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Building Trust with Transparent Communication

by | Jul 12, 2021 | Business Strategy | 0 comments

Building Trust with Transparent Communication

Transparent communication and trust. What do those things mean to you when you think about leadership? More importantly, are those common terms used to describe your work culture and leadership style? That may be a difficult question to answer; however, I challenge that it should be extremely easy to answer if we intentionally change our approach to leadership using transparent communication when building a trusting culture.

Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to lead numerous teams. Some have been more successful and productive than others, but regardless of their performance my approach to leading them has always been the same. Without an intentional commitment to communication, the team will never truly understand the “why”. Without an intentional commitment to transparent communication, the team will become consumed with the “why” and lose sight of their ability to achieve goals. Without the intentional commitment to using both of those approaches to building trust, well… it really will not matter.

How much time and energy are spent by work groups each day questioning the “why” behind what they are doing? I have witnessed firsthand a loss in productivity due to a lack of trust and transparent communication among a work group more times than I care to admit. While it may be difficult to put a number on the productivity lost in untrusting situations, the only thing that matters is that something was lost, and that loss could have been avoided or at least minimized. I am certainly a realist in that it is difficult to achieve a perfect world where trust, communication, and transparency peacefully and properly coexist, however it is the intentional pursuit of that end goal where incremental success can be realized while building trust.

Imagine an environment where a team of employees are considered highly effective and model what “good” looks like on a consistent basis. They consistently exceed all their goals, and there is really no need for performance counseling or discipline. There is very little organizationally that the team is not aware of, and they intimately understand the impact their daily responsibilities have on the overall mission of the organization. When a new directive comes from the CEO, the Director of the department rolls out the information in a way that connects it to the mission of the organization and the “why” is always discussed and understood. This allows the team to adjust to ensure the directive is exceeded while also keeping up with their already busy daily schedules. In this situation, the leader has built a culture of trust using intentionally transparent communication that has fostered a positive and nurturing work environment.

What happens when that culture of trust is compromised or tested with adversity and how does that team react and respond? In a trusting and intentionally transparent environment I would challenge that a team would be far more sustainable through those periods of adversity than a similar team who did not operate in the same type of culture. The team may certainly still question or spend time trying to understand the situation, but they would be trusting that the adversity or decision was happening for a reason and be focused on trying to help the organization move forward. A culture of trust built on transparent communication helps members of the team understand their responsibility to their team, colleagues, and the organization. Trust promotes efficient and effective productivity as opposed to lost time worrying about the “why”.

A team functioning in a culture where trust and communication is not intentional and transparent would find themselves in a constant state of flux, questioning the direction and the “why” with a lack of focus on the end goal. They are not trusting of the leadership and decision due to a lack of transparent communication and this could lead to a loss of productivity as they spend time questioning the decision and the reason behind it. A lack of transparent communication surrounding a decision could also have a significant impact on any trust that may have already been built, requiring additional work to rebuild any lost trust up to the pre-existing level.

The first step to building trust with your team is making an intentional commitment to transparent communication to help your team understand the reasons behind your decisions. If you are not providing that transparency and context, you are giving your team the right to make up their own story which could lead to lost productivity and an unsustainable solution. It takes commitment by the leaders of any organization to ensure intentionally transparent communication is at the forefront of their leadership style when properly building a trusting culture. This type of work culture will allow the team to focus on each other, the team, and the goals of the organization instead of becoming too consumed with trying to understand the “why” behind your decisions.

Connect with an ArboRisk team member today to begin intentionally building trust through transparent communication.

Written by: Kevin Martlage

4 Vehicle Related Safety Meeting Ideas

by | Jun 28, 2021 | Safety | 0 comments

4 Vehicle Related Safety Meeting Ideas

At ArboRisk, we have been tracking the injuries, accidents and claims our clients have sustained over the last number of years. While reviewing the data, we have found that 39% of all claims were from vehicle accidents!

Unfortunately, that number doesn’t surprise me, as I feel that many tree care companies do not spend much time during their safety meetings talking about driving habits/skills or hazards they face on the road each day. Instead they assume everyone is a good driver and understands the over-the-road exposures all too well that they spend time on other safety topics.

This article is meant to give you 4 simple vehicle related safety meeting ideas that can make talking about your over-the-road exposures not only come to life, but also fun in the process.

Distracted Driving – Ask for a volunteer from your team. Have them sit down in a chair like they were behind the wheel. Send them a text and ask them to respond to you one-handed as if they were driving. When they look down at their phone, toss a soft ball at them and see what their reaction is. Some will catch the ball, others won’t, some may drop their phone, but pay attention to their reaction and open up discussion on distracted driving using this simple exercise.

Backing Up Contest – Everyone thinks they are the best at backing up a truck and trailer, so create a little competition for your team to safely prove it. Set up a small course in your yard or nearby parking lot with cones. Break up into crews of 2 (one driver and one spotter). Select a vehicle to use with a trailer or towed piece of equipment. Create a point system to score the contestants. Give out a small prize to the winning team after discussing what everyone witnessed within the contest.

