even worse is that our hunger for cheap imported food now means that the worst affected parts of the third world are where a lot of the food we are consuming is grown. It should really not be surprising then, when outbreaks of hepatitis travel from the polluted agriculture of china to our dessert plates by way of frozen berries.
If you really want a visual of the problem that many face on a daily basis, Google image search ‘polluted waterways’. It seems that there is an even more insidious kind of plastic pollution prevailing, with the production of a great many more products with no thought for the impact of their disposal. Where once alternative ingredients such as ground nut shells and salt crystals would do, micro spheres of polyethylene (also polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and nylon) can be present in their tens of thousands. Cosmetics and skin products, tooth pastes, shaving cream and, yes, in a range of paint products too!
Modern paint manufacture can include the use of microbeads for reflective properties, added on top of paint used on roads and signs to increase night visibility, as a thickening agent to enhance viscosity and buoyancy, for greater flexibility, or as lightweight filler and for purposes of insulation.
Sewage treatment facilities are not equipped to filter these tiny microbeads from wastewater so they are still present in effluent water leaving the treatment plant. They are not biodegradable. They are washed down the drain and make their way into rivers, canals and eventually into the seas and oceans, where they add to those islands of garbage or the Marine Trash Vortex (google that... its quite shocking). They are being ingested by various sea species and accumulating in worrying amounts in the food chain. Unbelievably, it’s not just the microbeads alone causing the issue to be so grave; they have also been found to attract and absorb persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as PCBs and DDT from the marine environment. At this point it’s difficult to fully assess the impact as it stands, and to quantify the problem, though it is now recognised as a serious global issue. Researchers and policy makers have fortunately begun to drill down on the problem in terms of impacts to marine life and subsequent implications for human health. Consequently, producers are beginning to revise the ingredients in their products and are being asked to act
responsibly and stop adding micro plastics to things like cosmetics to help prevent micro plastic pollution – something that is both avoidable and highly unnecessary. • Marine species are unable to distinguish between food and micro plastics and therefore indiscriminately feed on them. • In an overview published for the Convention on Biological Diversity, it was shown that over 663 different species were negatively impacted by marine debris with approximately 11% of reported cases specifically related to the ingestion of micro plastics. • Some species of fish excrete plastic easily, but others do not and so accumulate plastic internally. What you can do • Check the products you buy for microbeads. Often the use of microbeads is advertised – but it can also be hiding in the ingredients list. • If you’re looking for specialist paints, find those that don’t add plastics. Should you need to use such paints, be extra cautious with disposal. Check with council for the correct way. • If you’re looking for face scrubs, choose natural alternatives. Not only are these microbeads bad for the environment, they might also be damaging your skin. It’s easy to find alternatives with natural ingredients like sea salt, coconut husks, coffee beans and apricot shells. Caroline Miall
caroline@aussiepaitersnetwork.com.au
2015 May Issue | 13
www.aussiepantersnetwork.com.au
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TIS RACES AHEAD WITH DULUX –
Dulux announces NEW SPONSORSHIP with TIS Racing Team Dulux has recently signed on as a major sponsor with the Tasmanian Institute of Sport (TIS)Racing Team. The announcement is in line with the unveiling of the team’s new jerseys for the Subaru National Road series, JaycoTour of Adelaide. The TIS Racing Team was formed by leaders of the Tasmanian cycling community who sought to create a pathway for young Tasmanian cyclists to professional careers. Now, the team is focused on being National Road Series champions and the number one feeder team for professional cycling in Australia. TIS Racing Team Head Coach, Matt Gilmore, is thrilled to be involved with Dulux and excited about the opportunities the sponsorship provides. “I’ve come from a family of painters myself and dabbled in the profession. While racing has become my ultimate passion I can certainly appreciate the quality and history of great performance at Dulux, something we are set on achieving at TIS. Dulux Group Marketing and Technical Director, Murray Allen, said supporting great young talent is important and the focus and dedication to excel resonated with Dulux. “At Dulux we are passionate about industry excellence and we felt TIS Racing’s values were in line with and embodied our brand focus on it’s worth doing’. “Our Dulux Study Tour rewards and helps develop Australia’s next generation of architects, whilst our Dulux Accredited Painter of the year awards program recognises business excellence within the industry. The TIS Racing Team sponsorship is extending this sentiment, demonstrating how developing young talent is vital to generating world class performance,” Murray said.
“We have a team of great up-and-coming talent, however as a team of volunteers, this sponsorship will help us realise and grow the talent we know is here,” Matt said. As part of this new sponsorship there will also be a corporate program to foster healthier lifestyles through seminars, cycling programs and community rides.
To find out more about Dulux Trade, visit
www.dulux.com.au
2015 May Issue | 15
Mothers Day – May 10th
The Mothers Day Classic Fun Run It’s pink, it’s fun, it’s helping make breast cancer history. Australia’s largest Mother’s Day event The Mother’s Day Classic fun run/walk has become a calendar must-do for thousands of families, friends and community groups, who revel in a festive event that supports a serious cause - funding research into breast cancer, Australia’s most common female cancer. It is a national event that last year involved 130,000 Australians in 98 locations, including 87 regional towns and every capital city. Mother’s Day Classic National Chair, Louise Davidson, said people participate for different reasons: some to honour loved ones lost to breast cancer, others to mark their survival - and a growing number who enjoy the event’s family atmosphere and participate to reach their own health and fitness goals. “It doesn’t matter how you walk or run, or even how fast, it just matters why,” Ms Davidson said. Ms Davidson said while anyone attending a Mother’s Day Classic will see festive dress-ups and an abundance of pink, this doesn’t change the serious undertone of why the event exists in the first place. “For every pink wig and tutu out on the course, there will be participants wearing tribute cards to honour loved ones living with breast cancer and remember those lost to the disease. We try to make Mother’s Day Classic a fun and memorable day out, but we never lose sight of our purpose,” Ms Davidson said. Since it began in 1998, Mother’s Day Classic has contributed $24.3 million
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to the National Breast Cancer Foundation’s research program. In that time breast cancer 5 year survival rates have increased to nearly 90%. “Money raised supports research into new treatments, diagnostic techniques and of course the end goal of finding a cure. The more we raise, the faster a cure can be found,” she said. Ms Davidson is the Victorian 2015 Australian of the Year (Local Hero), for her role in cofounding the Mother’s Day Classic after she lost her mother to breast cancer. Bring the family, set a fitness goal Ms Davidson said while many of the people who participate in the Mother’s Day Classic have a personal connection to breast cancer, each year it attracts more and more family groups who find it a fun and meaningful way to start Mother’s Day. To acknowledge this, the 2015 Mother’s Day Classic provides discounted family tickets nationally and is planning more family activities and entertainment at the large events. “Each year we see growing numbers of fitness groups, and groups of friends, who are using the event to motivate themselves and their friends to achieve health and fitness goals,” Ms Davidson said. “We think that’s fantastic and we’d encourage everyone to set a fitness goal, gather your friends and register for Mother’s Day Classic 2015.”
