BSC Bosses Must Have This Information

Management is the art of getting things done through the coordination and oversight of multiple people and processes. For janitorial managers to be effective, they need certain accurate and timely information. Without this information, they are left to manage and make decisions in the dark. Although visiting accounts and interacting with janitors is important, managers can’t be everywhere at once. This is where reports can become very valuable in knowing without being present. For area, project and operations managers, three reports are key to getting a complete operational picture.

Daily Hours Budget Report

The daily hours budget report is perhaps the single most important, giving daily information about the jobs. This report is a summary of hours worked by each employee broken down by job. So for instance, if you manage ABC Bank, you can see who worked there last night and how many hours they worked. Additionally, if budgets are set up correctly, you can compare hours worked to hours budgeted.

This report gives managers two distinct advantages. First, it helps them monitor quality by ensuring ample time is spent at each account every night. Second, the daily hours budget report helps managers ensure jobs will profit as planned. With labor accounting for about 60 percent of all costs, monitoring hours is the driver of company profitability. When done effectively on a micro level, you can ensure profits on a macro level.

Monthly Job Cost Statement

This report zooms out the lens and looks at a monthly snapshot of each account. It is basically a profit and loss statement broken down by job. At my company, managers get a monthly statement for their accounts. With each account, they can track labor dollars, supply costs, overtime expenses and more.

This process allows each manager to take charge of his or her piece of the company. Each month, managers identify poorly performing accounts and put plans in place to get back on track. If each manager is managing accounts appropriately, we can expect consistent profitability, all other things being equal.

Monthly Company P&L

I am a huge fan of open book management. Exposing your company financials helps build trust among your management team while cultivating ownership at all levels of the organization. Additionally, monthly profit and loss statements help your managers see how their group of accounts tie into the company as a whole. When disconnected from this information, managers will have a myopic vision for their work. Do not be reluctant here. Not only will your team appreciate the information, I have found that open books keep me accountable, providing a check and balance on my leadership.

Reporting tools can be a powerful force for effective management. If you give your team the tools they need to make decisions, and hold them accountable to results, you will be pleasantly surprised how they can rise to the occasion.

Jordan Tong is a BSC consultant and founder of Elite Business Coaching, in addition to being a third-generation owner of Frantz Building Services based in Owensboro, Kentucky. For more information on his coaching services, visit www.elitebusinesscoaching.net.