Testing new employees

[George Ebersole]

So, ages ago I used to see (and when I was young experience) some "hazing" or little jabs from new crew members in an attempt to test my temperament.

 

I'm wondering if anyone here does that, and if you do, why do you think it's necessary.

 

Thanks for any replies.

[Max Field]

I mean, I do that to veterans in relation to my crew long before I do it to new people.

 

Please elaborate on these "jabs" so I can see if my idea of hazing is the same as yours.

Edited August 5, 2017 by Macks Fiiod

[Mark Kenfield]

I don't know about 'hazing' (I don't really see what it would accomplish), but I certainly make a point of testing the skillsets, problem solving abilities and efficiency of any new crew who come to work under me. Setting specific tasks, evaluating how well they perform them, and then quizzing them on the logic of why they took the particular approach they did (before correcting their methodology if need be).

Production is such a high-stress environment, that I think it's incredibly important to understand (thoroughly) the capabilities of every member of your team. It allows you to set tasks and minimise the risk of unnecessarily lost minutes (or in horror cases, hours) to poorly executed work.

Some people learn quickly, some learn slowly, and some are seemingly incapable of learning anything at all. I think it's vital to know where people sit on that scale, so that you don't waste time or energy on lost causes.

[George Ebersole]

Well, there've been

 

I mean, I do that to veterans in relation to my crew long before I do it to new people.

 

Please elaborate on these "jabs" so I can see if my idea of hazing is the same as yours.

 

Well, do you ever call something .... say a C-stand by a different name to see if the guy who wants to work with you corrects you and knows the name, or is pretending. Do you ask him if he knows what an "automatic hammer" is, that kind of thing.

 

How far do you take it.

[George Ebersole]

I don't know about 'hazing' (I don't really see what it would accomplish), but I certainly make a point of testing the skillsets, problem solving abilities and efficiency of any new crew who come to work under me. Setting specific tasks, evaluating how well they perform them, and then quizzing them on the logic of why they took the particular approach they did (before correcting their methodology if need be).

 

Production is such a high-stress environment, that I think it's incredibly important to understand (thoroughly) the capabilities of every member of your team. It allows you to set tasks and minimise the risk of unnecessarily lost minutes (or in horror cases, hours) to poorly executed work.

 

Some people learn quickly, some learn slowly, and some are seemingly incapable of learning anything at all. I think it's vital to know where people sit on that scale, so that you don't waste time or energy on lost causes.

 

 

When I was a teen I got a lot of it, and some of it was pretty mean spirited. Some guy asked me what the power distrubtion on the studio grid was, and I got it confused with a different number and told him the wrong value. I was pretty nervous at the time being a "noob", but I actually knew the answer he wanted.

 

I'm just wondering if that's still industry standard, because as a middle aged man I REALLY DON'T appreciate it. As a teen starting out while still in college, I guess you got to suffer through that kind of bullsh_t.

[Max Field]

Well, there've been

 

 

Well, do you ever call something .... say a C-stand by a different name to see if the guy who wants to work with you corrects you and knows the name, or is pretending. Do you ask him if he knows what an "automatic hammer" is, that kind of thing.

 

How far do you take it.

I don't really do anything like that. Someone could call a C-stand a "Spiderclaw" and I wouldn't care as long as they knew how to use it quickly. While terminology is important for early communication, it's solely a "What's that" - "This" - "Oh" exchange.

 

Now if I'm like "put a key light there" and they point it in a way that's blatantly unappealing, then I'm like "who the heck is this guy".

 

But my definition of hazing is traditional insult comedy "dipshit" "wiseguy" "moron". Which is why I said I only do it with guys I've worked with for a long time who'll get it.

[Adrian Sierkowski]

So long as they don't try to find HMI fluid i think they'll be ok.
The worst hazing i've ever done is too a good friend of mine on set where I sent him looking for a bag of t-stops on the truck (there wasn't much happening that day) and he spent a good hour or so trying to find it; asking everyone around-- and on the plus side certainly learned exactly where things were on said truck. But that was long ago.

[George Ebersole]

So long as they don't try to find HMI fluid i think they'll be ok.

The worst hazing i've ever done is too a good friend of mine on set where I sent him looking for a bag of t-stops on the truck (there wasn't much happening that day) and he spent a good hour or so trying to find it; asking everyone around-- and on the plus side certainly learned exactly where things were on said truck. But that was long ago.

 

Admittedly that makes me laugh. Years back I was working at Home Depot and I had a customer complain that her tub was a funny color. She had done something like using steel wool to get rid of some stains, and had "sanded" off the tubs protective coating down to the base material and wanted to now how to get rid of it. I told her she would have to repaint or repair, but then she repeated her question.

 

My response ----> :)

 

I then recommended she see our plumbing guy. Oh well.