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Training New Roof Cleaning Employees

gutterdog · Nov 26, 2010

Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa FL (813) 655-8777 wrote:

It is very hard for some new employees to understand what can happen if plants are not properly watered. Of the zillions of employees I have trained in the past, one tactic I did was take them to SEE what happens when they get lazy watering, or just fail to do it right. I give them one chance, then it comes out of their Pay.
There is No such thing as overwatering plants!

Me and Bill Talked about that before Tampa. It's hard to find help that has the same eye for detail. With my gutter cleanings if there is a call back, depending on who's fault it is the helper doesnt get paid for the call back.

RCIA Founder

gutterdog wrote:

Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa FL (813) 655-8777 wrote:

It is very hard for some new employees to understand what can happen if plants are not properly watered. Of the zillions of employees I have trained in the past, one tactic I did was take them to SEE what happens when they get lazy watering, or just fail to do it right. I give them one chance, then it comes out of their Pay.
There is No such thing as overwatering plants!

Me and Bill Talked about that before Tampa. It's hard to find help that has the same eye for detail. With my gutter cleanings if there is a call back, depending on who's fault it is the helper doesnt get paid for the call back.

In THIS business, you must make them have an eye for detail!
You can easily blow all the profit from a job, and more on employee mistakes!

gutterdog · Nov 26, 2010

Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa FL (813) 655-8777 wrote:

gutterdog wrote:

Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa FL (813) 655-8777 wrote:

It is very hard for some new employees to understand what can happen if plants are not properly watered. Of the zillions of employees I have trained in the past, one tactic I did was take them to SEE what happens when they get lazy watering, or just fail to do it right. I give them one chance, then it comes out of their Pay.
There is No such thing as overwatering plants!

Me and Bill Talked about that before Tampa. It's hard to find help that has the same eye for detail. With my gutter cleanings if there is a call back, depending on who's fault it is the helper doesnt get paid for the call back.

In THIS business, you must make them have an eye for detail!
You can easily blow all the profit from a job, and more on employee mistakes!

Maybe with a bonus at the end of the month, It could motivate the helper, to have the same eye for detail?

AC Lockyer · none

We made every employee sign a negligent damages clause as part of the new hire paperwork. If they caused any damages due to negligence we deducted the damages from the next pay check. By law you can payroll deduct damages and other things from an employees pay as long as they go home with at least min wage. Sometimes it took a few weeks to get all of the damages from an employees checks. However it only took a few of these deducts before an amazing thing happened.

They grew an eye for detail!

Id be happy to post our form in the Premium Members section for anyone to use.

AC

RCIA Founder

This is DUKE, the apple roof cleaning yard dog, protector of our trucks.
This is what happens to yard guys who forget to water!

Guest

gutterdog wrote:

Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa FL (813) 655-8777 wrote:

gutterdog wrote:

Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa FL (813) 655-8777 wrote:

It is very hard for some new employees to understand what can happen if plants are not properly watered. Of the zillions of employees I have trained in the past, one tactic I did was take them to SEE what happens when they get lazy watering, or just fail to do it right. I give them one chance, then it comes out of their Pay.
There is No such thing as overwatering plants!

Me and Bill Talked about that before Tampa. It's hard to find help that has the same eye for detail. With my gutter cleanings if there is a call back, depending on who's fault it is the helper doesnt get paid for the call back.

In THIS business, you must make them have an eye for detail!
You can easily blow all the profit from a job, and more on employee mistakes!

Maybe with a bonus at the end of the month, It could motivate the helper, to have the same eye for detail?

MIke - I like your thinking, POSITIVE incentives for employees. A bonus is a great motivator presuming the month or quarter etc have been call-back free (damage free?).

If not, and the employee is at fault, bonus (or partial bonus, depending on severity) is forfeited. This is just one of many variations. Other recourse might be necessary for expensive damage. (Watch out for Weeping Japanese Lace Maples - VERY spendy for example)

Positive incentives ALWAYS yield better results over negative incentives in the long run - presuming you're making good hires.

You could always turn Duke loose on 'em if they mess up!!

Roof Cleaning New Jersey · Nov 26, 2010

Chris I would like to fill out an application for Apple

NJ Roof Cleaner · Guest

my rules are ...

you brake it..... you pay for it!!!!

or you R fire!!!!!!!

guest

Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa FL (813) 655-8777 wrote:

This is DUKE, the apple roof cleaning yard dog, protector of our trucks.
This is what happens to yard guys who forget to water!

lol thats crazy stuff Chris

Chowell77 · Guest

That'd be great if you could post your negligent clause in the premium section AC, I know I for one would love to see it!

