Resources for Employee Training and Management

How to Correct an Employee Attendance Problem

Courtesy of Xpert HR, an organization that works with attorneys to provide information on a wide variety of topics dear to any manager's heart, we offer a PDF white paper on the topic of improving and documenting employee attendance.

Access the information.

Maximizing Night Shift Sweeper Operator Safety

John Meola, the nationally-recognized safety expert who provides World Sweeping Association members with a monthly Safety Alert!, gave us these mitigation ideas for situations where drivers are working in urban areas at night, in isolated spots, etc.

Check out the advice Meola suggested as ways to improve safety.

Preparing for and Conducting Difficult Conversations With Employees

In every organization there are times when difficult conversations must be held with those working for you. Whether it is a discussion about an employee's poor performance, job restructuring, or many other topics, it is important that you conduct each conversation professionally and with advanced thought about the best outcome. Take a look.

Guidelines for Dealing with Heatstress in the Workplace

When temperatures are high it's important that you provide extra care, planning and – heat safety training – for your employees. This article is posted in our 'Safety' section. Take a look.

The Importance and Value of Developing 'Systems'

At the Sweeping Contractors' Roundtable held at San Diego's Pavement Live Expo in December 2011, a significant portion of the conversation was given to the importance of incorporating 'systems' into your power sweeping company's operation. Here are some of the major points that were brought out in that discussion. Take a look.

Can You Safely Fire an Employee for Job Complaints Posted on Facebook and Similar?

You don't have to spend much time on social media sites in order to find someone complaining about their boss or coworkers. Sometimes, they may have forgotten they had made them a 'friend' on the site sometime prevously.

Although venting workplace frustrations on Facebook is perhaps a dubious practice, a recent ruling by the NLRB has set a precedent for those wishing to express their problems via social media. Read the story.

Why Employees Leave and How to Keep Them

There is no question that the lifeblood of any organization is its employees. Unless you have a dedicated, well-trained and motivated team – whether in the public or private sector – there is no way to survive, let alone thrive.

Although money is a factor, getting a raise in pay is rarely the only reason for an employee to leave. The fact is, there are a variety of other reasons that often have a larger influence on a worker seeking new horizons. In order to keep the best of your workforce from heading to the door, you need to understand some of the causes of employee turnover that are not related to money. Read the story.

Asking Questions to Ensure Ongoing Customer Satisfaction

One of the best ways to make sure your current customers want to stay with your company is to provide excellent follow-up whenever they have a problem or a perceived problem. In business management books and elsewhere one of the common phrases used is that it you should have a goal of "WOW"ing the customer.

iContact, the company WorldSweeper uses for group e-mails like the WorldSweeper.com newsletter, provides an excellent role model for this concept. Read the story.

Are Your Employee Performance Reviews Up to the Mark?

Too often, businesses waste much of the effort they put into conducting performance reviews. Performance reviews can be a lot of effort, because they take time away from other business activities, which are often seen as more important. So, many business owners conduct the reviews, evaluate the results, maybe give out raises which may or may not be tied to the reviews, and file everything away never to be looked at again. Read the story.

How to Write an Employee Handbook and Set Company Policy

An Employee Handbook; if you don't have one, you should. After reading this article and reviewing the attached attorney-developed guidelines for how to make an Employee Handbook, you will have all you need to develop one for your business. Further, you will have the "do's and don'ts guidelines" for how to implement and post your Handbook, as well. Read the story.

Time-Saving Solutions for Managing Your Electronic Office

Noted seminar presenter, Giselle Chapman, offers a wide variety of necessary tools – tools you already have on your computer – that will help you get time back in your work day. These are 'must implement' items for everyone's entire management team. Includes 35-minute audio webcast interview. Read the story.

Recruitment and Retention Strategies:
How to Attract, Keep and Motivate Today's Workforce

A recent study shows 85% of HR executives state the single greatest challenge they have in managing the workforce is their organization's inability to recruit and retain good employees and managers. Read the story.

Leading Your Workforce During an Economic Crisis

Regular contributor, Greg Smith, offers ten steps you can take to bring confidence and increased stability to your workforce during times of economic crisis.
Read the story.

