Notes On Hiring And Training Laundry Workers

Most laundry operators pay little or no attention to proper procedures for successfully hiring, training, supervising, and motivating employees. Most seem to think the job they have offered the new hire isn’t difficult enough to require doing any training. Also, too many owners know little about the kinds of problems that hiring the wrong kind of employee can create for them and their business. Let’s start by talking about the harm that hiring the wrong person can cause. A lawsuit was filed because a coin laundry attendant lost her cool and slapped a customer. The injured party didn’t sue the attendant, she had no money. They sued the owner, who lost the case and was forced to pay. With damages and attorney fees, it was very expensive. It was only after the incident occurred that the laundry owner discovered that the attendant had a long history of violent conduct, and she had a police record to prove it. In another case, the owner found out that his new night janitor possessed a criminal record only after all of the coin boxes and change machines had been ripped off. On top of the cash loss, equipment damage was in the thousands. Naturally that janitor didn’t report for work the next night. Years later the police still haven’t found him But employees don’t have to be criminal or violent to harm the business. Not being dependable and old fashioned rudeness can be just as destructive to a laundry business, if it goes on unchecked. The night person who closes too early can lose customers. Attendants who are unpleasant, or who do sloppy work can cause even more losses by costing you customers. Credit checks important when hiring. Doing a background check with a credit agency lets coin laundry owners know something more about the person they are considering for hire. These are easy, fast and cost very little. When compared to the risk, background checks are very inexpensive. Check with one of the area’s local credit agencies for the information on how to have a check done. Requiring job seekers to complete an employment application is essential to security. The forms are available in most office supply stores. Forms usually include a signed authorization by the applicant to do a background check. The chronology of employment could strongly indicate whether or not the prospective employee is dependable and stable. Applications also give the laundry owner a starting point to ask the right kind of questions. Such as, why did you leave that position? Talking about their background will give those hiring a better sense about the applicant’s honesty and reliability. Direct answers and believable explanations are a great comfort when hiring. Don’t fail to contact at least some of the references they have included on the application. Those who are contacted will usually let the prospective employee know that they were contacted. That lets applicants know you are serious about the position and consider it important. Don’t forget to have any new employee fill out all the required government forms. These will include some form of proof that they are eligible to work. Keep those forms on file; it’s the law. The filled out forms should include their tax information including their social security number. Train your employees to do their job right. Training attendants and janitors doesn’t need to take a lot of time, but it’s far too important for the success of a laundry business for the owner to ignore doing it. Janitors need to know what is expected of them. Don’t just say clean the washers; show them how you want it done. Follow up training by checking to see if the job they did was done the way they were told to do it. If your instructions are to first use a hot soapy rag to wipe down washers and follow that up by wiping with a dry cloth, make sure the job is done that way. If floors are to be swabbed using warm soapy water and the mop is to be wrung into a separate bucket to keep the water clean, check to see that it’s done that way. Follow up supervision is important to the attitude of employees, and that requires a commitment on the part of the laundry owner to make his or her workers the best they can be. When someone knows that their work will be checked by the boss, it makes them do the job better. If the attendants are to greet customers in a bright cheerful manner, make sure they do. If fluff & fold orders are to be folded and wrapped in a certain way, it is important for the laundry owner to check to be sure it’s done that way. It’s usually not necessary to yell at folks when they flub up. If they are corrected in a polite but firm manner it will reinforce the training they have been given. If they were not told what to do and how to do it, how can owners complain? All of us in this industry know that it isn’t rocket science. The chores are simple and should be easy to understand. Since it is the laundry owner who pays the salaries, it should be the laundry owner who sets the standards for how the job is to be done. Employees don’t expect to set their own standards and do the job any old way they want. Good employees want to have standards of performance set by the boss. As a business person, a laundry owner should take the time to list the duties they expect their employees to perform. That list should be available for the worker to read and follow. The list needn’t be overly detailed, but it should be complete enough for anyone to understand. Put a note pad where you will remember it, and then as you think of things to add to the list, write them down. In time, there’s a full list of do’s and don’ts. Remember who you’re dealing with. These are not high paying jobs and usually do not attract high powered applicants. Yet, those who apply should be treated with respect. Work in a coin laundry, or anywhere else for that matter, ought to bring a feeling of dignity and a sense of pride to those doing it. Those hired quickly sense whether the owner feels that the job is important, or not. That feeling comes from the laundry owner’s attitude. If the employee sees that his or her job is important enough to warrant having written instructions and follow up training from the boss, then they will do a better job because the position has value. Part of the dignity of any job comes from the worker having respect for the work they do. Attendants or janitors ought to know that the owner thinks their job is important to the success of the business. If the job isn’t considered important by the boss, then it won’t be well done. When their boss has properly trained them, has outlined their duties and has a schedule of work to be done, then they know what to do and when to do it. If the boss follows through with supervision, then the job must be important to him and therefore will be seen as important by the employee. Laundry owners should remember that a little praise for doing things the right way makes for a more loyal and willing worker. Owners who yell and criticize will find themselves with poor workers and have a much greater employee turnover. They may thus end up doing a few more back room shifts than they would like to do.