It’s not too late to participate! Register or donate at
www.mothersdayclassic.com.au/register/
from $45.00 2015 May Issue | 17
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Tribes Can Change the World Who is your tribe? Have you found yours yet?
Do you want to create your own Tribe?
In general, we all tend to gravitate to people of like-mind whether for fun, business or relationships. For me personally, this has always been easy as I have a natural love of people and being an extravert does help too. Finding out what makes people tick, where we have a synergy, as there is usually one if you look hard enough, is what I do as quickly as possible.
If you want to create your own Tribe, just set up something small like coffee with friends initially if you do not have skills in this area already. Do not get too many people to the first meeting. If it is only three to six people that you feel could benefit meeting or who already know each other, this is a good way to start. Or, you could suggest to three people that you get together and each one of you brings a friend. This way you will meet new like-minded people. Dependent on you as to how you go about creating this initially.
For some people this is particularly hard... especially if they are introverted and find meeting new people difficult. I do know many introverts who have worked at and studied how to develop these skills and have been very successful as ‘playing the game’ by creating a structure for their networking. There are simple rules to finding and creating your own tribe. It is all about being yourself – being AUTHENTIC and REAL. Do not think that you need to be anyone else other than who you already are. People will pick up on it if you are trying to be ‘something’ rather than just you. When in a place with lots of people you do not know, look around for others who look as though they are feeling as uncomfortable as you do. Befriend them with a comment such as ‘you look as though you know noone either’ OR ‘is this your first time here too?’. By doing this you will make someone else feel at ease as well as yourself and you will then be able to relax.
It is important you are aware of why you want to create your own Tribe. Decide who you would like to have around you. Know what your intention is for creating a tribe and discuss this with people you would like to be there with you. Give your Tribe a name and create some guidelines around what you would want and expect so that there are clear boundaries. This of course will be dependent on your personality style initially as these are the people you will attract in the beginning. Once you have created a small group you will find with others introducing others that the personality styles will vary and bring interest to your Tribe. Discuss with your attendees how often they would like to meet, when,
where and how often so that you can all have your needs met. Would you like to have speakers, run workshops or have a get-together Tribe with no expectations? As a result of what you want to create there will then be talk of where to best meet in the future eg. home, coffee shop, office, venue? Will you be wanting to have a single gender or mixed groups, will age category be important, are children going to be a part as a family group or Mum’s group or a professional group of business people? Maybe you might like to have a dinner group that meets on a regular basis to swap idea on what is your interest for your Tribe. Are you going to consider if your Tribe will be online or offline only, or both? Do you want to create something that will be global or is it going to be a private closed group of friends? Building your Tribe will work if the group comes with a ‘givers gain’ approach of support for each other. Dependent on who your tribe is the flow and authenticity will come as people get to know each other and build trust within your group. I have been creating groups for thirty years so if you would like some help to make this happen, you are welcome to make contact with me to discuss your outcomes.
www.connexionsunlimited.com.au 2015 May Issue | 19
How to Manage
High Maintenance Employees Difficult employees can drain the life out of the best of business managers and owners. Business is hard enough without having to deal with the extra headache of keeping high maintenance employees afloat. Let’s start by describing some of the characteristics of a high maintenance employee: Emotionally drains your life: Some difficult employees tend to have constant emotional drama by complaining, always wants to borrow money, asks why, why, why, stirs up trouble in the organization, brings never ending family problems to work, etc. It’s amazing how often this equates to family and friends and not setting good boundaries at home. Even the best of people struggle if surrounded by parasites who constantly suck the life out of them and make it difficult for them to function in a professional work environment. Remember, as manager you did not cause this problem and you cannot fix the problem. Feeling sorry for the individual and making concessions only allows it to get worse. Many people come from difficult personal backgrounds but work is a place where they can win and move forward. Make sure they win and don’t let folks bring their problems to work. Violates policy: Has endless attendance, on time and other dependability issues. Only through a clear cut policy can you manage this problem. Be consistent and make it clear what that policy is. It can be amazing as something as simple a first time oral warning, a second time written warning and a third time a day off without pay can clean up these types of problems. At times, shows brilliance: Can be good technician and at times helpful. Frequently, your thoughts about he or she begins with “if only he or she would”. Difficult people are not necessarily dumb or lazy, they are just difficult. This is one of the challenges. The more you can isolate them and keep them focused, the better they will normally perform. When it gets to the point you can’t stand it anymore, you simply terminate with honor. Let them go without a big lecture or a lot of drama. Let them be the next employer’s problem.
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Why we keep them • • • •
The devil I know is better than the devil I don’t. Too busy to find a replacement. Their technical expertise or experience is valued. You are emotionally attached to them and have become vested into the problem. • You are loyal by nature and allow them to abuse that trait. • When not in direct contact with you, you forget how bad their behavior actually is. So what are the best management practices for dealing with difficult employees? If they perform and just get on everyone’s nerves, isolate them. If necessary have them start at a different time. Tell them they are wonderful and get as much mileage out of it as long as you can. But when it is time, let them go. Enforce the rules and have a zero tolerance approach. Protect them from themselves and ensure the situation does not get worse. Maintaining a disciplined approach might allow you to save them. Being Mr. Nice Guy is only going to ensure their ultimate termination. Document unacceptable behavior and give them a copy. Establish history and put it in writing. Yes, this is the type of employee who will sue you.
Have the tough conversations and let them know the behavior is not acceptable. Allowing the person’s behavior to continue over and over sets a pattern of acceptance. Make it clear they need to get their act together and you will not allow this to continue.
