Reignite team spirit

Don’t blame the weather when employees get a chronic case of the blahs. You know the signs: slogging around the shop in the morning, sloppiness on jobs, extended fuel-up breaks, a blank couldn’t-care-less look (a scowl, even). Even the best workers can catch this cold.

It’s a manager’s job to prevent the onset of burn-out.

“We have these traditions, we think, ‘Here it is: summertime. We are supposed to get tired and burnt out,’” says Jim Paluch, green industry consultant and president of JP Horizons. “Rather than letting our teams think that way, we need to create excitement in the organization.”
 
The real cause of a downer attitude in a strong team is lack of direction – employees feel lost, like they’re grinding through each day without purpose. “We get burnt out when our minds get disengaged,” Paluch says. “Even as owners we can get burnt out if we’re not sure in what direction we are headed.”

The key is to set goals and include the team in this exercise. What simple tasks can the company accomplish in July and August to cap off a strong summer? Make a list of 20 ideas and choose the top five to tackle. “Maybe you review morning startup and find ways of getting out the door five minutes faster the second half of the season,” Paluch suggests.

Whatever your goals, put them on paper and tie them to an incentive that matters. Whether it’s financial rewards, time off or gift cards, be sure the reward is what employees really want. Then keep your promises. “If you change the game mid-term, you lose all trust and creditability,” Paluch says.

This month, Lawn & Landscape spoke to three firms to learn how they keep employees motivated year-round: which incentive give teams a boost, and which rewards are a bust.

Show your love
I love you, man. A few simple words go a long way, and you don’t have to get sappy or make a big fuss over telling people they’re appreciated. Just say it and mean it. That’s what Rob Garpiel learned from reading, “Ten Truths About Leadership” by Peter Luongo and Curt Coffman.

“You have to let your people know you care and what they do is important – that it’s more than just cutting grass or construction,” says Garpiel, president of Garpiel Landscaping in Saginaw, Mich.

With this in mind, Garpiel readjusted his morning routine. Now when crews arrive and prepare to dispatch for the day, he greets them in the shop to say, “good morning.” He might add, “You’re doing a terrific job!” And if they’re really giving it heir all, he’ll say, “I love you guys.”

“You don’t have to hold their hand and look at them dead center in the eye,” Garpiel jokes, adding that the three little words are enough. When employees know they are appreciated like this, “the momentum is so thick in this office you can cut it with a knife,” Garpiel says.

Maintaining motivation
But Garpiel does more than talk. To maintain that motivation during the season, Garpiel rewards employees who fall under budget hours on a project or get an “atta boy” from a client.

Man-hours on each project are carefully tracked and crews that exceed expectations earn a 3 percent bonus. If a customer calls to compliment a crew or employee, that person gets a $25 or $50 gas card.

Garpiel tailors incentives to appeal to his crews and their needs, which are always changing. “We try to get a feel for what’s a challenge in their corner of the world at that moment in time,” he says.

For example, employees are permitted to listen to music on iPods and other hand-held devices while working. So Garpiel may reward a worker with a $20 iTunes gift card. If prices at the pump are up, gift cards to the local gas station go over big.

When Garpiel hands out rewards, he does so discreetly.

“I don’t make a big, grandioso deal out of it,” he says, adding that employees are pleasantly surprised by these small gestures. And that keeps the fuel burning on tough days.

When Garpiel does want to make a big deal out of saying thank-you to his team, he’ll host something like the breakfast he catered at his shop last year. He hired a food service company that is also a Garpiel Landscaping client to set up an omelet station in the shop. “Everyone came early and punched in,” Garpiel says. “They had breakfast on us while they were getting paid, and it was a great opportunity for everyone to reconnect because our morning time is always focused on efficiencies and getting out the door.”

Garpiel may buy pizza and soda after a long day in the field – but you’ll never see him break out a cooler of cold beer. “I want people to treat the position with respect,” he says. “You think you’re befriending them by breaking bread with them, so to speak. But you’re doing yourself and them a disservice.”

First, there’s liability. And there’s the potential for someone to say or do something stupid. “You can get everything you need out of them by buying them pizza and hanging out with them after work,” he says.

Garpiel says the best rewards are personal ones. “If you can hand someone something specifically driven to them, that means more than lumping it all in one,” he says, referring to a time when he provided Gatorade and sandwiches for lunch. “I’m not sure I got great results out of that,” he says, noting that gift cards are more popular.

How does he know when an incentive works? “You can tell by the look on their faces,” he says. Don’t expect an “I love you” in return. But do count on continued performance.  

Peratt (left) and Falvey say it’s important to keep employee thank-yous fresh. Photo: Environmental EnhancementsSurprises restore morale
Small surprises make a big impact on employees’ attitudes. When workers aren’t expecting a thank-you gift card to a local restaurant or an afternoon barbecue, Fred Peratt notices their eyes light up with appreciation.

Their faces say, “Wow, I wasn’t expecting this,” he says.  

Peratt and his business partner, Patrick Falvey, started mixing up the company’s incentives a couple years ago after the tried-and-true summer picnic became ho-hum. The company typically rented a winery, brought in a mariachi band, furnished food and beverages for employees and families, even handed out an employee of the year award. The price tag on this annual event topped $5,000 – and for the first few years, it was a big hit. Then excitement fizzled.

