General > General Discussion and ???
Have you ever......
whitewater:
Yes, we have a packet outlining each job function and operations. Exactly what they are supposed to do and in which order. They have them.
It really became a problem after covid. Our graphic artist moved on to something totally different. Then our press ops, ( he was older, had back problems, along with an hour commute) he left. So my manager had to go back to printing. Ive tried to hire 5 ppl within the last year, and only one guy made it to the first day, and he only worked 4 hours and it didn't go well.
Then my manager left for what he thought was greener pastures.
We hired a presshand, so the other press hand ( who had a degree in art and can use PS and Illy) could be our artist, well he had to go down and print. My only option.
So its not ideal..
BUT..... they know what to do. it's not hard to find the info, it's an easy process and they should not be messing up.
So I put a process of 5 things they HAVE to do on. every job before printing on out whiteboard. They have to check it off. Then they have to come get me for approval to start.
Sbrem:
Thank you, Dept. of Education. I've been noticing the decline since I graduated high school in '70. We have to play the hand we're dealt now days. We had a girl earlier this summer that filled out a packing slip withe "All Here" across the page, instead of filling in the numbers, SMFH! The last straw, for her, was that she thought someone else should be opening the orders and laying them out. We had to point out that she was that person, so she got in a huff and left. Boy, that sure showed us a thing of two. :o
Steve
blue moon:
Chiming in briefly…
We had job sheets, performance reviews and all the stuff. If the management is doing a good job and employees are on the ball they are not needed.
My philosophy is to run at 80% of what we could do so ppl are more comfortable. It keeps the morale higher so the attrition is lower and there is less drama. We hire adults and dont have to tell ppl what to do. They come and ask if they need clarification rather than having to be told. Part of it is our general manager knowing the right pll and part of it is what we built so low drama ppl will seek us out/prefer to work here. So that’s the employee part…
The deal with the management is, you have to care for ppl and keep an eye on whats going on. If somebody is doing well, acknowledge it with a raise, bonus or some other perk. Address the issues. Help ppl out. Continuously!
All of this makes for a slightly less efficient shop, but it makes it more stable, makes it easier for ppl to care and be invested.
My proudest moments are seeing ppl at at the end of the day with a HUGE GRIN on their face resting (after clocking out) and taking a break before going home. Too tired to leave, yet they are happy. They’ve given it 100% without complaining and are happy to have done so.
This setup is not for everybody. It is less efficient, but more stable. It makes me feel better at night as i am actively improving ppl’s lives and feel good about it. But if money is tight or profit is a priority this will not work. Lower employee pools (like smaller cities) will have a harder time making it happen, but it’s possible. Greg Kitson in a small town had employees with 20+ year tenure; many of them. He was also one of the most efficient shops out there (comes with that longevity), so it can be done, but it requires some planning and dedication…
Pj
blue moon:
--- Quote from: whitewater on September 11, 2023, 02:21:19 PM ---had an employee that is just elfin dumber than a box of rocks? and a second employee that doesn't catch the dumb crap the other guy does?
It has to be ADD or something.
This is just one example:
Burning a sleeve. We literally put the film on the grid and carrier sheet exactly where it should be burned. We said " just tape it right here and you can burn it"
So the dude burns it, my press guy grabs it and sets it up, puts ink in and does a test print, comes in to show me,.....
its burned upside down. WTF?
--- End quote ---
There are stupid mistakes and there are honest mistakes. Both will happen. Burning a sleeve upside down is probably an honest mistake. If they burned 1000 screens correctly, at some point they are bound to make a mistake.
Printing 10,000 shirts without double and triple checking the spelling is a dumb mistake.
pj
Sbrem:
Before I had my own shop, we did a run of 800 shirts for a local road race, the Fourth Annual. A couple of months after the fact, I was digging through a box for a test shot, and found one of those, spelled FORTH. We never heard a word about it. So, it was the artist, the screen maker (me) the printer and the catcher. All of us quite experienced, so I mark that one down to stupid, times 4...
Steve
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