Look for their response and make sure they own their part of the deal when you have a conversation. 1. Does the person own his or her part? Believe it or not, some people do not understand or believe they have a problem. If the employee offers excuses, blames circumstances or others he or she are not going to change. 2. Do they understand that if this continues, they will ultimately lose their job? It can be amazing that an employee can complain about his or her job, not get along with the boss and ultimately think all is going to be ok. It is also amazing that management has not made it clear that if the behavior continues, the person will lose their job. Not getting along with the boss is a career path that ultimately leads to dismissal.
3. Before starting the conversation make sure you have a clear understanding of what behavior you would want. If by some miracle they changed overnight, what would that behavior look like? During your conversation, make sure you reach an agreement as to what behavior you expect? There needs to be a clear understanding of the problem and an acknowledgement that he or she will do something different. Termination is not such a bad thing. It allows you and the employee to start over. It is much better than tolerating the behavior for years and then the behavior is so engrained in the person they cannot change or they are too old to easily find a job. Remember the employees you terminate rarely keep you up at night. Monroe Porter is president of PROOF Management a firm that teaches seminars and runs networking groups for painting contractors. Several Aussie painting contractors travel to the US each year to participate in his programs.
www.proofman.com
Employment Page Advertisements are placed for free! 2015 February Issue | 21
Trace MY Business Written and Developed by Jim Baker
Trace My Business will keep a record of ALL your clients. It collects the basic information like their contact details, job description and client notes but the beauty of this program is that it also tracks
• Where the referral came from • The quote success and failure rates • Suburb comparisons • The different advertising campaigns • • • • •
(what works and what doesn’t) First projects vs repeat business New vs existing revenue and projects Yearly and overall client revenue Growth analysis Projects, who referred them, and the referrals they subsequently provided
This is a brand new online product and like my other programmes, it is accessible on any computer or smart phone just by using your email address and password.
I am offering this to you on a 90 day ‘Trial Before You Commit’ price of $1.00. After the trial period and you like the product, the cost on a monthly subscription will only be $16.90. So for the low cost of $16.90 a month, you will be able to access all your clients and where they found you, monitor what advertising campaigns are working and what are not, but best of all, have these records available to a new purchaser when you want to sell your business.
www.mytools4business.com/tracemybusiness 22 | Aussie Painters Network
COLOURFUL COLLABORATION: Haymes & Melbourne Football Club HAYMES is proud to announce its partnership with Melbourne Football Club as a 2015 ball sponsor. The Australian manufactured, family-‐owned and operated business has agreed to be a club partner for the next three years. As part of the arrangement, the Haymes brand will appear on Melbourne’s match ball for its home games. Melbourne chief commercial officer George de Crespigny said the club was excited to partner with Haymes Paint. “Melbourne Football Club is thrilled to be partnering with Haymes Paints for the next three years,” he said. “It is encouraging for Melbourne that Haymes has bought into the journey that this club is on, and we hope that we can help Haymes celebrate its 80th year in style and with success,” Mr. de Crespigny said. Haymes Paint’s Matthew Haymes said the family-‐owned company was thrilled to partner with Melbourne. “The family and team at Haymes Paint are delighted and truly excited to be involved with the MFC,” he said. “We hope that this is a long lasting and beneficial partnership between two iconic Australian brands.” “Haymes Paint celebrates its 80th anniversary this year as Australia’s largest 100 per cent Australian-‐made and family-‐owned manufacturers of paint.” Mr. Haymes continued. “The Melbourne Football Club is the first Australian Football League club with its home ground at the MCG –Australia’s home of footy and there are strong synergies for our partnership. We look forward to seeing the club and its supporters experience success in 2015.” “As Haymes Paint grows from a regional Victorian brand into a National brand – the timing for us to get involved in sponsorship of this nature is right,” Mr. Haymes said. The sponsorship term runs until October 2017.
PROUDLY AUSTRALIAN MADE AND OWNED
www.haymespaint.com.au 2015 May Issue | 23
Painting in Sweden One of the prettiest destinations my wife and I have ever been to is a small Swedish island called Gotland. It is Sweden’s largest island with a total area of 3,184 km2 and a population of approx 57,300 of which about 23,600 live in Visby, the capitol. It was one of the ’ports-of-call’ in our Baltic cruise itinerary last year and is a very popular destination for tourists. Unfortunately we were on a tight schedule and only had time to see the main city but I have been told that there are nearly one hudred churches scattered around the island. There is also many ancient buildings and an abundance of summer houses that the normal overseas tourist is not aware of (next time maybe!). While taking in the history and the sights of the old city, I was fortunate though to come across ’Lars-Gunner Lundgren’, a local painter and decorator in the area.
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I get great enjoyment meeting painters and finding out the differences and challenges between here in Australia and other parts of the world and Lars-Gunner has been kind enough to share his story of ’Painting in Sweden’ in the Aussie Painting Contractor. ’LG.s Måleri is located in Gotland, Sweden. We are at the moment three workers with a business that has been operating since 1989, but the craftsmanship goes back several generations ranging from painters to carpenters to cabinetmakers. We mostly do our work in old buildings but also some new. Being involved in the building of commercial buildings is not our primary market, we like a more intimate connection with the customer, the person behind the building and their visions, to make something old or shabby look wonderful again.
Since we operate on a smallish island (which is only accessible by air or ferry), the market is sort of limited. We don’t need to advertise as we get our jobs from refferals of past customers mostly. Many clients just want the cheapest job and that’s not really our market. We always try to do our best and use premium materials. Anyone can start a business calling themselves a painter but those who do, don’t tend to be in business for more than a few years; one of the perks of living on an island as the word spreads quickly, both good and bad. Painting apprenticeships are not required here but if an employer does want to put someone through, it is completely funded by the company as there is no Government help or incentives. The term is only two years long. The environment is very important to us, both globally and our own work environment. There still is some work that require oil based paint but mostly we use water based, which is made by Teknos, a Finnish family owned paint company that are extremely big in Europe. When we read some of the articles here in your magazines we were amazed by the strict regulations you have on how
you wash out your equipment and such; it seems like we have lighter regulations regarding this. When sanding we mostly use machine sanders connected to a vacuum hose with filters but there still is some sanding by hand. Working as a painter is as you all know very varied, new places with new customers who want different jobs done all the time. In Sweden though, we have the different seasons to deal with which can be quite extreme. In the winter we work inside doing everything from hanging wallpaper to laying floors (we are very versatile in our trade). Gotland is situated in southern Sweden and so far this winter we haven’t had less than minus 10 to minus 15 degrees celsius but some years it can get down to minus 30 to minus 35 degrees. In the new built or completely remodelled houses where the heating hasn’t been installed, we sometimes have the problem with the plaster and paint not drying. In this case we have to plan our work carefully so that we don’t get caught out with nothing to do.
