GIE 2003: Training Tips

Train early and follow up consistently. That was the consensus of lawn care professionals joining in a breakfast roundtable discussion sponsored by the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) at the Green Industry Expo on Thursday, Nov. 6.

The nine participating professionals, offering unique perspectives representative of the industry as a whole, shared insights and ideas about orientation programs for new employees.

“Our orientation is mainly done in the spring by the end of March,” explained John Siegel, Allin Companies, Erie, Pa. “We have all of our employees come in – new hires and returning people – for a daylong training event. Each division manager comes in to give a basic overview of things, and then we hand the employees over to their individual supervisors.”

And pairing a new recruit with a solid supervisor is key to successful training results, urged Ron Campbell, landscape designer, D.A. Hoerr & Sons, Inc., Peoria, Ill.

“The most important thing is choosing the right person to send a new employee out in the field with,” he commented. “You need to send a new hire out with a positive foreman, one who is sold on the company. If you send him out with the wrong crew, you’re really in trouble.”

But before sending a new recruit out into the field, basic orientation is a must. These pre-season meetings should cover all company policies and procedures, asserted Mike Donovan, field supervisor, GroundMasters, Cincinnati, Ohio. Such gatherings are also a good time to review employee manuals and address concerns.

Donovan recommends bringing new employees in a few days before their designated start dates for introductions as well. New GroundMasters employees visit the office before they begin work so they will be more comfortable and confident in their new surroundings.

Training videos, supplied by industry associations and professional consultants, can also be beneficial for orientation purposes, Campbell added. Specifically, videos about safety and general company logistics are good training tools.

But the initial orientation and training meetings are generally not enough. Continuous follow-up is essential to keep crews on top of their work, Donovan asserted.

Pacific Landscape Management offers two training classes each month for interested employees. Topics range from pruning and irrigation to pesticide safety and fertilization, noted Elias Godinez, Pacific Landscape Management, Hillsboro, Ore.

Godinez commented that his company likes to stick with one specific trainer who has proven his ability to help new hires get in the swing of things. The trainer’s weekly schedule is arranged in a way that allows him to focus adequate time on new crewmembers. 

Hands-on equipment training is also an effective training method, Donovan observed. His company’s new hires spend two or three days out in a field near an empty parking lot learning the ins and outs of every piece of equipment. This training, though a sizeable investment of time and money, saves GroundMasters in the end. Hopefully the training time pays off by cutting down the time spent fixing misused equipment and redoing clients’ properties.

Continuous training, regardless of the format, should be a top priority, explained Robert Bowen, Lawn Co., Boise, Idaho. “We offer 30-minute training sessions once every two weeks,” he added. “We focus on different details relative to training and our equipment.”

Other roundtable participants said they have similar follow-up training programs in place to increase employee productivity. Some offer weekly training sessions before working hours, while a few said they don’t offer training as frequently.

The author is Assistant Editor-Internet of Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at aanderson@lawnandlandscape.com.