Tips on new hires - first time with employees

[Teresa Kruszewski]

Hi!
I recently hired a retired middle school shop teacher - he's in his late 70's. Salt of the earth, eager to learn and keep the standards set in my shoppe. Great work ethic. It's been 6 weeks.
I've had him assemble, cut glass, hinge, finish etc. as he is very capable.

I've found that if I'm with customers, things go south fast. His cuts on the fletcher 3000 don't score correctly and lites of glass end up in the trash (as an example). Today while I was on the phone, he was cutting some backing board with the fletcher, and the mat blade jumped off the cutter's head and lodged itself into the rocker assembly. Took me over an hour to get the blade out so that the cutter would function again. Needless to say it was hard to keep my cool. I sent him home early as it was a challenging week overall.

I need him to be able to do many different things, of which he is able. But I'm fearful I might be giving too much too soon. And I can't keep fixing equipment. Or maybe this is par for the course.

I know there is a learning curve, as I still have challenges. I write to see if anyone has recommendations on how to ease folks into their shop so as not to overwhelm or burn people out. Including the shoppe keeper. LOL.

Thanks in advance.
Teresa

 

[Elli Wollangk MCPF]

First - a "cheat sheet" of 'how to' might help. For instance, a short list of reminders when cutting glass. (Make sure the correct side of the glass is facing the cutting wheel.

There are a lot of tool details to teach a newbie.

Second - ask him (in a one - on - one talk) what he might be frustrated about in the different areas of the shop that you want him to be active in.

Newbies want to take it on and shine but they might need to take toddler steps.

 

[Meghan MacMillan MCPF]

What worked for me, and what I try to do when called on to train a new framer is add skills slowly. Could you have him focus on boards first and add glass later?

I like to build from finish to start. First, new hires are trained on dust covers and wire, then fitting packages I've completed, then they take on glass cutting, etc.

 

[Sheila McCumby]

There is some great feedback in this thread. My two cents: industrial psychologists have found that doing a task repeatedly increases precision and efficiency. If you aren’t doing so already, adopt an assembly line approach to your production. Switching gears, tools and products can cause errors. Try devoting one day to assembly of frames for the week. The next day mats, glass and backing are cut and then assembly of the framing package. Repetition builds efficiency. That way your production is like a stream instead of a whirlpool.
The second thing I’d consider would be a “mistake log.” This isn’t to shame anyone, but as the owner you need to track material and time waste. This can help you spot the holes in the bucket that are losing you money and address them. I would meet with employees privately to discuss the errors. In a kind and non confrontational way, as this is a teaching opportunity, I’d ask: Tell me how this mistake happened? Is there a problem with the equipment that I need to address? Do you need more training on this equipment so that you feel more comfortable and confident using it? Did this mistake happen because you felt rushed, and forgot to measure twice, set the correct blade depth, etc.? Am I putting too much pressure on you to hurry? Is there something going on here at work or at home that has you distracted, and if that’s the case how can I better support you?
Then I’d have a little come to Jesus conversation: I’m not mad when we make mistakes, I’m not perfect and make errors too. It’s a learning opportunity and next time we’ll do better. What will you do differently next time to ensure this won’t happen again? If you have questions or are unsure how to do something, I hope you feel that I’m approachable and you can ask me anything. I don’t want you to feel bad, every job has a learning curve and mistakes are bound to happen; but the cost of the materials you ruined this week cost us $300. That’s $1200 in retail, $900 in profits that I would love to pass along to my entire team in bonuses and benefits. Mistakes cost us all money, we are a team. So, if you were going to do this task again how would you approach it differently?
Always end a meeting with a sincere positive: I have noticed that you are doing really well joining frames, and our customers love you. I’m pleased with how well you’re doing in those areas. I’m invested in helping you feel comfortable and confident in this position. You’re an important part of the team. Let me know how I can support you better.

 

[Adela Davis MCPF]

Very good advice here. When I started picture framing over 40 years ago, all I did was fit for what seemed like the first 6 months. If I hadn't spoken up, they may have kept me as a fitter! But I was good at it and there are even tricks to fitting certain items, not all jobs are the same. I think Sheila has a great point in her answer, "doing a task repeatedly increases precision and efficiency." And by the way, I was a trained finish & framing carpenter for 8 years before I became a picture framer. I thought I was sturdy and strong, until I was taught to use a mat cutter! Boy, did my fingers and hands hurt after a day of cutting mats!! Yes, I understood measuring and using tools, but just because your guy was a shop teacher, I can say from experience, he needs to start from square one and build slowly.

 

[Teresa Kruszewski]

OMG, you are all amazing! Thank you. TRULY!!!!
Everything here is soooo helpful. Thank you for your time in responding. We all get together again in the shoppe on Wednesday, so by then I should be better positioned "mentally" to have a last week in review conversation.

Many, many thanks!!!
Teresa