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Patric, Lars-Gunnar and Fredrik In the summer months we have a tight schedule, depending on the weather there could be as little as two or three months to do all the outside work. The morning dew has to dry first before we can start the painting and some summers we may have a lot of rain. Before we can paint anything though or even start sanding and scraping we have to wash away mold and algae, which is due to the vicinity of the sea and the humid climate.
All of these small things you have to keep in mind when planning what jobs to do and when and how many jobs you can book for the summer and winter. Prefferably you should have some indoor work that you can jump on in case of those rainy days. To stop the rain from hitting the windows we have flexible covers, attached outside around them and sometimes we will use a tent so we can work on them outside. You can’t plan for everything though and sometimes there is some down time, but there’s always the paperwork to be done. One thing that we have here in Visby is very old buildings and is probably the best preserved medieval cities in
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Scandinavia. Since 1995 it has been listed on Unesco’s World Heritage Site. The earliest history is still uncertain but Visby is known to have been a centre of merchandise since around 900 AD but there have been findings of inhabitants that date back to the stone age. Around Visby is a ring wall that was built as early as 12th centrury and was rebuilt with higher walls and more towers between 13th and 15th century. Most of the exterior wall is still intact and inside this wall are the old buildings and churches. This environment is protected by several regulations and the work we do on the buildings must be done carefully and to strict building codes. Consumers that want to paint or renovate their property can apply for a Government Incentive called ’rotavdrag’, which gives them a 50% tax deduction on the man hours that is mentioned on the invoice. It’s of course surrounded by regulations (for example it can only be used on renovations and additions to a house), but it has lowered the black market jobs and stimulated the market. It is fraught with cheating though as business’s will lower the material costs and increase the labour costs on the invoice’. My thanks to Fredrik, Lars-Gunner’s son for the actual writing of this article; your English is impecable. I hope you become a regular reader of the Aussie Painting Contractor Magazine now! Jim Baker
www.mytools4business.com
2015 May Issue | 27
Can contractors be liable for
INJURED WORKERS?
Workers’ compensation laws and entitlements vary between states and depending on the state where the injury occurred, the worker may be able to sue for additional compensation under common law if their injury is the fault of the employer or any other person. A claim seeking compensation for an injury where negligence is involved is called a common law claim. This may be because the employer failed to provide a safe workplace, or it may include the acts of another party with no connection to the employer. There may also be a claim against a third party such as the ‘occupier’ of the premises where a worker is injured. An ‘occupier’ could be an independent contractor working on the property if they exercise sufficient control over the premises.
have the obligations of an employer, only ‘real’ employer is covered by the workers compensation scheme. If a third party worker is injured whilst carrying out work for the ‘host’ employer, the worker does not make a claim under the relevant workers compensation scheme, but instead can make a claim against the ‘host’ employer that essentially is a public liability claim.
Most states and territories have specific legislation covering this type of claim. In Queensland it is covered by the Personal Injuries Proceedings Act 2002.
Identify the employment situation
Whether someone is an employee or a third party like an independent contractor can also determine which scheme applies. What may look on face value to be a workers’ compensation matter may turn out not to be if the person is in fact engaged as a contractor. In those circumstances the claim will be governed by the public liability scheme. It is therefore crucial for the employer to correctly identify which type of scheme the worker is covered by. To work out the true situation we recommend analysing the worker’s pay slips, contract of employment, PAYG summaries, tax returns, and training documents.
What can be claimed?
The compensation sought in a common law claim is called damages. There are two main categories of damages sought in a common law claim: Another scenario is where the injuries may have been caused by another worker who is not an employee of the same entity or is themselves an independent contractor. This could involve third party workers who are employees of an organisation whose services are carried out for another organisation that is not their direct employer. A good example of this is would be labour hire and temporary employment agencies who place a worker in another workplace. In this situation, the labour hire company is the ‘real’ employer and the other company is the ‘host’ employer. Although both of these businesses
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• Pain and suffering, or general damages – this is compensa-
tion for the pain and suffering the worker has endured and will continue to endure, and their loss of enjoyment of life (not available in NSW, WA or Tas); • Past loss of earnings and future loss of earning capacity – compensation for wages lost because the worker has been unable to work, and/or is unable to work into the future.
There are restrictions on damages that differ between schemes across Australia. The table below provides a comparison of common law entitlements for each state and territory.
Attachment A: Comparison of common law arrangements (Source – Safe Work Australia)
Scheme
NSW
Common Law? Threshold/s Yes
• • •
Vic
Yes
•
• Qld
Yes
• •
• WA
SA Tas
Yes
No Yes
• •
15% WPI* Statutory lump sums to be settled first Start no sooner than 6 months post-injury Must be granted a ‘serious injury certificate’ via: o 30% WPI o Narrative test Economic loss claims – permanent loss of 40% of earning capacity Must have DPI* >5% Under 20% WPI, worker must choose irrevocably between statutory lump sum or common law Over 20% WPI can pursue both 15% WPI Secondary psychological, psychiatric and sexual conditions excluded
20% WPI
HOD covered •
No Yes Yes
No
• •
Pain & suffering Economic loss
Yes – Act sets minima and maxima
• •
Pain & suffering Economic loss
Yes, maxima only
• •
Non-economic loss Economic loss
•
•
Non-economic loss Economic loss
No
None Unlimited Must have some degree of Non-economic loss WPI only
No Yes
• •
NT ACT Comcare
Past & future economic loss only
Capped?
< 25% WPI, total award is capped Unlimited for >25% WPI
*DPI/WPI = Worker’s Permanent Impairment
Recommendation If you are an independent contractor and do not have an insurance arrangements in place, it is recommended you consider investing in public liability insurance.
Prevent yourself or your business from being found liable for any damage or injury caused by a third party, ensure that the insurance obligations of both parties are clearly identified in the contract.
