I’m curious how other companies handle providing coverage for maintenance routes over the holidays. If a tech regularly works five 8 hour days each week, what do you do when there is a holiday such as Christmas, New Years, or the dreaded four day Thanksgiving weekend?

We use a combination of cutting corners, hauling a$$, and working really long days until we get caught up. Sometimes there is some help from the office/installation staff but often there is not. Oh yes, this is with added poinsettia duties at the same time.

I’m exhausted, demoralized and feeling exploited. Am I overreacting or is this normal for the industry? I don’t mind hard work but this is ridiculous.

Bah humbug!

Too tired,

I think we all know the feeling. We currently run a four day maintenance route. This allows Fridays as "Catch-up day" and also allows flexability for holidays, winter weather events and if someone is out sick .. to bump the schedule 1 day. Fridays are days that typically the maintenance tech’s have off if there is not enough work, or they revisit jobs to give a little extra T.L.C. or for help on new installations, repair equipment, wash trucks etc..

As far as overtime. I think during the holidays it becomes a neccesity. I know we all hate that but unfortunately it is the nature of the beast. As the guy in the Dunkin ads used to say ... "It’s time to make the doughnuts"

John

John, thanks for the input. Flexibility is a great commodity. Now if I can only sell my boss on the concept...

We also have 4 day maintenance routes per Tech. Because of all the Monday holidays we use Monday for a weekly meeting to educate, talk about things, plan for the week, clean vehicles and clean and organize tank buckets and tools. We also use Mondays as replacement days when needed, and to finish up anything that might not have gotten handled the previous week. When needed, I have no problem with overtime, or with stepping in myself for anything needed. Many hands make small work.

I’m fortunate also that my teenage (driving now)(Yay!!!!) children have been around this business and have helped out almost their entire lives (to earn money). They are at the age now that they can do anything that a Tech can do, sometimes better. My oldest used to beg to come with me to Tech when she was 2 years old. So I used to bring her to my convalescent hospital accounts, and the residents used to love that. I had one of those accounts when I first started that used to beg me to bring my dog in for the residence. She was a very large black Doberman that went everywhere with me ...... and someone saw her in my truck and asked me to bring her in. After that, the residence would wait in the lobby for us on maintenance day (back when we did weekly maintenance). "Lady Dog" would wear hats, sweaters, fake diamond collars and bandanas and go to each resident and put her head in their lap to be petted and get treats and just follow me around loving all the attention. That was the best dog ever and she spent every day, all day of her whole life with me and I never needed a leash. She even chased a burglar out of an account (night account, I had keys). I walked in the account at about 9pm and felt a breeze on my face (back door was open) ..... I heard a scrambling noise and all I said was "Oooohhh, find em." She tore through that place and that guy jumped off the balcony of a second story building to get away from her. She wouldn’t have bit him, but she he wasn’t getting past her either ...... that’s how most Dobie’s are ..... they’ll let you in, but not out. I called the police ....... we found a stack of equipment and computers and things with the cords all wrapped up on the balcony. The police said he probably had a friend and was going to drop stuff down to him. Yeah ....... like "Hear Bubba, catch this here monitor that I’m droppin off the second story." HAHA My client was exstatic that I had saved their things. One funny story ....... I had an account in a not so good part of town and my friend and I were doing it after hours together and she also had a Doberman. We brought them and had the best fun. If we saw some thuggish looking guys walking by the front (we’d be in the back) ... we would grab our dogs by the collar and say "Ooooh .... get em, get em" .... the dogs would be all riled up and we’d let em go and they would tear through the office and hit that front glas door barking and snarling ..... and nine times out of ten those guys would scream like little girls and jump all over the place. It was hilarious !!! Anyway, sorry to get off on a tangent ... I miss that dog. "Lady Dog" died in my arms Valentines Day 1995 at the ripe old age of 13.

Have a great rest of the week.

Debbie