Later this month, your portable sanitation operation will kick into high gear, and your crews likely won’t let off the accelerator until the last special event of summer closes down and units are hauled back to the yard for the off-season. Memorial Day weekend signals longer hours, more weekend work and expanding routes to cover added construction, agriculture and recreational restroom placements.
For a lot of PROs, there’s no such thing as a summer vacation. In anticipation of the busiest 12 weeks of the year, many restroom companies institute a “no vacation’’ policy. You ask workers to help make hay while the sun shines, spending more time in the field to cover expanded workload for the good of everyone at the company. This seasonal crunch time is the reality of the industry; servicing 100 units in June provides a financial balance to the 60 that remain out on rental in December.
Your workers understand the success of your company requires greater sacrifice in summer. But it’s up to you to make sure they can – as much as possible – find a work/life balance throughout the year. So says Dr. Carmella Sebastian, a certified expert in workplace wellness through the Wellness Council of America.
AVOID BURNOUT
The Tampa, Florida-based speaker and consultant on wellness issues (www.drcarm.com) warns that with the advent of smartphones, employers need to watch out for workers who feel so pressured – or so dedicated to their jobs – that they take on an unhealthy 24/7 approach to work. Dedicated workers are great, but hyper-dedication can lead to burnout and unhappiness with a job, and maybe losing some of your best service providers.
In a recent story, Sebastian says too few employers do enough to stress the importance of balancing work and home life for their employees. She cites the annual Better Life Index published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which in 2014 ranked the U.S. No. 28 in work/life balance among advanced nations, ninth from the bottom of the list.
Further, Sebastian says the 2013 Vacation Deprivation Study from Expedia.com determined that Americans on average are given 14 days of vacation annually, but use only 10 days. And the number of unused vacation days doubled over the previous year’s survey.
Sebastian isn’t suggesting that employers overtly encourage taking time off from work, but she is saying they can do more to promote a better work/life balance … and that there’s a definite payoff for urging employees to turn off their cellphones and step away from work occasionally, even at the height of the busy season.
THEY’RE HARD WORKERS
“You’ll find that helping with work/life balance attracts better talent and increases productivity, loyalty and engagement,” Sebastian says. “But employers have to be the ones to get the ball rolling – employees might be afraid to ask for and initiate these changes themselves because they don’t want to be labeled as lazy or uncommitted. High performers in particular have to be ‘forced’ to take time, whether it’s to care for themselves or even to adjust to a stressful life event.’’
I’ve seen plenty of technicians working a long summer service route or scrambling to keep up with pumping and cleaning duties at big special events. I witness the dedication of these PROs when I tag along on a job to take photos for our feature stories. There’s no shortage of perspiration when they’re hauling a heavy hose in the midday sun to evacuate dozens of restroom holding tanks as quickly as they can. They earn their keep, and usually with a positive, can-do attitude. My experience is that service techs genuinely like the work they do and take pride in a job well done.
So like Sebastian, I think it’s important that front-line workers know it’s great to go at it full-bore while on the job, but to be just as purposeful about enjoying their time away from the vacuum truck. And there’s no better time than right now to reinforce that message. I’ll share a few of Sebastian’s tips to help your crew attain a work/life balance, even in the hectic times to come:
SET A GOOD EXAMPLE
What kind of message are you sending to workers through your habits? Can you walk away and spend time with your family, trusting the crew to get the job done? Sebastian says employees will follow your example, whether it’s a good or bad one.
“If you want your people to unplug from their devices, take time for themselves, de-stress and more, you can’t be sending them emails at 10 p.m., frantically making requests of others on their way out the door and constantly calling when you’re on vacation,’’ she says. They may take these actions as a sign that being on-call 24/7 is the company culture.
“As an employer, let your people know that it’s OK, and even encouraged, to take the full amount of vacation. Tell them explicitly that you believe rest, relaxation and outside adventures make them better workers,’’ Sebastian says.
PREACH WELLNESS
Stress leads to health problems, absenteeism, burnout and turnover, Sebastian says. Find ways to help the staff cope with stress from the busy season and remind them that getting a good night’s sleep is essential for good health and better focus on and off the job.
“If you offer a short workshop that teaches stress management techniques like meditation, deep breathing or yoga, for instance, your employees will reap the benefits. And just knowing that you’re concerned about their mental health will also lift a weight from their shoulders,’’ Sebastian says.
ALLOW FLEX TIME WHENEVER POSSIBLE
Throughout the year, the workday might start at 7 a.m., Monday through Saturday, when trucks leave on service routes. But in the summer, special circumstances might keep drivers on the road until 9 p.m. on some days. When workers are pulling 12-hour days, it’s important to be as flexible as possible to let them take breaks to have dinner with their families, attend kids’ activities or make a doctor’s appointment. Whenever possible, don’t be a slave to the schedule.
“This will allow your employees to live their lives while also doing their work,’’ Sebastian says. “You don’t want a payroll full of clock punchers. You want people who are self-directed goal achievers. That’s the message that offering flex time sends.’’
SCHEDULE FUN INTO THE BUSY WORKWEEK
Last summer I was visiting a restroom contractor to take some photos, and I saw a worker setting up a gas grill outside the back door of the shop. I asked what was going on, and was told that one weekly lunch was a cookout with the company providing the burgers and hot dogs. The whole crew was looking forward to taking a much-deserved break.
Sebastian suggests incorporating fun activities like a cookout, games, bring-your-pet-to-work day – get creative with your own ideas – will make for a friendly workplace and more productive employees in the long run.
“They break up the monotony of the workday and counteract popular ‘work is drudgery’ attitudes. And fun also boosts energy and creativity, so you’ll probably find that the ‘lost’ time is made up by subsequent spurts in productivity,’’ she says. “Just don’t schedule work ‘fun’ outside of work hours. People don’t like it when you cut into ‘their’ time.’’
GETTING GEARED UP
Remember that even as you prepare for the busiest time of the year, life shouldn’t be all work and no play. Find ways to help your crew spend time with family and friends and wind down at the end of a hard day. You want to see them come back fresh-faced, energetic and ready to work safely tomorrow.
