On a recent Wednesday night, members of the So Cal Cleaners Association gathered at Steven’s Steak-house in Commerce for one of their bi-monthly meetings.
Henry W. D. Parker of Safety & Environmental Compliance Consultants Inc., spoke about the type of people you need to look for in your life. “Whether it is at work or in your personal life, you have the power to surround yourself with less toxic people. Or at least learn how to neutralize them,” states Henry. “When I visit a plant for training, our goal is to keep it simple. We have developed a program that someone with an 8th grade education can understand. Simple is the key.”
Toxic people tend to fall in one of the following categories: Pessimist, Dream killers, Schemers, Narcis-sitists, Hypocritical and Disrespectful persons. After a person is hired and after training, you and your supervisor must sit down together to evaluate not only the work being done but the new hire’s attitude and how the fit works in your organization. If you sense a problem, you need to be assertive and confront the employee. This would be a time to counsel the employee. This meeting must be face to face. It is not time to appease the employee nor is it time to let the problem fester. It is necessary to document the session. Itmay be necessary to fire the employee at some point and your personnel file must show a pattern of behavior.
This is only a small portion of the important information Mr. Parker shared. You should have attended the meeting! You can find more about Parkers services at www.complyhere.com. He can help you get in compliance with OSHA standards as well as safety training for your employees.
Southern California Cleaners Association is a local industry association serving Southern California. The members cover San Diego all the way to Santa Barbara. Formerly Greater Los Angeles Dry Cleaners Asso-ciation (GLADCA), this association has served dry cleaners for over 50 years. It is volunteer run and the Directors include: Scott Bell, Bryan’s Cleaners, Pasadena; Ray Rangwala, Esteem Cleaners, Pasadena; Bobby Patel, Kona Cleaners, Orange; Barry Gershenson, Leading Cleaners International; Carolyn Varian, Memory Lane, Sunland; David Suber, Perfect Cleaners, Los Angeles; Jackie Smith, Henderson Insurance Agency, Newport Beach. Attending a meeting is a great time to network with fellow business owners. There are bi-monthly meetings – some are evening seminars; others workshops held on the weekend. Our topics range from information for owners and managers and others are tailored for employees. The next meeting is May 7th. It is a Sunday meeting designed for owners/managers who want to increase their bottom line.
To find out more about SCCA, go to www.socalcleaners.org or call one of the SCCA Board members for more information. If you are interested in serving on the board, please let us know. You will be welcome.
This issue will find you walking, talking, networking and learning at the CleanShow, Las Vegas. Please take advantage of everything you can. Attend the educational workshops and stop at the booths of the vendors to ask questions. Technology may be passing you by and you don’t even know it. If you missed attending this show, do not miss the next one. California Cleaners Association will have their Fabricare Show next summer in Long Beach, California. Watch for more information.
