[Mrs Nicholls]

hi

Just wondered how you other dom & com cleaning businesses promote teamwork through the ranks.

its something i would like to incorporate into the training in jan, as some really have a problem with working with others, (prefering to their own company and sod the rest attitude) and i'd like to show them how much more rewarding and effective cleaning can be even though you may not physically be working together, but are working towards the same targets / cause.

Lisa

[garyj]

Beat them regularly and use threats of physical violence often. Squirt bleach in there eyes everytime the customer complains, don't let them go home until you are satisfied even if that means locking them in.

[glenda hollis]

Hello Lisa. What is the problem you are having exactly?

[Mrs Nicholls]

  funny gary

Hi Glenda, it just bothers me, i have always worked in a team environment, and i'd like to think i could have staff go cover a job without whinging that its not their customer so they dont want to go. I see it as if every customer is everyones, not one particular cleaner. I would rotate the rota if i could and if staff would consider going a little bit further or a different direction. They have the attitude all wrong, my customer they say not our customer.

Just one of those things that id like to fix.

[Art]

Tell them when you employ them that they'll be rotated

[Mrs Nicholls]

i dont know why they have the attitude of "my customer",  perhaps its because i tried to offer them work in their local area as much as possible in tyhe start. Inhave nothing to say that they have to do these customers and that they are their customers.

Saying that we do have a lot of changes coming about in january, so i could incorporate this change into it. I have them come to me to collect keys etc and drop off on a daily basis now, so it doesnt really matter to where they are travelling as they have a mileage allowance paid. I have already handed out week comm. 7th jan rota's, so i think may need to shake things up the week after. it all comes down to who works what days and what hours.

[garyj]

Tell them when you employ them that they'll be rotated

  Makes me think of Stan Collymore  ( But not in a gay way  ). Or an orgy.

Don't try  and come across too heavy handed so soon after taking the business over, do it gradually or they'll all be saying that it's gone to your head, then they'll get worse.
Don't forget the better you treat them the more they'll expect, the one's that get the most will be the most trouble in the end.

[Art]

Tell them when you employ them that they'll be rotated

  Makes me think of Stan Collymore 

 

[garyj]

Hijacked Thread Alert 

Arfer, how you doing  Hope you had a good Xmas and getting ready for New Year.

All the best for next year.

[Art]

Hijacked Thread Alert 

Arfer, how you doing  Hope you had a good Xmas and getting ready for New Year.

All the best for next year.

It wasn't bad mate thanks. Family party new years day so that should be eventful.

How was your xmas?

[Mrs Nicholls]

rude  

its been me running the show all along, so i dont think they'll even notice.

i think i'll just throw them all together in a heavy duty one off clean and see what happens.

[Art]

Lisa, another thing with rotation is that your customers might not like it, but all you have to do is explain that you want all your staff cross trained, so that you can provide a top class service incase of sickness or holiday

[garyj]

Why not try having a couple of floaters. Offer it to everyone with the enticement of slightly more wages then pick the ones you want, get them to go and get familiar with the jobs and be on 'emergency standby'.

I went cleaning this morning  One and a half hours  , got a text late last night from a tired ( soon to be retired) cleaner  .

Have to agree with Arfer, I think domestic customers ( & commercial ) like to see the same face each clean and get to know who is on the premises.

[Rob_Mac]

A team and its attitude is driven from the top. Be fair but firm and offer incentive. Are you leading by example. I get stuck in with my lads and am still there pushing them when they want to stop.

They all need to realise that without a conserted effort and more team attitude that there wont be a business to offer them a wage. I would not run a business where the people were telling me who they were going to work with/ or not.

The problems you think you may have may actually never materialise - maybe you have one or two who are the voices of your workforce when in reality they are no more than trouble causers out to protect  their own backs.

I would be very concerned about this ' they are my customers attitude' and would have them on a rota basis as soon as possible. Are they trustworthy, are they getting back handers for extras they are doing on your time. Do you trust them.

Rob

[glenda hollis]

Lisa, in fairness to your ladies it is much easier for them to do the same houses unless its a dire emergancy. Getting to know a different house and a different client if people are at home when they go is a long process. I would only ever consider sending them to a different client if the cleaner or client asked for it. The other thing is that they will be able to work much more quickly in the same houses as they will have learnt what is what and where things go and in what order to best do the work. They must be flexible to the idea of being moved around but there is no point doing it for changes sake. I hope it goes ok.

[steve doyle]

"Why not try having a couple of floaters. Offer it to everyone with the enticement of slightly more wages then pick the ones you want,"



not sure you could entice me with a couple of floaters!

[Ian Rochester]

Lisa,

It seems as though you need to change the way you manage your staff and allocate work, are you hands on or not? 

I'm still very much hands on and I try and get out to every contract job at least once a month to check on what they are doing.

Do you ever get them all out on a job together, or do you all ever do anything together, meals out, nights out, etc.

If you staff do not know each other then it is very hard to build up teamwork as there will always be envy and elitism.  Get them all together for a night out and socialise

[carpet guy]

Some good advice here Lisa and it might surprise you to find most are doing some hands - on, or are at least on site regularly.

[Mrs Nicholls]

Hi All

thanks for your advice, i am still hands on, and get out and about as much as possible on to the sites, i have been out and about cleaning for the last few weeks as the staff are all on hols, dom and comm. I try to leave the daily supervising to other lisa, as its supposed to be her part of deal, and i visit everyine as much as i can through the month.

I have been allocating the work trying to be fair,  by the cleaners having jobs near to them, now we have more jobs its not very practical.

The way i allocate jobs at the moment is that we have a weekly schedule of work and i have an availability list from the cleaners, so i know who can work which days and how many hours and times. Some cleaners cant work past 3pm, while others only want this thurs afternoon but not next. and absolutely not a monday, so their are a few restraints.

I'm trying to have a think how best to allocate, i dont really want to give them the opportunity to pick their own from a list, perhaps if they pick out of a hat. or i just say look you are scheduled in for these cleans today - go get on with it.

[glenda hollis]

Why don't you want them to pick their own jobs? Sometimes it is easy to see how systems and methods work well in other companies and in job's we've previously done and it can seem attractive to have the same system in our own business. However, it is pointless if it doesnt work. Allowing staff to pick their own work amongst themseleves is almost unheard of in bigger organisations but it can work very well in a smaller gathering. It would be a shame if you discarded this idea simply because its not the done-thing. I dont see that pulling the names from a hat is fairer, at least if people were picking their own jobs they'd know themselves what would work for them.