We Always Find a Way to Make it Work!

 “Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell ’em, ‘Certainly I can!’ Then get busy and find out how to do it.”Theodore Roosevelt

These words of Theodore Roosevelt ring true in most Facilities & Services groups of most organizations, especially, the cleaning department. Is it not true that when the workload increases and no additional resources are provided, we still get the job done!

Theodore_Roosevelt_in_military_uniform,_1898

All of us who have managed In House staffs have at some point asked, “How am I going to get this job done without additional help or resources?” How do you respond to your staff when they say, “There is no way that we can take on any more work?” What do you do when you know your staff is not working as productive as they are capable of working? Let us discuss some was that we can increase productivity and meet the demands of our internal customers.

STAFF

One of the most important things that the head of the department needs to know is the workload of each staff member. Invariably you will find a staff member who is at maximum level. You will also find those staff members that will tell you “I need more time!” what can you do.

Situation

When I was at Disney, I had a janitor (Cleaned 21 restrooms a night) come to me and explain that he was overloaded and there was no way that he could clean all his restrooms during his assigned shift.

Options

I had a choice to make, I could tell him that we pay him to clean all the assigned restrooms and that if he did not want the job he could quite. I could refer him back to his direct supervisor and have him deal with the issue.

Solution

First, I informed the janitor that his supervisor and I would meet him 15 minutes prior to the start of his shift. We would go to each restroom and ask that he provide the time to clean each individual restroom. At the end of the survey we would add up the time and would determine if additional

Help would be needed.

In is important to keep in mind that our staff was paid for eight hours of work, in reality the average janitor was working 6:45-7 hours a night.

At the end of the survey the total time including moving from one location to the other totaled six hours and twenty minutes. I did say I told you so! I thanked him for the good work he was doing and for taking the time to walk with his supervisor and me.

Lessons

First: When staff comes to you and informs you that they do not have enough time, listen to them and go to their assigned area and have them breakdown the time it takes to do the individuals tasks. Sometimes they need to vent and feel that management listens. In the example I gave, I discovered that janitors that were doing the office cleaning in his area, were telling him that he had too much work.

Second: It was a training session for the supervisor, who did not know how to respond to the janitor. In fact, he was the one who directed the janitor to me. Always include the direct supervisor in these situations, because you do not want to usurp his authority.

Third: All of the staff became aware of how this was handled and resulted in reduced complaints regarding too much work and not enough time.

Fourth: It is important for management to be aware of the actual work time that each staff member is doing within the time assigned per shift. I knew the actual amount of time that each staff member was working (Will discuss how in a future article).

Green Program

We live in a time when everyday there is a new piece of equipment or cleaning chemical that is developed to be safe and productive. And yes, there was time that this was not true. Products may have been safe, but did not do the job.

Have you implemented a Green Cleaning Program? Do you know that this a big contributor to increased productivity?

Situation

You need to add on some additional square footage to be cleaned nightly, but you are not going to be able to add headcount to your staff.

Options

First: You could do this best you can, and when you receive complaints you can blame the increased work with no increased staff.

Second: You can force the staff to clean it or else

Solution

Have you ever asked a staff member to tell you how long segment of their cleaning duties take to perform? Of all the duties, dusting is the area that is the catchall. At Disney, when isolated, the dusting time during a shift averaged about forty-five minutes to an hour and a half. This was cleaning in the traditional way and vacuuming with vacuums that had a cloth bag.

When you implement a total green cleaning system, you will reduce the daily dusting drastically. Here are some reasons why:

  • Using vacuums with heap/triple filtration captures the dust that would normally go back up in the air and land on flat surfaces.
  • Using Microfiber cloths to dust captures dust, rather than move it around
  • Having the proper size entry mats captures dust before it enters the building

The point is that if we gain a half an hour a night, by not having to dust as much, we are able to allocate that time to the added areas. Keep in mind that the area of dusting is just on benefit of a green program

Management

As managers, it is important that we know the productivity of our staff. When it comes time to make adjustments that affect the labor, we need to have already anticipated and developed the strategy to be used. Being prepared as managers helps us to be more confident that the implemented changes could be done.

As part of the facilities group, we are the low hanging fruit when cuts are made, but historically we have been able to make adjustments and maintain quality. Make use of the technologies available, ask your staff about some of the methods to maintain their areas so well.

I believe the words spoken by Theodore Roosevelt accurately capture the capable, can-do attitude of facilities and services groups as they find solutions in what appear to be impossible situations.

Segura & Associates works with all types of organizations helping them operate their facilities in a healthier, more sustainable, and more efficient manner. Click here to contact Segura & Associates