As a hirer, you need to know whether the independent If you need advice about your liability for a common law contractors you have engaged are covered by business’s claim, contact Simon Clayer at Dundas Lawyers on workers’ compensation and public liability insurance. 07 3221 0013 or email on sclayer@dundaslawyers.com.au
2015 May Issue | 29
Congratulations to Sharlene Kidd, who took out the Gold Medal in Painting. 30 | Aussie Painters Network
Worldskills Oceania Shine in New Zealand
ln late April, the inaugural WorldSkills Oceania Competition was held in New Zealand at the Wintec Institute of Technology, Rotokauri Campus. Competitors’ performances were outstanding, and projects were painstakingly worked on till the last second; stakes were high as selected participants from this comp will go on to represent Australia as a Skillaroo at the 43rd WorldSkills Competition, Sao Paulo, Brazil. The Worldskills competition provides competitors with ongoing training and development, trades and skills competitions and fosters a better understanding of trades and skills-based careers are a vital part of the Australian economy. A big congratulations to the all of the competitors, organisers and volunteers who put in thousands of hours to see the event a huge success.
Aussie Painters Network
CONGRATULATES the place getters:
GOLD MEDALLISTS
Sam Spong, Bricklaying, TAFE NSW Illawarra Institute, Wollongong Campus Sharlene Kidd, Painting and Decorating, MPA Skills Jyothi Forman, Jewellery, North Melbourne Institute of TAFE – Fairfield Campus Jessica Peters, Floristry, TAFE NSW South Western Sydney Institute, Padstow College Emma Hillier, Fashion Technology, TAFE NSW South Western Sydney Institute, Macquarie Fields College Adele Di Bella, Pâtisserie and Confectionery, TAFE NSW Northern Sydney Institute, Ryde College Samantha Johnson, Restaurant Service, TAFE NSW Northern Sydney Institute, Ryde College Beau Kupris, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, TAFE NSW South Western Sydney Institute, Granville College John Reminis, Bakery, TAFE NSW Illawarra Institute, Wollongong Campus Joseph Pauley, Industrial Mechanics Millwright, Polytechnic West
SILVER MEDALLISTS
Kelvin Marquand, Manufacturing Team Challenge, Federation University Ballarat Matt Sawers, Manufacturing Team Challenge, TAFE NSW Illawarra Institute, Wollongong Campus Luke Schaenzel, Manufacturing Team Challenge, TAFE Queensland Daniel Picariello, Wall and Floor Tiling, TAFE SA Dylan Di Martino, Plumbing and Heating, Victoria University – Sunshine Campus Harlan Wilton, Web Design, TAFE NSW Western Sydney Institute, Wentworth Falls College Jim D’Elboux, Industrial Control, TAFE NSW Western Institute, Dubbo College Karl Geue, Kingston SE, SA – Cabinetmaking, TAFE SA Dale Fisher, Graphic Design Technology, RMIT – Melbourne City Campus Thomas Crittenden, Sheet Metal Technology, TAFE NSW Hunter Institute, Newcastle Campus BRONZE MEDALLISTS Nicholas Roman, Joinery, TAFE NSW Illawarra Institute, Wollongong Campus Stacey Romanowski, Beauty Therapy, TAFE NSW Western Sydney Institute, Katoomba College Kurt Trask, Automobile Technology, TAFE Queensland Joshua Mason, Cooking, TAFE NSW Northern Sydney Institute, Ryde College Blair Watters, Car Painting, TAFE NSW Hunter Institute, Glendale Campus Michael James, Construction Metal Work, TAFE NSW Riverina Institute, Leeton Campus Members of the Skills Squad will find out whether they’ve been selected to be part of the 2015 Skillaroos when the results are announced on Monday 11 May. To see all of the photo highlights captured at the
WorldSkills Oceania Competition, visit www.facebook.com/WorldSkillsAustralia
For more information and details on getting involved, see: www.worldskills.org.au
2015 May Issue | 31
MY TOP 7
Most Favourite
Architectural Features
Richard Leggin Architects
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1. The Cuppola
I’m going to have one, one day. It’s a toss-up between the pool house or the freestanding garage.
Heydt Designs
2. Gables. With gable vents. No brainer. eydt Designs
Via La Maison Gray
Gables. With gable vents. No brainer.
3. Detailed, timber staircases.
They don’t have to be grand, just have a little thought put into them.
4. Box eave returns.
Stop me in my tracks every time. Yes, bring those babies right around and finish off that gable. Beautiful. Don’t you agree?
2015 May Issue | 33
Via Inspired Designs
5. Window lights.
Via House Of Bliss
6. Transoms.
Heart stopping in every possible situation.
I often drive by homes thinking, ‘if they just had a pretty window or two in the front elevation that had some window lights, they would change the whole street elevation, street appeal and the number of people they’d get rocking up to their open homes!’ I think 4 x 1 (four on the top, and one on the bottom) is a practical arrangement because you can still get a view out of the bottom pane … if that is what you’re aiming for.
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Via White Floors
7. Corbels
Even just two. Make all the difference. I could go on and on but I thought I’d stop at 7. My favourite number.
Anne-Maree Russell
Anne-Marie owns Real Estate agency, ‘Cape Cod Residential’, through which she stages, styles and sells beautiful homes all over Brisbane, Australia. She also hosts online lighting store, ‘Cape Cod Designs, and is currently scheming ‘The Next House That A-M Built’ - www.thehousethata-mbuilt.com
Looking for improvements in your business? “How To Become AReally Successful Painter” can really help you.
A copy of my book is available online jimbaker@notjustapainter.com.au
Watch Business Management for Painters http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OczJfZH8M4I
www.mytools4business.com/howtobecome
To wash the Brush or to throw the brush away? More painting businesses are buying the cheaper paint brushes to save money on labour costs for the time it takes to wash, clean and maintain a paint brush. The real question is, what are the Pro’s and Con’s to both sides. How long does it take to wash a brush? How much does the paint brush cost? What is the most effective method of cleaning a paint brush? Is your method of cleaning or disposing of the paint brush a sustainable practice?
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Example –subject to variables. Throwing paint brushes away after they have been used, obviously saves time and labour costs. If the brush costs $6.00 and a tradesmen is making $30.00 per hour, then a tradesman would have to take longer than 12 minutes to clean the brush before the throw away method becomes the cheaper option. What if the tradesperson had 3 brushes to clean that costs $6.00 each at a total of $18.00?