Thanks!

Ridgeway Roof and Exterior · Guest

Ted great post! It takes alot more than a form to get your employees to care about your customers. Pay them a good wage and bonus them, give them something to take home to there family.

Arctic101 · Guest

Ridgeway Roof and Exterior wrote:

Ted great post! It takes alot more than a form to get your employees to care about your customers. Pay them a good wage and bonus them, give them something to take home to there family.

I agree , you pay peanuts , u get monkeys roof cleaning

Roof Cleaning Cleveland (216) 323-0552 · Nov 27, 2010

Chowell77 wrote:

That'd be great if you could post your negligent clause in the premium section AC, I know I for one would love to see it!

Thanks!

Me too AC

AC Lockyer · none

Don't we pay the employees to do their job? That is why you need a job description for every position. You do not bonus employees based on them completing a list of duties. It is their job to complete that list and do it well. If they don't they get disciplined.

You bonus employees based on going above and beyond! I don't see caring for customers property as going above and beyond. That would mean that killing plants is the norm. Now they didn't kill some and we bonus them?????

We use to have the "wall of fame / shame"

Every time a customer care form came in a copy of it was posted under the truck/crew that created it. By months end it looked like a graph on a wall. The crew that had the most issues, touch-ups, damages, equipment left onsite, plants killed, had the longest line of customer care forms. The crew with the longest line got disciplined and the one with the shortest got a bonus. The ones in the middle were just doing their job.

I recommend if you have multiple crews or a few employees create your own "wall of fame" and visually track these things so the employees can self moderate their actions.

Unless employees get feed back they will continue to do the same things over and over. Build creative ways of giving feedback to your employees into your company.

I don't like cash bonuses! Cash doesn't always make it home to momma! I like gift cards to grocery stores, home depot, sears, k-mart, outback, etc. Many employees will just spend the extra cash irresponsibly. It will give you huge brownie points if you walk the bonus card directly out to the wife waiting in the parking lot and give it to her. Wives usually know better where bonuses should be applied. Then that wife is on your side keeping your employee coming into work on time everyday.

Over the years we had lead techs making 25 - 30k on residential work and commercial leads doing in excess of 35k. Before bonuses. These are Florida pay rates.

Hope this helps,

AC

Guest

Arctic101 wrote:

Ridgeway Roof and Exterior wrote:

Ted great post! It takes alot more than a form to get your employees to care about your customers. Pay them a good wage and bonus them, give them something to take home to there family.

I agree , you pay peanuts , u get monkeys

Artic101 - that is hilarious! And welcome to the forum, all the way from Ireland!

Re the other post above:

POSITIVE incentives create a POSITIVE atmosphere, and it doesn't have to cost your company one red cent more if done creatively. If you'd like to know what I'm referring to, PM me or call me.

Does one HAVE to implement a bonus program to be successful? Of course not. It depends on the atmosphere and company culture among employees that YOU want to create. This comes from many years of leading very successful, large high tech organizations - it's practical and applied experience talking.

To presume that an employee can't handle their own financial matters? That's a very clear indicator of poor hiring decisions or possibly micromanagement.

You want to create an additional eye for detail, as close to the 'owners' eye for detail as possible? Incentives in the form of $$ will do the trick EVERY time.

We'll agree to disagree. It's all good. Otherwise we'd have to presume there's only one way of doing things. And that'd be narrow minded.

Ridgeway Roof and Exterior · Guest

You do not just hand out bonuses!! You lay out goals for your employees to meet and when they are met then reward the employee. Create an atmosphere where the employee wants to perform above and beyond. I do not perform average for my customers, so why would i pay an employee average and expect them to be exceptional. Pay your field employees well, create a sense of ownership and potential for them in your company. The wages in Florida are sorry, but I believe if you pay more you will reap the rewards as a business owner.

SONNY · Guest

AC, WHEN YOU POST YOUR EMPLOYEE NEGLIGENT DAMAGE CLAUSE.

AC Lockyer · none

SONNY wrote:

AC, WHEN YOU POST YOUR EMPLOYEE NEGLIGENT DAMAGE CLAUSE.

Are you asking when will I post it? It will be posted later in the week in the Prem Section.

AC

deleted member

I couldn't find it AC. What's it posted under?

The Roof Cleaning Institute Of America Training & Certification Forum "Find A Certified Roof Cleaner Directory"

The Roof Cleaning Institute Of America Training & Certification Forum
"Find A Certified Roof Cleaner Directory"