In the Area of Colleges and Universities Focusing on Supervisor

and Staff Working Relationships.

Efficient Maintenance Practice

Maintenance Supervisor Practices First and foremost, it is good practice for

maintenance supervisors to become familiar with

their staff members.

This provides the supervisor with the

necessary information to assign tasks.

Staff members will be categorized into their

strengths such as plumber, carpenter, etc.

Work will easily be distributed amongst these

categories based upon the information

gathered by the supervisor.

This practice saves time and frustration for

everyone involved in the process including

the customer, the staff member, the

supervisor, the managers, and the directors.

This also allows the supervisor to coordinate

training seminars based upon who needs

training in what area. New training is being

provided at all times among manufacturers

and suppliers. These training sessions are

often free to clients so it is nice for a

supervisor to be aware of these sessions and

who to send to them.

Maintenance Supervisor Practices Continued.

Maintenance supervisors must also maintain a

professional attitude.

It goes without saying that any supervisor

should maintain a professional attitude

but coming from personal experience,

these attitudes could use some fine

tuning.

This field comes with a lot of stress.

Being of sound mind allows one to deal

with the type of stress encountered in this

field including; customer complaints,

short-staffing, lack of budget for

materials, waiting on shipments, etc.

The key to maintaining good working

relationships is to treat your staff with the

respect you would expect in return.

Never insult someone for admitting that

they do not know how to fix something.

This type of belittling behavior never gets

the job done.

Maintenance Supervisor Practices Continued.

Supervisors must be good communicators.

It is one thing to understand an issue for

yourself, it is an entirely different thing to be

able to convey that information to the

necessary party.

Supervisors must understand the issue and be

able to describe it to their staff members in a

manner that is both clear and transparent.

Supervisors must be sure that the staff

member is fully aware of what is going on

and what needs to be done in order to fix it.

This prevents breakdowns in efficiency for all

parties. The staff member knows what is

expected, the supervisor knows what to order,

and time is saved by everyone by knowing

exactly what to do.

Award praise when merited. A simple pat on

the back is far more rewarding than it seems.

The job will never get done in a timely

manner if the parties involved are on different

pages.

Staff Member Practices.

Staff members must be open and honest when

acquiring a maintenance position.

This provides the supervisors with the

necessary information they need in order

to assign tasks.

Learning on the job is a good thing but it

is not a good thing to be learning as you

go all of the time. Sticking to your

strengths and being open as to what your

strengths are ensure the timely

completion of the maintenance tasks at

hand.

Do not hesitate to say that you do not

know how to fix something. Wasting

time on trying to figure it out for yourself

hurts the entire department. Time is

wasted, frustrations rise, and the job

suffers.

Staff Member Practices Continued.

Just as the supervisor, the staff member must

also maintain a professional attitude.

The maintenance field is a dangerous

field with hazards abound. Goofing off

on the job is a good way to get hurt. This

is never fun.

Staff members must be open to

communicating with the supervisor, the

client, etc. This ensures that the job is

understood, the needs of the client are

being met, and the expectations of the

supervisor are exceeded.

Staff members must be open to criticism.

When confronted with criticism from a

supervisor, it is a good idea to listen and

grasp what is being conveyed. For the

criticism is usually given with merit.

In Conclusion

Maintaining a good working relationship

between supervisors and staff members in the

maintenance field is a necessary part of the

job spectrum.

Everyone involved is aware of what is

expected of them.

The lines of communication are to remain

open at all times.

Attitudes and tempers are to be “left at the

door” or else the job will suffer.

Criticism is to be expected and appreciated.

Praise should be given when merited.

The workplace environment is the one we

spend the majority of our time in. We spend

more time with our co-workers than we do

with our families. Isn’t it a good idea to have

a good relationship with these people?