Pre-Trip Inspection – As you know, your drivers should be performing pre-trip inspection before taking any vehicles out on the road. Unfortunately, this process can become repetitive leading to complacency during the inspection. Highlight the importance of the pre-trip by performing an entire pre-trip inspection with your team on one of your trucks. After going through it with everyone, assign teams to complete a pre-trip together. Discuss with the entire group on what their team found. It may be shocking to hear how members of your team perform the pre-trip differently from others.

Jobsite Setup on Road – Does your team know how to properly set up the jobsite when working on/near a street? Create space in your yard or on the street outside of your shop to set up a jobsite/work zone during the safety meeting. Ask for volunteers from your team to set up the cones and signs at the proper distance. After they have placed them, coach them through any corrections. Discuss what other factors they need to be aware of while working on the street, including traffic control, hi-viz vests, chip truck and loading zone placement, etc.

Just think how better off your company would be if you had 40% less insurance claims. Use these 4 very simple safety meeting ideas to put an emphasis on vehicle safety.

If you need help with your Safety Culture or Driver and Fleet Safety program, contact an ArboRisk team member today.

Written by: Eric Petsersen

Lower Auto Insurance with Fleet Telematics

by | Jun 21, 2021 | Risk Management | 0 comments

Lower Auto Insurance with Fleet Telematics

Written by: Eric Petersen, CIC

We all know that in today’s world, data is king.

Fortunately, tree services have access to so much more data now than they ever did before. This data can help business owners make sound decisions to improve their company. By using a fleet telematics system, a tree care company can gather vital statistics and data on their vehicles and their drivers thereby improving their bottom line in a number of ways, especially by lowering their auto insurance. 

With auto insurance costs on a steady rise, I want to look at three key ways a strong fleet telematics system can help lower your business auto insurance cost.

1. GPS Tracking

The more data an insurance company has, the more confident they feel in the prices that they offer to their customers. Tree care companies that install Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking software can summarize their data and give it to the insurance company to show how they manage their fleet and how they deserve lower auto insurance pricing. 

I do want to mention that, there is often a misconception that installing GPS tracking software within your fleet signifies a lack of trust between you and your employees. To quickly dispel any negative feelings about GPS tracking software, explain to your entire team the reasons for using the technology and how it will benefit them. Knowing where your vehicles are will help you provide more accurate information to clients regarding estimated arrivals to job sites, thereby increasing customer satisfaction. If a crew gets a job done faster than planned and has time to do another (more hours=more money for the crew), GPS can identify which vehicle to send to the next job based on current locations. Lastly, this will help you ensure vehicles are being used within company guidelines (which of course are described in the vehicle use section of your employee handbook, right?) limiting the liability to the company and helping to avoid an unsafe situation. 

2. Vehicle Maintenance

A strong fleet maintenance program shows the insurance company how serious the business takes preventative maintenance by attempting to avoid issues with their vehicles. This obviously will lessen the number of accidents and therefore claims an insurance company needs to pay out. 

Of course, the benefits of improving your fleet maintenance stretches beyond just lowering your business auto insurance. Limiting vehicle downtime maximizes your crew’s efficiency. A good telematics program will monitor things like engine hours, total mileage, as well as potential faults within the vehicle that your employees may not be able to see during the pre/post-trip inspections. Speaking of which, these inspections should be done as well as logged for DOT compliance. Check out this article for more information on DOT COMPLIANCE.

3. Driver Behavior

Distracted driving has destroyed the auto insurance results for insurance companies in recent years. There are so many small fender benders today that insurance companies are raising their prices to keep up with it and distracted driving is the main culprit. Simply put, if a tree service can monitor the driver’s behavior the chances of an accident get reduced dramatically. 

When your drivers know they are being monitored, they are more likely to drive with increased awareness and limit their distractions (texting or eating). This intentional focus on better driving is actually a good thing for them as no one wants to get in a car accident, but we all get over-confident in our driving abilities and take unnecessary risks while driving. Consider different ways to reward your drivers for strong driving habits to show them you support their safety. A good telematics system will also provide you with more data to show how/why accidents are happening, giving you the data to help prevent future accidents from occuring.

 

It is without a doubt that fleet telematics is here to stay and will have a significant impact on your bottom line, especially with your business auto insurance. Telematics provides the proof to the insurance company that a tree service will be a profitable risk for them and highlights reasons why that individual tree service should get lower auto insurance rates. I should also mention that as far as I’ve seen, tree services are not being penalized by insurance companies for poor driving habits.

I encourage you to check with your insurance agency and see if there are any options available directly with your insurance provider. If not, I encourage you to reach out to an ArboRisk team member to discuss how we can help you set up a telematics program free of charge.

Hiring an In-House Mechanic

by | Jun 14, 2021 | Risk Management | 0 comments

Hiring an In-House Mechanic?

If you’re contemplating hiring an in-house mechanic, you already know the decision is not an easy one. So many factors go into it that it often paralyzes the owner from making a decision.

