In this article, I continue to address a new team member just starting in the custodial industry.  Your personal attitudes and actions are very important in your own success in all your endeavors, including being a custodian.  Following is a continuation of tips:

1. You should be able to read, write and calculate well.  Many of the directions you receive will be in the form of writing.  This includes OSHA required labels and directions that must be understood and followed carefully to protect your safety as well as others.  It may be necessary for you to write a report or make note of a safety or repair issue.  Finally, you may be called on to measure how many ounces per gallon a product should be used or how to calculate the square footage of an area.

2. You should be alert to problems and be able to offer solutions.  Make sure you engage your supervisor so that you do not go beyond your authority but show initiative in finding a win/win solution.

3. You should finish the job on time without sacrificing quality.  This can be tricky since the key word is “time” since we are budgeted only so much time for most procedures.  The quality outcome is important since the customer is paying for a certain level of service and it is up to us to fulfill that expectation.

4. You should be honest and dependable.  Although this sounds like a given, it is important that we never take anything from an account.  This includes mints or candies from a tenant’s desk or raiding the refrigerator for a quick snack.  Stealing is stealing and can bring a poor reflection on yourself and your company.  

We will look at dependability in the next article.

Your comments and questions are important. I hope to hear from you soon. Until then, keep it clean…

Mickey Crowe has been involved in the industry for over 35 years. He is a trainer, speaker and consultant. You can reach Mickey at 678-314-2171 or CTCG50@comcast.net.


posted on 8/4/2014