The tradesperson would have to take longer than 36 minutes to clean the brushes before the throw away method becomes the cheaper once again. Realistically, we all know you can clean 3 brushes in 10 minutes, allowing time to walk to the brush cleaning location on the jobsite. The cost of cleaning 3 brushes would be $5.00 for labour and now gives the employer an extra 26 minutes of productive labour time back in his pocket which equates to $13.00. In Summary: If a tradesperson was earning $30.00 per hour took 10 minutes to wash 3 brushes, it would cost an employer $5.00 per day. Or to throw away the same 3 brushes away would cost the employer $18.00 per day. After 1 day, the employer is $13.00 ahead. This particular example can save your business a total of $65.00 per week or $3,120 per year based 48 weeks for a calendar year. These associated labour costs would be halved again, if you asked the apprentice to clean out the brushes at the end of each day. In other words $2.50 for an apprentice to clean 3 brushes in 10 minutes. Some painters think, that they are helping the environment by not having to wash their paint brushes out in water and throwing the brushes away. Using less water is good sustainable practise but the cost of manufacturing a brand new paint brush can have far greater impact on the environment. The process, cost and use of resources includes mining the raw materials like metal for the ferrules or timber for the handles, electricity and water usage during manufacturing, and fuel usage when products are been delivered to shops or customers for purchasing. Not to mention the pollution from the mining trucks and delivery vehicles.
An effective method of cleaning a brush minimising water usage, is to use the 3 pot washing system: 1. Half fill 3 clean paint pots with clean water. 2. Place the paint brush in a brush/roller spinner and rinse the brush in the first pot of water, then spin the brush out in a dirty waste water bucket. 3. Keeping the brush in the spinner, use a wire brush to remove any dried paint from the filling (commonly known as bristles to most painters) and the ferrule, re-rinse in the second clean pot of water and spin the brush out in the dirty waste bucket.
4. Finally, rinse the brush in the third pot of water and spin the brush out for the last time. Dispose the dirty waste water into a paint reclaiming system and treat as per manufacturer’s recommendations. Slightly moisten the filling, or bristles to hold them all together, and lay the brush flat ready to use for the next paint application. To my surprise, many painting apprentices who I train on-site, don’t even know what a roller/brush spinner is. I was also surprised to learn that roller/brush spinner’s are also far from popular when it comes to sales in the shops after discussions with painting and decorating tools and equipment sales representatives at a recent trade show. The ability of the roller/brush spinner to remove 90% of paint from the brush minimises water usage and labour time when cleaning a brush dramatically.
Tips for saving money when washing brushes include: • Wash multiple brushes at the end of the day or job. • Use a Kovrd’s unique 3 in 1 Paint Tray Bag to keep brushes and rollers moist until reusing the following day, or until cleaning is required. www.kovrd.com.au • A roll of glad wrap or some plastic bags can also keep you’re your brushes and rollers moist until further reuse or cleaning. • Ask an apprentice to clean the brushes. Inform all staff how this particular workplace plan contributes to lowering business overheads and encourages environmentally sustainable work practises. Tasks like these in the workplace should be valued by all employees, not undermined. They won’t be apprentices forever. • Most importantly, use a roller/brush spinner to minimise water usage and labour time when cleaning your paint brushes.
Client’s, builders, education institutions, hospitals, and businesses are all encouraging sustainable practises in all aspects of everyday life. Emphasis on the environment in your next quotation might just earn you a new customer for life .
2015 May Issue | 37
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Five things painters should know
About Solventless Epoxies
It’s a familiar scenario and one I’ve come across many times: a painter wins a job in a home or business and the client asks whether they can take care of the floor while they’re at it. So, should they take it on? It can’t be that hard, right? I mean, they’ve basically got all the equipment and epoxies are just another type of paint after all! While that’s true in a sense, my advice is to be very careful when making that assumption. Epoxies – especially solventless, two-pack epoxies – are very different to acrylics and should only be tackled by those with some training behind them. Trust me, things can get pretty ugly otherwise! Before I explain why, I’d like to quickly introduce myself so that you’re not sitting there thinking, “who’s this guy telling me what to do?” My name is Jack Josephsen and for nearly 15 years I’ve owned and managed companies that have formulated, manufactured and applied a range of solventless epoxies known for their performance in the field. While quality products are vital, I credit user education as the biggest factor in the successful track record I’ve built. Having trained contractors from all around the world in that time, I feel there’s a major knowledge gap in the
coating industry centred on the products and how they actually work. It’s also become clear epoxy users have the same problems regardless of where they come from and they’re all looking for the same thing when it comes to answers. They don’t want to hear sales talk or get lost in “smoke and mirrors”, nor do they want to be swamped with useless theory. They all want practical, honest answers in plain language. Fueled by this realisation and a burning desire to have a positive impact on the industry, I created Epoxy School, an educational platform where epoxy users at all levels could learn more about their craft. The site offers a large collection of quality learning material from right around the globe, including a large array of free articles and videos, as well as online training courses and my own published book, “Finally, real answers for real contractors – Industrial Flooring”. So getting back to the original question: why don’t I think it’s a good idea for painters to jump head first into epoxy application without some specific training? Well, to put it simply, there are just too many differences and even more so when you’re talking about the two-pack, solventless epoxies used in most decorative applications.
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painters won’t be familiar with. Solventless epoxies are also applied in thicker films – anywhere between 150 and 1000 microns/1mm is common – and making this adjustment is trickier than it seems, it requires a different mindset altogether.
Obviously there’s a huge variety of products out there, however here are the top five points I often make to painters on what they can expect – • More preparation is involved – floors typically get abused a whole lot more than walls and thorough surface preparation is a key component of success. Simply running a sanding disc over a slab isn’t going to cut it and although acid etching is an option, it isn’t without drawbacks. Contractors need to work with equipment such as diamond grinders and understand how to deal with the complexities of concrete. • Application techniques – brushes, rollers and spray equipment can be used in epoxy application as well, however there are a host of additional techniques involving trowels, squeegees and other tools many
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• They might feel sticky – especially in cooler conditions. Even the lower viscosity, clear formulations can feel heavier to push around because they don’t have solvents diluting the resin. This is in stark contrast to solvent-borne and water-borne products that glide on effortlessly in comparison. • They have a shorter pot life, but longer working time – the best way to apply two-pack, solventless epoxies is to get them onto the floor rather than keep it in the bucket or roller tray. If a few litres are mixed and left to sit in a bucket on a mild day (20-25oC/68-77oF), the chances are it will harden before use. Because they don’t flash off like solvent-borne products, once on the floor there’s plenty of time to work them around. • They need to be left overnight – while you can get fast-cure epoxy adhesives, grouts and mortars, a floor coating will typically need more than 10 hours to harden enough for the next coat. I regularly get asked for something with a 2-3 hour turna-
round, but I’m yet to see an epoxy do that and still have a good balance of pot life, working time, film properties, adhesion etc. With those five points in mind, you can start to imagine how problems can occur if you don’t know what to expect with epoxy floor coatings. The fact is the jump from paints to solventless epoxies is bigger than most realise and not many do it well without some form of training behind them.
