Episode 60: Is My Cleaning Supervisor Too 'Nit-Picky'?
A cleaning business owner has a supervisor that his employees think is too picky. In this video we offer advice on how to handle the situation. How would YOU handle the situation? Please post your comments below the video.
The answer is that their company is simply more “referable”. This video explains exactly what your company needs to do to become more “referable.
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Episode #60 - Video Transcription
A cleaning business owner asked us about a problem he's having with his cleaning technicians' perception of his supervisor. Here's what he wrote: "We have a supervisor that the employees say is too nit picky. He gets upset about little issues, he inspects all day long and the employees feel he is being petty." Now I've seen this happen before, where someone gets promoted to supervisor and gets on a power trip where they feel as if their only responsibility is to inspect their subordinates' work and point out everything that is wrong. When this happens, it's typically a lack of training on the owner's part. Too many people are promoted to supervisor, but they really don't understand how to be a good leader. It's YOUR job to make sure you set them up for success with the proper training. Having said that, I don't want you jumping to the conclusion that what your employees are telling you is what's truly happening.
You first need to do a little research to reveal the truth of the situation. Never jump to conclusions without getting both sides of the story. Here is what I recommend you do. First, follow up on the employees who are doing the complaining. Inspect their work yourself and then check your supervisor's reports. If there is consistency with what you are observing and what your supervisor reported on the walk-offs, then you've likely got an employee problem. So if what you are seeing is unacceptable cleaning, then perhaps the employees are not taking care of business, and the supervisor is actually RIGHT, in his or her assessment.
Another clue that can tell you what is really going on is to take a look at who is doing the complaining. If your supervisor is responsible for several locations and only one team of employees is complaining, then it's likely to be a problem with that team of employees. Otherwise, you'd probably have complaints from people working in most of the locations. One thing you also need to keep in mind with supervisors is that they sometimes get so wrapped up in looking for the things that employees missed, that they forget to look at the big picture and look for the positive things that are going on. People get tired of always being told they're doing things wrong. Eventually their morale goes down and they just don't care any more. Make it a point to remind your supervisors to give as many compliments as criticisms.
In fact, I would make it a rule that for every negative, give two positives. I would also watch your supervisors to see how they talk to the employees. Are they approaching them, telling them everything they do wrong and then leave? It's better to approach the employee and say something like this: "Hi Sue, you do such a good job on the restroom cleaning, but there's just one thing I've noticed that you often forget to do. Please watch the spots that appear on the lower part of the mirror. When people wash their hands, water always splashes up. So when you're cleaning the mirrors you actually need to bend down and look at that area to see the spots. The building manager just mentioned this to me today, so I'd appreciate it if you'd keep a closer eye on that." Do you see how I started with a compliment, and then explained the problem area in a more positive way?
Usually in these types of situations, there is more going on than what you're hearing from the employees. But with a little digging, you'll be able to uncover the true problem. Once you know that, make sure you take fast action. If it's a supervisor problem, start working with that supervisor to help him or her improve their supervisory skills. If you're dealing with an employee problem, take steps to get to the root of the problem so it doesn't go any further. We work in a "people" business, so when issues arise, the best course of action is to take immediate action. When you do that, you'll find your life as a cleaning business owner much less stressful than if you simply ignore the problem.
