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Employees who dont clean up


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I need advice! We only have 3 employees and they treat the ground like a huge dumpster can. I have reminded them to clean up so many times and they will clean up once I tell them to, but they wont do it unless its gotten to the point that I HAVE to tell them to. Should there be some sort of discipline? What do you guys do?

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You lead by example. Start with yourself, if they don't follow your lead either they haven't shown the proper way or they need to be replaced.

 

I have the senior guys show the new guys how to work organized and tidy.

 

Messy guys leave strains on customers' cars.

 

They know my pet peeves.

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Do you pay them to clean? I understand keeping my work area clean, but if your asking them to take out the trash and clean the crapper, I'd have a hard time with that especially if I'm flat rape.

 

If your paying me hourly, then I'll do it. To an extent. It's costing the shop take me off a car to take out the trash. I can promise you it's going to cost you more than if you hired a scut worker for $8-9/ hr to clean up.

 

I have one that mops, emptying trash, fills up washer fluid and brake clean jugs, empties the waste oil, ect because I crunched the numbers and the lost productivity was way more expensive that his salary.

 

Food for thought.

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They guys are resonsible for their work areas, they have to clean up the major messes. The gs tech takes out the trash, scrubs the floors etc. When I was still turning wrenches, I cleaned up at the end of the day, put my tools away so I could start fresh. I worked with a tech that always showed up 30-45 minutes early to clean up, put tools away etc.

 

As long as it gets done, I dont care when they do it. HOWEVER if it is a trackable ( foot print leaving mess) it MUST BE CLEANED UP IMMEDIATELY. If it dosent, it invarabily ends up missing the floormat in the customers car...

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Then fire them. Or send one home for the day. If up you have to keep repeating yourself, then it sure sounds like you don't have the guys respect.

 

Like I said, I have no problem keeping my area clean and I don't like working in a pig s pile. That's just basic life. But if the boss tells me to clean the darn bay, you know what? I'm going to clean it.

 

 

Maybe they don't value working for you and you need to pull the choke chain a little to remind them. But again are your guys flat rate or being paid to clean? Was it told to them when they were hired they'd have to play maid? ( I ask when I interviewed at my previously places a lifetime ago). What does it say in the employee handbook? You have one of those .....right?

Edited by SMMotors
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I used to have a tech that once he emptied a quart of oil into the engine, he would throw the empty quart bottle on the ground. If he ever spilled oil, he would continue working, sometimes even lay down on the ground IN IT :blink: . Yeah, talk about a mess....

 

It's safe to say that he is no longer with me anymore.

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  • 3 months later...

1) Be clean yourself. Me and my significant other (owner) keep the shop and office immaculate. This means customers get amazed by it. Which also means the techs feel like they need to be clean as well because if it gets even a tad bit dirty, it will stand out. When customers bring up the fact that the shop is so clean and the employees hear this often, they will feel like wow, I work for a shop that impresses people....this will give them more reason to be clean.

 

2) For messes shared like the bathroom, we take turns and have a schedule. This is still hard and a work in progress because people forget or get stuck on cars.

 

3) For pay, they are paid hourly plus bonus for completed jobs. So even though they are not working on a car, they will still be paid for their time there in which they can use to clean or research, etc.

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Great topic.. Where I work for now, we have a guy I would not call him a tech all he does is engines and trans swaps, a butcher at best. His bay is a disaster even his tool box is a mess on top and in the drawers. There is no organization at all. All wrenches thrown in one draw, all sockets in another etc.. no racks or anything like that. His cart is always full of tools. (most tools cheap no name tools) His bay always covered in oil etc. He will come in and decide to clean the way he does this is gets the oil absorbent (kitty litter) and throw it all over the shop like some sort of religious ritual and leave it there never sweeping it up. Not to mention he relives himself on the floor in the corner, in antifreeze drain pans, in the parking lot next to cars, or in a coffee cup and pours it into the used antifreeze container (55 gallon drum) I have mentioned this to the owner numerous times he has seen it himself, but continues to employ this guy ! This guy is there about 2-3 hours of the work day most of the time he is gone doing side jobs somewhere I am sure. He also has his "student" a guy that he pays to work two days a week who knows nothing about cars at all . also something I have brought up with the owner on almost a daily basis being it is a liability to him. I tell him all the time customers would be more willing to have their cars worked on if they see a clean tidy shop, they will get the impression that we care about their cars since we care about our appearance . This is a daily battle for me that is why I am looking for my own shop to open . sorry got a little off topic.

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It does come from the top. Fortunately, 3 of our guys are neat freaks and every tool is put away in their toolbox at the end of every night. We have only one problem child who is about to be the guest of honor at a blanket party. (Just kidding, but it is the owner's son so he can't be fired. The owner is going the have a serious sit down with him.)

 

Something my wise father taught me - A job is not complete until everything to put away. Maybe not assign the next job till the area is clean?

 

We spent the end of the day yesterday (Friday) doing the little extra cleaning; corners, trash, etc. This happens on the evenings when everything is done and it's not quitting time.

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My best tech cleans and puts away his tools before the car is backed out. Drives me nuts. I heap my tools on my cart and put them away at the end of the day. Everyone's different. If I caught a guy relieving himself on my floor I'd be mopping it up with his last paycheck.

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In my opinion you're never to busy to clean up your work area. The more organized/clean you are the faster you can crank out work.. I was once a tech and I made it a point to clean up after myself.

 

I also have that problem at the shop. I implemented a policy and designated work areas and trash cans for my techs.

 

The policy states-

If you're area isn't clean, you will not receive your bonus on Monday. If it doesn't hurt their pocket, they won't change.

 

I also told them that I provide them with a clean restroom, they should provide me with a clean work area!!

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         5 comments
      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
      Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
      Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”
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