There is always a lot of discussion on the boards about employees & the myriad of obstacles we all face with finding the "right" painters. One thing I am going to try a little bit more than I previously did is finding new guys with less painting experience. One observation that I have with many of the employees I have had is this: The more experience they have, the less likely they are to be as good of an employee as I'd like.

    Many have done it all & seen it all and certain tasks are beneath them. Others simply don't like to work as hard. Some are very set in their ways. A lot of them just don't show up for work every day.

(Please know that I am not making gross generalizations about painters, I'm simply trying to qualify the following…)

    As a result, I am going to be hiring guys with less experience. I am constantly keeping my eyes out for potential employees. I may see a guy working at a McDonald's & see how he takes pride in his work at $6/hr. That guy would probably take even more pride in his work at $12/hr. painting & learning a new skill set. What I look for is work ethic and attitude. If they've got these, then I can probably work with them. We do mostly residential exterior repaints. While there are some "tricky" things that we come across at times, mostly we see the same types of homes & same types of painting projects. The skills needed for these jobs can be taught.

    I suppose that the key to making this work is the training. Outside of the technical skills of painting, there are some basic principles that I try to teach my painters. These principles will make them more efficient. With the way I compensate them (I essentially pay them for the job, not for their time), being efficient means making more money. They are usually eager to become more efficient.

    1. Have a Plan, Work you Plan: Every day should be broken down into 4 blocks of time. Tasks are assigned for those time blocks. Goals are set as a team and for individuals. At breaks, at lunch, and at the end of the day, the crew reviews the progress of the job. Guys are held accountable for their work assignments. There should be no drifting around or aimless wandering.

    2. Find your Niche: While everyone has the skills to do most of the tasks, some are better than others at different tasks. One painter may be better at cutting windows. One guy may be better at caulking. It is to everyone's advantage to try & plan a job around each member's strengths.

    3. Have a "System" for Everything: Being systematic minimizes touch-ups and makes you more efficient. For example, when painting a wall, go Top-to-Bottom and Left-to-Right. When painting a window, cut all of your sashes first, then do work on the casing from the inside out. Find a system for spraying & backrolling. Everyone has their own way of doing thins, but the key is to develop a system. When a job is done systematically, it can be like a beautiful symphony, each member playing their part at the right time and coming together to create the final "song".

    4. No Touch-Ups: When you do a task, do it so that nobody will have to touch-up anything you do. This is professionalism.

    5. Inspect Constantly: Before you leave a task or an area, take a minute to look at it from every angle. This saves touch-ups & catches mistakes or holidays while they are still wet.

    6. Minimize Downtime: Downtime includes any time spent not doing prep or applying paint. It includes moving ladders, going to get tools, going to the paint store, talking to the homeowner, taking smoking breaks, etc. Simple planning of ladder moves to maximize your area of reach may save four or five ladder move per day. This can equate to 30 min per day. Carrying all of the tools you need for each task will minimize trips to get equipment. For example, when doing prep, a painter should carry everything he would need, including caulk, scrapers, 5-in1, primer, rags (wet & dry), etc.

These are a few of the basic principles I use for training employees to become more efficient.