If this were a perfect world, made up of perfect people, everyone would do their jobs happily and efficiently. No one would ever show up late, waste time, slack off, or sleep on the job.<\/p>\n
But this isn\u2019t a perfect world filled with perfect people, as you may have noticed. If you\u2019ve been in business as a landscape contractor for any length of time, you\u2019ve hired a number of people to work for you \u2014 some good, some not so good.<\/p>\n
Dealing with the less-than-stellar employees on your staff is never fun. But there may be some ways to make it less painful for everyone involved \u2014 you, your other employees and the employee causing you problems. There may even be a way to turn a bad worker into a good one.<\/p>\n
As president and CEO of Grunder Landscaping Co., and Marty Grunder Inc., a green industry consulting firm based in Miamisburg, Ohio, Marty Grunder has seen the problem-employee conundrum from both sides. \u201cThe most common issues with green industry employees usually involve them not doing what they\u2019re supposed to,\u201d he says. \u201cIt could be tardiness, incomplete work, a safety issue or a customer-service issue \u2014 a multitude of things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jorge Donapetry is human resources manager at Stay Green, Valencia, California, a large operation with 360 employees. \u201cWe tell people at our new hire orientation that if it\u2019s a small thing, like you have your hat on backwards, we\u2019re going to talk to you first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut if it happens again, you\u2019ll get a written warning, after that, a suspension, and finally, if you keep breaking the rule, we\u2019ll terminate you.\u201d Something more serious, such as stealing equipment, or a safety infraction such as zip-tying a throttle down on a mower, would result in immediate termination.<\/p>\n
Mostly, Grunder says, what\u2019s needed are good, solid crew leaders who know how to manage people. At times, that\u2019s easier said than done. Crew leaders usually start out as crew members. But a great crew member may not necessarily be a great leader.<\/p>\n
Very often, inexperienced or new supervisors may be loath to confront fellow employees because they want to be everyone\u2019s pal. They need to learn how to be approachable, but still be the boss.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the hardest part,\u201d says Grunder, \u201cteaching team leaders how to lead and manage. Because many of them haven\u2019t done that before.\u201d<\/p>\n
Simon Durocher is a production supervisor in the landscape maintenance department of David J. Frank Landscape Contracting Inc. in Milwaukee. Having led and managed landscape workers for 17 years, he says, \u201cA lot of little things that are kind of in the gray area \u2014 like someone mumbling something under his breath as he walks away \u2014 you let that incident fly, and another one, but then these little things can start to snowball until they really do become a big issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
When he was younger, he says it was much more difficult for him to pick up on those subtle things. But now that he\u2019s older and has many years of supervisory experience under his belt, he realizes he has to handle a problem with a worker as soon as it arises.<\/p>\n
Most of all, says Grunder, employees need a map \u2014 and the more inexperienced they are, the more detailed the map needs to be. \u201cIf people aren\u2019t doing what you want and need them to do, ask yourself if you\u2019ve trained them well enough. Nine times out of 10, the reason the employee didn\u2019t perform well was that you didn\u2019t train him properly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, not every employee problem has to do with lack of training. A lot of it stems from the person\u2019s attitude toward work.<\/p>\n
When it\u2019s necessary to talk to an employee about his behavior, the language you choose is very important. \u201cI\u2019ll often get a call from a contractor who says, \u2018I have this employee with a bad attitude and I\u2019m sick of it,\u2019\u201d says green industry business consultant Jean Seawright. \u201c\u2018I\u2019m going to document him and get rid of him.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut just telling someone \u2018you have a bad attitude\u2019 is too subjective. What does that mean? You need to describe exactly what it is they\u2019re doing, or not doing, that makes you think that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Describe precisely what has occurred, and what will happen if the behavior doesn\u2019t change. \u201cA lot of times, a management person\u2019s intent to help someone correct his behavior really just starts him down the path to termination,\u201d Seawright says, \u201cbecause he hasn\u2019t learned how to effectively coach people and help them understand what they\u2019ve done wrong. It\u2019s kind of an art. If you can\u2019t get an employee to agree that there\u2019s a problem, he\u2019s less likely to solve it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Durocher relates this story. \u201cWith this one employee, every week, there was something keeping him from coming in. It was, \u2018My daughter is sick,\u2019 or \u2018my tires got slashed.\u2019 These things on their own aren\u2019t that big a deal, but red flags were really starting to wave.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before he called the worker in, he made sure he\u2019d done his homework. All of the man\u2019s absences and his excuses for them were laid out in front of him. \u201cI said, \u2018I want to be the kind of manager you feel comfortable coming to if your child gets sick. I want to believe you, but with the frequency of your no-shows, it\u2019s getting harder. I think you\u2019re taking advantage of my good nature.\u2019\u201d He adds, \u201cThere wasn\u2019t any yelling; that doesn\u2019t solve anything, it just puts people on the defensive, and makes things worse. No one really wins.\u201d<\/p>\n
Durocher\u2019s calm, fact-based yet empathetic approach paid off. \u201cThe employee didn\u2019t try to argue back at all, and after that his attitude turned around.\u201d<\/p>\n
When there is a serious situation, like the time someone didn\u2019t want to do something that his crew leader asked him to do and instead, \u201cgot in his face\u201d and shoved him, he never deals with it right on the spot. \u201cJust for my own personal sanity, I won\u2019t deal with it until the next morning. I need time to calm down and think clearly about the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of times a problem with someone can be resolved by just talking to the employee,\u201d says an operations manager at CurbSide Landscape and Irrigation, Savage, Minnesota, who did not want to be identified. \u201cIf it\u2019s attendance or performance, it often stems from something that has nothing to do with them not being happy at work. It might be something at home that\u2019s not going right. The labor pool that we\u2019re hiring from typically lives paycheck to paycheck, and all the stress with money and family stuff can really show up at work.\u201d<\/p>\n
