The Drycleaning & Laundry Institute has oodles of good information in the form of bulletins about employee/customer behavior. Little is written anymore about how people should behave, without losing employees at work! With today’s political climate, it is difficult to set many rules without losing people. But solid people will work for a decent wage, something our industry has long been behind on. Wages simply have not stayed in line with the cost of living. I remember something my grandfather said when visiting my first plant. He told me, “Remember to give cost of living increases every year to your people, a loaf of bread costs them the same as us.” Words I never forgot, but some of the industry have. Small wonder we cannot find employees these days. Hot, hard work for little return. Paying well is possible, if people would just stop discounting. Naturally, not every plant fits this scenario, thank goodness.
Employee Dress
To my way of thinking, what customer wants to be greeted by a tattooed, scraggily looking, poorly dressed character that talks like they have a mouthful of gravel? I tell you, I can’t understand some of these young folks today. They don’t talk clearly or slowly. Nor do they look you in the eye. It seems if a technical robot entered the store, they might be more active. Human touch and interaction is a thing of the past to some. Thankfully, there are workers who do not fit this description. I know many an operator that has the above described worker in the evenings on the counter and nobody cares, I am usually told, “You can’t find any help these days, and I have to take whatever I an get.” Sounds like a good reason not to be in business if there is no control over employees. I have a suggestion, pay hem well, train them and watch them. Stay at the plant and watch over your business. Let your customers see the owner.
Employee Break Room
This may sound trivial, but believe me when I tell you I have been in many, many plants that had no break room for the employees. I have been stunned to see workers leaning against the outside wall to eat, or eating on their press. While it is important foremost to take the best of care of our customers, it can be done better if you have happy employees. How much could it cost to provide a break room away from the hot, miserable work area? Along with that, an employee must remember to come to work ready to work and not munching on a roll or slurping coffee. The law requires a minimum thirty-minute lunch break and a ten-minute morning and afternoon break on an eight-hour shift. Don’t allow your employees to work through breaks just to save time. You offer these services and conveniences and your employees will take to you and your customers like a wagon axle does to grease!
Be A Nice Person And Help
Offer to take the clothes to a customer’s car. Common sense would tell one to do that when it is a large order. Of course, some customers can be very annoying and make for an unpleasant exchange. I’ve met customers that were as cold as a cast iron corpse. But remember, the employee is always right and it takes little effort to simply be nice and polite. These two things escape some people today.
People Simply Talk Too Much
Talking incessantly on the job is no good. I have had employees that would talk the ears of a Billy Goat. Constant employee chatter is non-productive and a waste of your labor costs. Silence is the resting place of the soul. Talking about anything other than the job before hand should be done on break time only. Cell phones should not be allowed on your labor time. Radios, or whatever these new found gadgets are that people listen to music with, should not be allowed, not even with an ear bud. It is dangerous, illegal by OSHA, non productive and a waste of your money. They are not there to be entertained, but to work. An honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay, I say.
Wonderful Retirement Reception At CCA Show
I want to thank everyone who attended my recognition and retirement honor at the recent CCA Saturday night awards. What a thrill to so many of my friends. Friends are precious and valuable to the soul. Retirement is easy. Let the young folds take over. I will try and be a help to those who move into my position. “I take relish in getting old; it takes the bother out of living” someone once said.
I’m headin’ to the wagon now, these boots are killin’ me.
