Depending on what type of maintenance department you run, there are times when your employees may have the opportunity to do a side job for a customer. This is especially true for those in industries such a landscaping, a condominium association, and any place where customers may live on a full-time basis.
The question now is – when is it a good idea to allow your employees to do these side jobs on their own time? Ask five maintenance supervisors and you may get five different answers to that question. Some companies have a strict policy about their employees moonlighting for their own customers but some are more lenient and feel that if it is on the employee's own time and doesn't interfere with their work then there is no harm.
Check Policy
As long as there is a clear understanding between the employee and the customer, there usually isn't any harm in allowing this. There should be certain facts known such as:
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The customer does not hold the maintenance facility liable for any damage or for the employee's work ethic.
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The employee has to do the work on their own time which does not interfere with their work schedule.
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The employee must provide their own tools and materials for the job.
Good Working Relationship
These are just a few things that should be considered and many times, you are lucky if the employee even asks first. You have to make the decision on your own and it obviously depends on the situation but let's say a homeowner at a homeowner's association has a toilet that needs fixing. Your maintenance worker knows how to do this but it is not something you do for the customer since they own the unit. Instead of calling a plumber, your employee does it on the side, after work. This can actually create a good relationship with your facility and the customer even though this is something you are not in charge of or have any type of dealings with.
It's up to you as a maintenance supervisor and up to the individual company as well if you are not the owner and your thoughts on this will probably vary from the next person.
Read More: Keeping Everyone Happy and Productive
For easy scheduling of work tasks and maintaining your facility is with a work order management system from Maintenance Care. It may not have much to do with your worker's side jobs but it certainly has everything to do with how easy it can be to run your shop.
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