You might be able to head some problems off at the pass; after all, it\u2019s better to avoid the flu than to treat it. Grunder prefers the preventative approach, using the mantra, \u201cHire slow, fire fast.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do background checks and drug screens at our company,\u201d he says. \u201cWe won\u2019t hire just anyone. If someone has a felony conviction, he\u2019s out. Or, if he doesn\u2019t have a valid driver\u2019s license, because then, we\u2019d be relying on two people to get one person to work in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having written-down policies that everyone can refer to is essential, says Seawright. \u201cWe advise companies of all sizes, no matter how small, to have an employee handbook. There are certain policies that need to be spelled out, regardless of the number of employees you have. Sexual harassment is a good example.\u201d<\/p>\n
But, she cautions, be careful how you write this manual. Gone are the days of fancy tables that listed all of the possible infractions and all of the disciplinary actions that would result. She doesn\u2019t recommend that any company spell out precisely what kinds of disciplinary action will be taken for whatever infraction occurs.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s because most companies operate under employment-at-will laws, which state that an employer has the right to terminate an employee at a moment\u2019s notice, with or without cause.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut, if you have a process in place that says, \u2018I must issue you three warnings before you\u2019re terminated,\u2019 or, \u2018if you engage in this infraction, you will be terminated,\u2019 we\u2019ve now eroded that right to terminate at will, because we\u2019re locking ourselves into certain steps ahead of time.\u201d Leave room in the policy for making judgments on a case-by-case basis.<\/p>\n
Many contractors complain about younger employees, saying they\u2019re not like the entry-level applicants they used to get in years past. Every generation has its work ethic questioned by members of the previous ones. Currently, it\u2019s the millennials\u2019 turn.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the 20-somethings, we\u2019re almost having to reparent them, in a way. It seems as if their parents never sat them down and told them the requirements of having and keeping a job,\u201d Durocher says,.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese youngsters, they\u2019re on their cell phones all the time, and they don\u2019t know how to work,\u201d said Rolland Kuhr, owner of Naturescape Designs, a full-service design\/ build company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. \u201cThey\u2019re not reliable, and they don\u2019t want to be corrected. They\u2019ll say, \u2018If you\u2019re going to criticize me, then I\u2019m just going to walk away right now.\u2019\u201d Seawright says the millennials indeed behave differently than older generations. \u201cThey need to talk about everything \u2014 their lives, their work, their relationships. But what they need most of all is someone to act as a \u2018millennial mentor,\u2019 to show them what it takes to succeed on the job.\u201d<\/p>\n
Older workers can have their own set of problems like a sense of entitlement. \u201cIt can be tricky dealing with the older guys,\u201d says Durocher. \u201cThey\u2019re more entrenched and secure in the company, and they do push back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Drug and alcohol use on the job is a serious problem in a profession where sharp and powerful tools are being used, and vehicles are being driven. The topic itself warrants a whole article, but it is important to mention in the broader context of problem employees.<\/p>\n
There are many resources for help in developing a drug and alcohol policy if you don\u2019t already have one. With the opioid crisis, and the many states legalizing medical and recreational marijuana use, you can\u2019t afford to be without one.<\/p>\n
The National Association of Landscape Professionals, Fairfax, Virginia, offers its members sample drug-free workplace policies and guidance regarding testing protocols. Companies such as Working Partners of Canal Winchester, Ohio, also help set up drug-free workplaces for green industry employers.<\/p>\n
Finally, problem employees may be caused by problem bosses. A hardline, do-as-I-say-and-don\u2019t-question-it management style may work in the military, but not in the modern workplace. Seawright says, \u201cToday, things are more collaborative and educational. We involve employees more in decision-making.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are solutions short of showing someone the door. If you need help in this area, get advice from NALP, your state landscape association, a trade association, a consultant or another contractor \u2014 one that\u2019s been in business longer than you. With some good advice, today\u2019s problem employee might even become tomorrow\u2019s superstar.<\/p>\n
Before GPS devices became commonplace, a contractor would send a crew off and trust that its members were at Ms. Wilson\u2019s house trimming her roses, and not at a movie, or at home taking a nap. When employees know they\u2019re being monitored, it tends to keep them from stopping at the 7-Eleven and other unauthorized places.<\/p>\n
Many app-based check-in systems available today such as ExacTime, LaborSync, TSheets, Employee Time Clock, Timr and others use GPS tracking or \u201cgeofencing.\u201d<\/p>\n
These programs use smartphones to eliminate two problems: one, the problem of people and vehicles not being where they\u2019re supposed to be; and two, the practice of \u201cbuddy clocking,\u201d where one employee fraudulently clocks in for another.<\/p>\n
Some of these apps will take an employee\u2019s picture when he clocks in at a job site and record the exact time and location that picture was taken. Most employees today accept things like GPS tracking as part of today\u2019s workplace.<\/p>\n
\u201cTen years ago, people objected to it,\u201d says Jean Seawright, a green industry business consultant. \u201cBut today, everyone understands, because we all have it on our phones. We rarely get questions from employees regarding that anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
An appropriate response can keep a personnel issue in check.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":6544,"parent":0,"template":"","main-categories":[25],"class_list":["post-3496","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","main-categories-business"],"yoast_head":"\n