03 Mar Tradesmen Working Beyond Call of Duty

Tradesmen Working Beyond Call of Duty

Many tradesmen insurance policyholders will know what it is like to be asked to do something that falls outside of their usual remit. However, a recent survey by My Job Quote reveals just how common it is for tradesmen to be asked to go beyond the call of duty.

The survey makes for some pretty mind-boggling reading. At Tredstone, we’ve decided to compile a ‘top five’ list of the survey’s most common extra job requests.

1. Answer the door

An astonishing 61% of tradesman insurance policyholders say that they have been asked to answer the door for a client. This might seem like a trivial matter for some, but if you are in the middle of plastering a ceiling, fiddling with the electrics, sawing a bathroom cabinet or sanding a work surface, it can be incredibly inconvenient. It may also sometimes result in some unexpected surprises. After all, who can ever be sure who is behind the door?

2. Make the tea or coffee

Few things are as welcome in the middle of a hard day’s slog as a cup of tea or coffee. This, however, may not be so true if you are charged with making it while you are in the process of performing an arduous or particularly tricky job. There are exceptions though, such as if your client is infirm or elderly; it can be rewarding to be put on tea duty in such instances. Apparently, 36% of tradespeople report being asked to do this.

3. Be the Secretary

27% of the tradespeople surveyed say that they have been asked to answer the client’s phone or, or, in some cases, to actually make a telephone call. Sure, the client might trust you, but isn’t this taking it a bit far?

4. Wash up

26% of tradespeople say they have been asked to wash up by a client. We can understand if you have used the client’s crockery for your lunch, but if it is simply a case of clearing the sink and draining board for the client’s convenience, this one falls well outside of your remit.

Take out the bins

If you are among the 22% of tradesman insurance holders who have been asked to do this, we feel for you. If you are being asked to remove your own rubbish or rubble, then fair enough, but if you are simply taking out a bag of household waste, it is not your job – one acceptable exception is if you are helping an elderly or infirm client.

And there’s more

The above only represents the top five. There are some more shocking albeit less common requests too. For example, 10% of the tradespeople surveyed said that they have been asked to do grocery shopping for the client, while the same percentage said they had been asked to babysit children!