Utiliquest layoffs

**ddiaz6789** · July 22nd, 2010, 03:51 PM

Anyone heard of it yet? Or any in your office?

**sprayandpray** · July 22nd, 2010, 06:13 PM

What area of the country are you talking about? They are still hiring here in Texas.

**premo** · July 22nd, 2010, 06:22 PM

I know that thel lost TN, NC, LO. They might have to lay off at corporate.

**Mke** · July 22nd, 2010, 06:38 PM

LO?

**ddiaz6789** · July 22nd, 2010, 07:57 PM

I heard company wide. I know here in California is going to get major cuts.

**yahoo** · July 22nd, 2010, 08:52 PM

with e-sketch out of the way...yes ....there probably will be layoffs.....hopefully not but it's bound to happen!! sorry if I sound negative!

**sprayandpray** · July 23rd, 2010, 06:48 AM

There's no talk of e-sketch being done away with here.

**fiberlocator99** · July 23rd, 2010, 07:25 AM

what is "e sketch"?

**paintman** · July 23rd, 2010, 06:02 PM

have not heard of any lay offs in ga

**yahoo** · July 23rd, 2010, 08:34 PM

a program that is supposed to enhance an actual picture or to help our company get out of a damage...sort of like a drawing or manifest of your locate......believe me...it's better you and anyone you know doesn't know what it is.....!!!!!!an awful waste of time!

Originally Posted by fiberlocator99

what is "e sketch"?

**ProfessionalLocator** · July 23rd, 2010, 09:09 PM

Don't let the help wanted ads for hiring at Utiliquest fool you. Utiliquest has a high percentage loss rate for employees, they have to hire to replace those who left or they fired. A Utiliquest locator today told me that if his truck stops moving for 5 minutes and the gps does not show him on a job site the computer generates an e-mail alert to his foreman. Who then calls him and demands to know why he is not working. This guy has worked for them over 4 years and has to answer fore every time he stops to use a bathroom.

Any firm with a high attrition rate for employees during a recession has got some serious problems.

They have steadily lost their experienced locators, not a flood but a trickle over time will skink the Titanic. In such cases you lose enough and they become irreplaceable.

My estimate is that over the next 5 years Utiliquest will lose a lot of contracts. I think USIC will follow the same path as Utiliquest, an old Utiliqest CEO runs it, but lag on losing contracts becasue they have not built up a bad enough reputation, yet.

**sprayandpray** · July 23rd, 2010, 09:58 PM

Supposedly, UtiliQuest has eased up on their e-sketch requirements in order to bring their on-time % up. The rumor is that they have to bring their on-time up to over 98% by Oct 1 or Atmos Gas is going to put the contract up for bid. I also heard that they have instituted a 1 damage rule - if you have an un-marked damage you are immediately fired. Talk about turnover!

**Bad Robot** · July 23rd, 2010, 10:11 PM

Originally Posted by ProfessionalLocator

Don't let the help wanted ads for hiring at Utiliquest fool you. Utiliquest has a high percentage loss rate for employees, they have to hire to replace those who left or they fired. A Utiliquest locator today told me that if his truck stops moving for 5 minutes and the gps does not show him on a job site the computer generates an e-mail alert to his foreman. Who then calls him and demands to know why he is not working. This guy has worked for them over 4 years and has to answer fore every time he stops to use a bathroom.

Any firm with a high attrition rate for employees during a recession has got some serious problems.

They have steadily lost their experienced locators, not a flood but a trickle over time will skink the Titanic. In such cases you lose enough and they become irreplaceable.

My estimate is that over the next 5 years Utiliquest will lose a lot of contracts. I think USIC will follow the same path as Utiliquest, an old Utiliqest CEO runs it, but lag on losing contracts becasue they have not built up a bad enough reputation, yet.

Which begs the question yet again, what is the point of all this nonsense? The talk on the street is and always has been how mismanaged and nasty these companies are. How do you expect to get and retain contracts with high emloyee turnover? How do you expect to retain quality techs when you treat your emplyees worse than common criminals?

I know quite a few techs with both these outfits, not a bad tech in the bunch. To a MAN, they all have one foot out the door as I type this. IN THE CRAPPIEST ECONOMY IN DECADES!!! Can anyone explain this to me, please?

**Locator14** · July 23rd, 2010, 10:50 PM

I heard Premo was gay????

**ProfessionalLocator** · July 24th, 2010, 06:08 AM

Originally Posted by sprayandpray

Supposedly, UtiliQuest has eased up on their e-sketch requirements in order to bring their on-time % up. The rumor is that they have to bring their on-time up to over 98% by Oct 1 or Atmos Gas is going to put the contract up for bid. I also heard that they have instituted a 1 damage rule - if you have an un-marked damage you are immediately fired. Talk about turnover!

An unmarked damage can be simply a mistake and not an intentional claim to have done work not performed. Such a mistake can be marking the wrong address which is easy to do the way some builders put up lot numbers.

The thing about mistakes is we learn from them, it is part of the training process and is routine overhead. The thing about Utiliquest is the mindset of it's management. One of their managers told me he did not believe in bonuses for locators who worked for a year, or years, without a damage. That Utiliquest paid locators to do the job right in the first place, anything less than perfection should be punished.

That is the mindset I see at Utiliquest. Not one of training, encouragement and respect, one of punishment, assumption of ill intent and a lack of respect.

I consider Utiliquest a toxic environment and a health care professional once said to me "sick workplaces make sick employees".