A reader writes: “I do not have the time or money to send my supervisors to two four-day training classes. Most of them are experienced and came up through the ranks. Do you agree with my reasoning?”

The short answer is no and the long answer is “are you kidding me?” In our conversation, you complained about staff turnover, including supervisors who did not seem to be loyal to your company. My question to you is, why should they be loyal to a company that does not invest in them? Another point to make is “pay me now or pay me later.” Your lack of support to these key people is resulting in higher turnover, increased complaints, lost contracts and overall a poor reputation in the community that you serve.

Your supervisors may be experienced and may have come up through the ranks but that does not mean that they are up-to-date, are motivated and most of all, loyal to you. They oftentimes seem to be reflecting the same level of loyalty that you are projecting to them which borders on tolerance and disrespect of their position since they are simply janitors who have been promoted due to longevity.

What about hosting a half day supervisor celebration on a weekend with pizza, vendors and a speaker dealing with just one aspect of supervision, HR, safety, quality control, training tips or other subject? What would that cost you in the long run and yes, you may have to pay them for overtime to attend this session. So what? Think of the ROI (return on investment) from reduced complaints, better outcomes, customer retention and less turnover in this level of management.

A well trained, well motivated, well paid, well supported front line supervisor can make your company grow and succeed when so many fail.

Your comments and feedback are always appreciated. 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 4/13/2017