The Importance and Strategy of Conducting Exit Interviews

An Exit Interview is a final meeting between an employer and a departing employee. Conducting one allows employers to gain valuable information that can be helpful to improve or protect the firm in the future.
Read the story.

Louisville Pavement Provides Major Updates to 'Sweep Inspect' Management Inspection Portal

In 2019 we first wrote about the app Jim Blackerby, owner of Kentucky-based Louisville Pavement Sweep, had developed for sweeping company managers to use to rate the job done by sweeper operators.

Now, the Sweep Inspect app has had a variety of other features added, including electronic timeclock, a system for assessing and bidding on bulk item removal and other items outside the scope of the contract, integration with ServiceChannel and much more. The article includes a 45-minute explanatory YouTube video.

Click here to read about it and see the video.

Using a GPS-based Driver Scorecard to Boost Performance

Operator performance is one of the keys to having a smooth-running operation. GPS systems, which have become the norm in today's sweeping industry, are sometimes seen as a negative. Some operators see them as 'Big Brother' watching over their shoulders. What if you turned GPS into a positive via game-playing?

GPS is one of the best ways to monitor performance, of a sweeper itself as well as the person operating it. What this article is suggesting is developing driver scorecards as a positive way to monitor the performance of your fleet.

Click here to read the info.

Minimizing Employee Stress and Defining Company Policy During the Holidays

The holiday season is one of the most stressful times of the year for both management and employees. At the same time – given ever-changing requirements for defining non-offensive company policy and minimizing liabilities – organizations need to develop cohesive holiday plans.

WorldSweeper's editor provides an overview on these topics, as well as links to stress reduction tips for managers, holiday party guidelines from our legal information section, and a thought-provoking view on the documented value provided by what are called 'prosocial employee bonus systems.'

Click here to read the info.

Employee Exit Procedures and Guidelines

Even when you've done everything possible to reduce turnover, a fact of business life is that you will have employees leaving your company. It is important that you have a standard procedure in place for when an employee leaves your employ, what is known as an 'exit interview.'

A wide array of value can be obtained during the exit interview process. This article, also written for WorldSweeper readers by our editor, catalogs why a solid, professional exit program is important both for your company and for your departing employees.

This process should include, in addition to a verbal, face-to-face interview with your departing employee, some sort of 'Exit Questionnaire.' You will find one linked at the bottom of the article. Read the story.

Effective Interviewing

Attorney provides legal details on how to conduct your interviewing so as o minimize liability at a later time. Read the story.

10 Biggest Causes of Workplace Stress

If worker stress is a problem in your organization, you'll want to take action on the tips offered by Dale Collie, former CEO, Army Ranger and university professor.
Read the story.

"Accident Readiness" for Your Drivers

Drivers are extensions of your company. Each time they leave your property in one of your company vehicles they face the possibility of an accident.

Scott Cerosky has worked 15 years providing specific insurance products and services to the pavement maintenance industry. This article provides a wealth of insight about what you and your drivers need to know and do should an accident occur. Read the story.

Employee Seminar on Hiring and Firing Techniques

Two of America's most experienced sweeping contractors team up to talk about what they do when hiring, including ways to find good employees, retention ideas, steps to follow when firing, incentive and motivational ideas, and training tips. Two-part series. Read the story.

Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers:
Proven Ways to Retain Your Best Employees

Employers face enormous challenges when they consider the increasing difficulty of finding skilled people, a more demanding younger workforce, and a growing population of older workers heading toward retirement. Read the story.

Flexible Work Arrangements Help Retain Good People.

The facts are, offering a flexible work schedule can drastically help employee retention.
Read the story.

Great Expectations – Interview Strategies that Stop Turnover!

If the concept of turnover is all too familiar, you may want to reconsider your interview approach.
Read the story.

Bossing Less, Managing More

After 25 years on the job, Bob Fien, CEO of Stone Construction Equipment, talks about how to make your organization more competitive through better employee involvement. Read the story.

Employee Involvement Programs Drive Performance

A nationally recognized expert on employee management tells how to better involve employees in your company.
Read the story.

100% Accountability: Something to Strive For

Mike Scott believes we can all learn to become 100% accountable for all of our actions, 100% of the time. That means, he says, doing what you say you're going to do no matter what. Read the story.