If you see floors as a natural extension to the work you do, that’s great and there’s no reason why you can’t take it on with the skills you already have. I simply recommend that you have a think about the five points above and try to get on top of them before giving it a crack. If you have any questions about solventless epoxies, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly. Jack Josephsen +61 408 877 256
2015 May Issue | 41
4 /1311 Ipswich Rd, Rocklea, Queensland, Australia 4106 1800 355 344 info@aussiepaintersnetwork.com.au
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When others Frustrate you
There’s a way of being that I’m trying to cultivate in myself — to let go of wanting others to be a certain way. Here’s the problem:
4. To let go of an ideal that I have that’s causing the frustration. 5. To see that when others are being difficult, they are having a hard time coping. And to empathise with this. 6. To remember the times when I’ve had a hard time, when I struggled with change, when I’ve been frustrated. 7. To do what I can to help them: to be of service, to listen, to make them feel heard, to make them feel accepted.
So what can we do about this? It can drive us crazy, but we can’t make it happen. It’s out of our control. Trying to change others, wanting them to be the way we want them to be, just doesn’t work. The alternative, though, is unthinkable to most of us: to just let others be however they want to be. Even when that annoys you.
I’m not good at this yet, but when I find my way, it helps. It makes me less frustrated, it helps me to be more mindful, it improves my relationships, it helps others feel better. I wish this for all of you.
we all get frustrated with other people. We want our kids to do certain things, our spouses to be less something or other, our friends to change their lives, our relatives to be healthier, other people to be less rude, etc etc.
Here’s the way of being that I’m trying to cultivate: 1. To remind myself that I don’t control others. 2. To remind myself that other people can live their lives however they want. 3. To see the good in them.
Leo Babauta, a successful ‘simplicity’ blogger & author from California, is the creator of top 25 Blog, Zen Habits, chronicling his insights from acting significant changes in his personal and working life. 2015 May Issue | 43
“OOS” and “RSI’s”
Workplace Strains a real pain for Painters The Construction industry encompasses a huge number of jobs and trades, and many of these involve demanding, repetitive manual tasks. As a result of this, the industry reports a high number of musculoskeletal or “sprains and strains” injuries. Repetitive Strain Injury, or Occupational Overuse Syndrome (OOS) is a type of injury common to fingers, hands, wrists and elbows caused by repetitive movements or awkward postures. Not being a tradie myself, I was recently shocked when, a tingle in tips of my fingers turned into a persistent aching pain in my whole hand over a short period of time. It would seem that the years of overuse of the favoured hand for the tiny repetitive movements like typing and using the computer mouse, had begun to take its toll - especially after the usual overuse was accompanied by repetitive and high pressure use of glass cutting pliers.. Over and over again (see last month’s mosaic article!). I’d never had to consider the impact of a Repetitive Stress Injury and realised it was something that painters must frequently deal with in their careers, given the wear and tear on the hands and limbs. It’s not surprising that Painters experience a high incidence of this workplace injury, given the causes; Holding a brush or roller with a bent wrist whilst applying firm pressure, performing the task at high repetition. Working overhead with the arms extended upwards. Painting
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is a highly repetitious activity, and often involves contortionist movements like when painting ceilings, the head and neck is extended at an awkward angle, one arm wielding a brush or roller, the other ensuring stability. Three Main Factors contributing to these injuries are: FORCE – the application of excessive manual pressure FREQUENCY AND DURATION OF MOVEMENT – including periods of working which are too intense and repetitive POSTURE – awkward or rigid positioning of the hand, wrist, arm or shoulder, and where kneeling or crouching posture is required there will be strain on legs, ankles and feet. That’s a triple threat for painters! What painting job doesn’t involve all three of these factors?! Symptoms include swelling, pain and weakness in the affected joints. Vulnerable tendons can be overworked and inflamed by repetitious manual tasks. Prevention is better than the claim Usually adjustments to your work space can alleviate the impact of repetitive tasks, however, it’s not always possible to manipulate your working environment when you’re a painter. When you’re working around awkward architectural features, high ceilings, and external walls, gables, eaves etc., you do what
you have to do to get the job done! We all get that, especially when there’s a deadline. There are a few ways to help prevent these hazards becoming a serious debilitating injury that can get in the way of your work. Better to prevent the injury by incorporating better practices before you find yourself having to make an insurance claim due to inability to work. When carrying out work which involves the three factors of force, frequency and posture, it is important to take short rest breaks to allow relief of the muscles/tendons. Allow for short period of stretching and exercise of the affected limb, to dissipate the strain and promote circulation, refreshing the system and removing the toxins that build up in the system when you are still for too a long time. Vary tasks to break up the repetitive ones with other work. Set realistic deadlines to make these preventative measures possible! If you experience pain, tingling or numbness that you believe is job task related, be sure to report the symptoms to your supervisor, and WHS representative. Mention it to your Doctor for recording, and advice. For management of persistent symptoms, find an effective physiotherapist or similar practitioner that specialises in repetitive strain. If you are a career painter, then it is wise to check your income insurance and any private health coverage for information relating to such injuries.
2015 May Issue | 45
The 5-Step Negotiation Process
I Use To Lower My Monthly Bills By 25% Anyone who tells you something is “non-negotiable” is, in fact, using that as a negotiation strategy themselves. Those of us familiar with haggling know the truth: everything is negotiable. Where I am in The U.S., negotiation is typically reserved for used cars and flea markets. It’s not customary to question the price of something that doesn’t fit in those categories. This means people who sell things in my part of the world are at a huge advantage. You can set your price at whatever you want and most won’t argue. What if it wasn’t like that? What if you had the power? What if you decided how much your phone or Internet bill is? These are the things you pay for every month. Over time, they add up to tremendous amounts. What if you could cut those bills by 20% or more just by learning a bit of negotiation psychology?
