Sweeping Employee Training and Management

North American Power Sweeping Association Seminar on Employee Management, Part 2

At Bill's Sweeping, they use magnetic decals made that say: "We're hiring." When the company needs sweeper operators they put the decals onto their sweepers. When they aren't taking applications, they take off the decals.

Several owners in attendance confirmed that they offer a monetary payment if a current employee refers someone who is subsequently hired. Mark Carter said they have a wall sign in their employee restrooms declaring that if an employee is hired as a result of referral by a current employee, the company will pay a bonus of $500. The schedule of payment they use is $100 paid when the new person's second paycheck is issued, $100 for the 90-day paycheck, and $300 after the referred person has been on board for 6 months.

Some discussion was given on the topic of the best places to put ads. Several in the seminar have had success in placing ads that will be seen by military personnel, since these are people who will need a job when they are released from service. Consensus was that those who have been in the military make good employees, since they are used to following directions, being trained, etc.

Other successful places included ads in the free papers, such as the Thrifty Nickel, Five Center, or any other advertisement-based local paper that is available. These were seen as generally a cheaper place to run ads than in daily newspapers and, since the distribution of these are often segmented into smaller geographic areas, it also helps to ensure that people who respond are located in your immediate area. No one in the room said they were currently using the Internet to attract sweeper operators.

At this point, some discussion was given on the use of temporary workers and ways to reduce turnover. On the former point, the general experience was that those hired from temporary agencies tended to be transient or for some other reason couldn't hold a full-time job. The hiring of women as sweeper operators brought just the opposite response. Virtually all the contractors in the room agreed that when women want this type of job they make good employees in that they are punctual, thorough, train well and provide a good overall work product.

There were two basic types of turnover cited: One are the people who simply don't cut it at the job. The others are people who work for some amount of time as a sweeper operator, but then move up to other things. Mark said that in their experience these occur at about a 50/50 ratio. The big difference between the two, he said, is that those who can't do well at the job usually have to be moved out the door within 6 months. The ones who eventually move on to bigger/better things typically last at least a year. His company, he said, always asks for at least a year's commitment from new-hires.

Carter said he makes a point of making it clear to employees that if they give a month or two of notice they'll not get their hours cut in the interim. In other words, there will be no penalty attached to the fact they will be leaving. That way there's time to get a quality replacement, which isn't the case when someone gives just a 2-week notice.

His company has also found a value in hiring people for night work who have had 2nd or 3rd shift jobs before. They've learned this is more important than is hiring someone with a large amount of previous driving experience.

Also, in some states there are tax write-offs and/or rebates available through some state agencies when particular classes of individuals are hired. This could be explored by calling your local Chamber of Commerce or Health and Human Services agency.

On the topic of training, Mark stressed the value of having a manual that can be given to new employees. Through the years, he said, his company has developed a manual that contains all the job performance information they've gleaned over the years. This includes a test after each section. The manual is designed such that it may also be used by a current employee to train a new hire. Updates and changes, he said, are often made by looking at the notes and test scores/question misses of previous trainees.

Gabe Vitale's company has an employee handbook that an employee must sign, on the back page, confirming that they've read it. They keep the manual in-house so it is less likely to fall into the hands of competitors, yet make it available to the employee at any time.

Mark's company gives its employees tests on a regular basis, with a $$ amount given to those who pass. For example, they might test the ability of their employees to create an accurate map of the major roads in their area. Typically, he said, those who pass get $50 each, but if just one person passes he/she gets an additional $50 added bonus.

The giving of bonuses for accident-free time-frames was also discussed. On this topic, there appear to be both positives and negatives. For example, the negative of giving $100 to each employee if the company remains accident-free for the entire quarter is that there might be an accident early in the time period. This negates the bonus immediately. For that reason, it seemed better to segment out the bonus to the individual who remained accident-free.

Vitale, whose company is in a snow-belt state, said they give a $500 bonus to people who come back after being laid off through the winter 'no-sweep' time. This costs less, he said, than having to re-train someone, and they see it as a reward for loyalty.

• Having a weekly meeting with a suggestion box. The proponent said they actually try each of the suggestions to see what happens. Even if they don't work, the employee can see that the company is interested in their input.
• Do an employee barbecue every few months. Use this as a time for swapping stories about what's happened on the job. Ask "Tell us about the close calls you've had." Everyone benefits from hearing what's happened to the others. Never offer alcohol at these due to the liability it creates.
• Gift certificates to a restaurant for innovation ideas. Usually $50.
• Tickets for the local minor league team are given on occasion.
• Give compliments to drivers whenever possible, not just complaints, and always compliment in public and discuss negatives/criticize in private.
• When there are accidents involving work vehicles from any company, not just sweepers, have a bulletin board where the articles/pictures are displayed.

The use of benefits and profit sharing as motivational factors were also discussed. Several contractors thought that profit sharing is helpful for employee longevity, however there must be a qualifying period for it to start. As an example, an employee might qualify to begin participating after completing 1 year on the job, and then have the contributions vested after staying with the company for 5 years or more.

Most people offered benefits on a sliding scale such that the longer an employee has been with the company, the better the benefits. Attendees were about split between the owners who provide benefits for employees only vs. providing them for the employee and his/her family. Some said they offer additional money per hour if the employee doesn't have a use for the benefits, for example if the person is already covered by their spouse's employer. One contractor noted that providing $1 more an hour costs much less, for example, than the benefits that duplicate current coverage.

At this point, discussion turned to following the correct guidelines leading up to firing an employee. On this topic, it is very important to begin with an accurate job description that is laid out in advance. Doing so lays the groundwork for later proving that someone hasn't been doing their job.

It is also necessary to document, in writing, every time an employee is disciplined. At the very least, make sure that whoever did the disciplinary action writes down the date and a general explanation of what was said and have it signed by both employee and manager. Not only do you need to show that the conversation took place and when, but you also need something that will serve to jog the memory of the manager at a later date, so they can recall the situation.

Finally, an idea on how to ensure your employees get to work on time. Mark said they make every effort to have the sweeper gone on its route, no matter who has to drive it, if an employee is even 5 minutes late in their first few days on the job. He said they absolutely want to impress upon their workers how important it is to be on time. In their experience, he said, if someone loses a night's work they're more likely to understand the importance of being on time.

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