Maintenance supervisors should become familiar with staff members' strengths to efficiently assign tasks. Supervisors must communicate issues clearly to staff and ensure everyone understands expectations. Both supervisors and staff should maintain a professional attitude, treat each other with respect, and keep communication lines open. Working relationships are important for the timely completion of maintenance work.

1. In the Area of Colleges and Universities Focusing on Supervisor and Staff Working Relationships. Efficient Maintenance Practice

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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?