I tried my hand at this last year and recruited a few friends to do the same. We all lowered our bills or received improved service. And it all took us 10 minutes or less. Here’s a brief rundown of everything you need to know to learn the psychology of negotiation and get big companies to let you decide what you’re going to pay. How To Negotiate Your Monthly Bills Last year, I teamed up with a Portland news station, KATU, to test the major principles of negotiation on big companies like Comcast, AT&T, Verizon, and others we all tend to pay a lot of money to. The questions we wanted to answer were: 1. Do the principles of negotiation still work when little consumers like us try to strike deals with enormous corporations? 2. Can anyone do it? 3. If so, how much work does it take to get a decent deal?
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I recruited a few friends, prepared some tips for what to say and how to respond when they spoke to a representative, and we set to work. After a quick bout of verbal kung fu, my friend, Kiah, was able to lower her Internet bill by $15/month. Another acquaintance, Heather, doubled the mobile data her provider was offering without paying extra. As for me, a leisurely web chat resulted in a 25% savings on my home Internet bill. The results were exciting, but hardly surprising. When you know the fundamental principles of negotiation— and it doesn’t take much work to put them to use—you can get a better deal on anything.
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Here are the five principles you can use, starting now, to lower your monthly bills. 1. Speak in a friendly-assertive voice, no matter what happens. When you start negotiating with someone— no matter who they are—the goal is to get what you want. That’s easier to do when the other person likes you. Your friendly-assertive voice is the one that’s always calm and courteous but never gives in. Compare it to how a mother would deal with a toddler having meltdown in a store. “I know you’re very upset because you can’t have the dinosaur toy. I still love you. Also, you still can’t have it.” You won’t deal with hostility like that when you’re talking to a customer service rep (at least let’s hope not), but remembering this can help guide you when you feel like reaching through the phone and throat punching the guy on the other side. 2. Ask for more than you want, then slowly back down. One of the keys to successful negotiation is to make it seem like you’re on a team finding a solution together. One way to do this is to give in here and there. When you give in, the other feels more comfortable doing it, too. But, you still want to get the deal you need, so it’s important to start by asking for more than you want so you’ll have room to move down. This brings the other person to your side without giving up what you actually want. 3. Only negotiate with someone who has the power to do so. When you call customer service, you’ll usually talk to a “first line” representative who has no authority to negotiate at all. This is a strategy they use. The first line rep will tell you how sorry they are and how they understand your position but that they can’t do anything about it. Don’t give up when this happens. Instead, ask to speak with someone who can help you with your request. There is always someone who can, but they may be one or two transfers away. If you feel like you aren’t getting anywhere, there are two things you can do. • Hang up and call again. Big companies have lots of agents. If you try a few times, you’ll get someone willing to help you.
• Ask to cancel your service. You won’t actually do it, but this will always get you to someone who can negotiate. Big companies have whole departments dedicated to keeping you from canceling. They know it’s more expensive to get a new customer than it is to keep you, so the person from this department will almost always have authority to make billing exceptions for customers. 4. Always have a backup solution. Sometimes, you just won’t get anywhere when you’re negotiating over price. For one reason or another, it’ll become clear that lowering your bill simply won’t be an option. This might be the case if you’re already on one of the lowest tiers of service and they know you’re already not making the company much money to begin with. When this happens, you can do what Heather did with her cell provider and negotiate for better service at the same price tier. The more solutions you propose in any negotiation, the more likely it is you’ll find something the other side will be more willing to negotiate on. When you find those, focus in. 5. Know when to stop. There’s nothing worse than a negotiation that never ends. To leave both sides feeling good, you want to come to an agreement quickly. This means knowing when to stop negotiating because you’re either too far apart or because you’re so close together it’s not worth squabbling over anymore. To know when to stop, though, you have to go into your negotiation knowing what the least you’ll accept is. Before you get on the phone, ask yourself, “What’s the lowest I’m willing to go and still be happy?” When you know that number, you can skip a lot of frustration and confusion. You’ll know quickly if you’re never going to get there and you can adjust, if you want. Or, you’ll know when you’re close enough to what you want that you can call it a deal and be on your way. Knowing what you’ll accept before you start is key to getting what you want and keeping a negotiation from dragging on.
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The Best Deals go to those who ask Just like anything in life, it’s rare to be good at negotiation if you don’t practice it. It’s not complicated or difficult to learn the basics of negotiation psychology. What is difficult is getting yourself to put it to use when you’re not used to it. Whether you feel like you’re not skilled at it or you’re just uncomfortable asking for a better deal, remember that life is for the taking! You won’t get anything you don’t ask for! Talking to a representative on the phone or chatting online is one of the best opportunities to start practicing and improving your skill. Take 10 minutes and try it out today. It could save you tens of thousands of dollars. Tyler Tervooren explores social psychology and shares original research and insights about winning at life, work, and adventure by taking smarter risks. For more, join his Smart Riskologist Newsletter.
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Important Contacts Aussie Painters Network www.aussiepaintersnetwork.com.au Ph. 0430 399 800 National Institute for Painting and Decorating www.painters.edu.au Ph. 1300 319 790 Australian Tax Office www.ato.gov.au Ph. 13 72 26 / Ph. 13 28 65 Award Rates www.fairwork.gov.au Ph. 13 13 94 Fair Work Building & Construction www.fwbc.gov.au Ph. 1800 003 338 Mates In Construction www.matesinconstruction.com.au
Ph. 1300 642 111
Workplace Health and Safety Contacts Comcare WorkSafe ACT Workplace Health and Safety QLD Victorian WorkCover Authority WorkCover NSW SafeWork SA WorkSafe WA NT WorkSafe WorkSafe Tasmania
www.comcare.gov.au www.worksafe.act.gov.au www.worksafe.qld.gov.au www.vwa.vic.gov.au www.workcover.nsw.gov.au www.safework.sa.gov.au www.commerce.wa.gov.au/WorkSafe/ www.worksafe.nt.gov.au www.worksafe.tas.gov.au
1300 366 979 02 6207 3000 1300 362 128 1800 136 089 13 10 50 1300 365 255 1300 307 877 1800 019 115 1300 366 322
www.actcancer.org www.cancercouncil.com.au www.cancercouncilnt.com.au www.cancerqld.org.au www.cancersa.org.au www.cancervic.org.au www.cancerwa.asn.au
(02) 6257 9999 (02) 9334 1900 (08) 8927 4888 (07) 3634 5100 (08) 8291 4111 (03) 9635 5000 (08) 9212 4333
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