Supervisors should avoid simply going for the quick fix to the extent that it becomes part of your corporate culture. There will be days when nothing goes right and you will be glad simply to have gotten through the day. There will be days when the phone starts ringing early and all your plans are dashed due to having to respond to a real or contrived crisis. There will be days when workers either call in sick or simply fail to show for their jobs at the appointed time. 

All of these events can easily throw the average company off their game and result in doubling up, skip cleaning, delaying of unessential tasks (buffing, wall washing, etc.) so that the basic tasks can be performed with the available staff. The danger is that if you get accustomed to managing by crisis you will lose sight of productivity, growth, quality control, training and other key goals that can make or break the company over time.

If a worker is allowed to not change mop water, dump the vacuum cleaner bag or wipe down the machine when through because they are in crisis mode this can easily become SOP (standard operating procedure) for them. Over time, these lapses can result in more complaints as well as an overall lowering of standards and expected outcomes. It has been demonstrated that relying on your best workers to constantly fill in for others, asking them to take on additional tasks without proper compensation and asking favors will eventually drive them away as they burn out and find another job or line of work.

It is all about keeping perspective and satisfying not only the customer but also key workers. Beware of managing by crisis. 

Your comments and questions are always welcome. 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 11/6/2013