Employees started expecting it and the festive picnic lost its flair. “It was sort of like, ‘We know this picnic is coming up. Whoopie-dooopie … do I have to come? Is it required?’” Peratt says. “That put thoughts in my mind of, ‘Hmm. Do they really appreciate this?’”

The clincher: When Peratt and managers suggested that families bring a favorite dish to share and the response was, “If I have to bring something I don’t want to come to the picnic.”

So Environmental Enhancements switched gears and dropped this event off the calendar for a couple of years. “I think you need to stay fresh,” Peratt says of the decision. “We needed to get the excitement going, get the enthusiasm back.”

Turns out, the little things work much better: $10 gas cards, dinner gift certificates, grilled burgers after a hot day. Rather than blowing thousands on a picnic, the company spent $380 and bought groceries for a casual cookout in late afternoon after crews returned from routes. “We had individuals come up to us afterward and say, ‘We really appreciated that – thank you,’” Peratt says. “I think we are getting some of that spirit back into the company where employees appreciate the small things we do for them.”

Part of keeping the team motivated is getting rid of bad apples that poison positive morale. So managers walk jobs with crews to point out areas that need improvement and efforts that deserve a high-five. The company hosts regular training sessions and safety meetings where employees are recognized verbally for maintaining spotless safety records. “Just recognition among their peer keeps them motivated,” Peratt says.

While money isn’t everything, unexpected bonuses certainly drive performance. After mulching jobs were complete this year, the company gave bonuses in the $200 range to crews that exceeded expectations. After a grueling snow season in northern Virginia, dedicated workers that kept grinding through the 20-inch forecasts got an extra $800 after taxes.

These bonuses and all the “little things” are included in the budget. The company carves about 0.3 percent for incentives each year. The percentage seems small, but that amounts to about $15,000. 

Indeed, the little things can add up. The return is a go-get-‘em attitude that clients notice. 

“A lot of companies can get pretty negative and get on their guys to get good quality, but they never say, ‘Thank you,’ or, ‘I appreciate you,’” Peratt says. “We ask about their families. If someone has a baby, we send a gift or flowers to the hospital. We mail thank-you cards. We try to focus on family, which is a core value of our business – I think that’s important.”

Supervisor Rigo Reyes (left) and Olenius sometimes surprise crews with ice cream.Walking in their shoes
Lauren Olenius never wants to forget what it’s like to run a mower in humid, 95-degree weather in the still of summer. “It’s easy to lose that perspective,” says the owner of Houston-based L3 Designs.

So from time to time, Olenius and supervisor Rigo Reyes will surprise a crew by showing up on site during their lunch break and relieving them for an additional half hour. The crew relaxes, the bosses mow.

“We usually bring them ice creams or cold drinks,” Olenius says, adding, “If you do something like that, it gives you a quick reminder of how hot and tiring the job can be.”

As for the crew – they get a kick out of the role reversal. “They tell us where we are missing a few spots here and there,” Olenius says, noting how the gesture lightens the mood on the job and underscores the company’s family values of helping one another out.

“Really, what you’re looking for when you buy a guy lunch or bring a crew Gatorade is their respect, and they know they appreciate what you are doing and that you understand how hard the job is,” Olenius says.

When the owner is disconnected from the reality of hard labor, crews tend to mentally disengage. Olenius keeps this from happening with biannual bonuses – two times a year is more of an incentive, she finds – and creature comforts to keep employees cool on sweltering days.

L3 Designs owns a mister tent (like a tailgating tent equipped with sprayers). It’s moved to different jobs and comes in handy when a property lacks shady areas where crews can get out of the sun. Trucks are always stocked with two coolers: one for ice-cold water, another for water rags. Olenius often contacts clients to ask if crews can show up an hour early at 6 a.m. to beat the heat.

And in spring when the whole team puts in six-day workweeks, Olenius fills Saturdays with perks like meals, Gatorade and ice cream. “We try to do as much as we can on a Saturday because it’s a burn-out day,” she says.
And Olenius knows when burnout is setting in. “The guys are dragging their feet and not nearly as excited to start the day,” she says.

To prevent this onset and set a tone of enthusiasm for the season, Olenius holds an annual spring meeting where the company’s summer bonus is explained.

The summer bonus varies year to year, but can be as much as 4 percent of annual revenue. The pot is divided among employees who fulfill the company goals. Crew leaders walk sites throughout the summer to observe progress. And when a client calls in to compliment an employee, that person will receive an on-the-spot $50 bonus.
The prospect of a bonus keeps crews moving through tough, summer days, Olenius says. And so do the family events L3 Designs hosts throughout the summer, such as a day at a water park and a crawfish boil that includes a group of invited clients.

“It’s really neat to see your crew members talking to the clients they take care of,” Olenius says of the event, noting that this year, the expense was well worth the returns. L3 Designs secured a pool project, picked up four new maintenance clients and landed a large installation job from the networking that occurred at the family/client crawfish boil. “Friends of your clients see the type of company you have and your vision and core values.”
 

The author is a frequent contributor to Lawn & Landscape.