While there is no magic number that fits every tree service perfectly, we typically do not see companies hiring a full-time mechanic until they have at least…

10 vehicles. That does not include trailers and mobile equipment, although definitely factors into the workload of the mechanic. 

So, how do you determine if your company is ready to hire a full time mechanic? Ask yourself and your leadership team these questions to guide your decision making. 

Future of Your Fleet 

This is often the starting point for deciding whether or not to hire a full-time mechanic. Depending on where you see the size of your company and fleet going in the future should determine when to hire an in-house mechanic. 

  • Do you plan on growing your company and adding more vehicles or equipment? 
  • Are you planning on getting more tech-heavy vehicles or equipment? 
  • Would your production crews become more efficient with newer vehicles or equipment?
  • Are you considering using fleet management software? 

Current Cost of Repairs

Many tree services do not pay close attention to the cost of mechanical repairs, though knowing this or at the very least having an idea of the cost to your business for repairs can quickly justify the extra expense of an in-house mechanic. 

  • How much did you spend on vehicular repairs last year?
  • How much production downtime have you suffered from a vehicle or piece equipment that needed repairs? 
  • How many jobs did you lose because of an out-of-service vehicle or piece of equipment?
  • Could any of that downtime or lost jobs have been prevented with regular maintenance?

In-House Mechanic Logistics

Assessing whether or not your company has the capacity for an in-house mechanic is another important factor to consider.

  • Do you have enough physical space for a mechanic to operate fully within your current shop?
  • What additional tools (hand tools, diagnostic tools, lifts, etc.) are needed to allow the mechanic to perform the work needed?
  • Do you have the management team in place to support an in-house mechanic? 
  • Are you able to comply with the environmental regulations that come with operating a repair facility?

Additional Items to Consider

  • How are you currently ensuring compliance with your state and federal DOT? 
  • Do you currently have vehicles and or any specialized equipment that cannot be serviced by an in-house mechanic and need to be worked on by certified technicians?
  • Do you have a recruiting strategy set up to find the best mechanic possible? 
  • What employee benefits are you able to provide to the mechanic?

While these questions are by no means an exhaustive list of all that needs to factor into the decision making process, they will help you begin to answer the question for your tree care company. 

If you are struggling with this part of your business, contact an ArboRisk team member today to learn about how our Thrive program can help your business Become Extraordinary!

Written by: Eric Petersen

4 Keys to Driver Management

by | May 28, 2021 | Risk Management | 0 comments

4 Keys to Driver Management

“Oh yeah, I’m a good driver”.

How many times have you told yourself that? I bet you’re laughing at yourself right now, because everyone thinks that they are a good driver. Reality is, if everyone was good at driving, there wouldn’t be as many accidents as there are. 

Finding ways to manage your drivers is of utmost importance when attempting to reduce the risk to your company. Plus as Malcolm Jeffris pointed out in his article 4 Ways to Lower Business Auto Insurance Costs, proper driver management is a key component of lowering your business’ auto insurance cost. 

Here are my 4 Keys to Driver Management.

  1. Hiring Good Drivers – Obviously it’s much easier to be confident with your drivers when you start with good drivers, but how do you get there? It’s not a simple solution that we can cover in one paragraph, however, you must intentionally create a recruiting process to attract enough potential employees to your company. From there use keys #2 and 3 below to hire the best drivers. If you want help in creating a hiring and recruiting process register for our Hiring & Recruiting Masterclass.
  2. Motor Vehicle Records (MVR’s) – Looking at an employee or potential employee’s driving record is a good way to start to understand their driving skills. Create a simple procedure within your company to ensure you analyze these records on an annual basis using an eligibility guideline to determine what an acceptable driving record looks like. For more information on how to create a MVR review process read our article Driver Risk Management. 
  3. Driving Test – Once a driver has passed the MVR review, it is now time to actually see what they are capable of within your vehicle(s). Creating and administering a driving test is the truest way to determine whether or not an employee should be driving one of your vehicles. From our experience, too many companies skip this step and send drivers onto the road operating vehicles they are not familiar with. Remember, we all think we are good drivers! This article will help you create a simple driver test for your tree care company.
  4. Dash Cams and Telematics – My final tip to managing your drivers may make some people uncomfortable; the use of technology in the form of dashboard cameras and telematics software. Using technology within the vehicle gives you the ability to get data and information on your drivers and vehicles in real time as well as helps resolve any incident or accident that vehicle is involved in. Dashboard cameras have the option to not only look out in front of the vehicle, but also scan the interior of the cab to monitor the driver and passengers’ behavior. With telematics software, a tree service can gather so much data about the vehicle and how it is being operated. From knowing where the vehicle is, to how long it has been idling, to fluid levels, using a software system to understand your vehicles can go a long way in keeping your drivers safe. Installing technology into your vehicles might feel like you are spying on your drivers, but if you truly want to keep your team and others safe on the road, knowing real data about the driving tendencies and vehicle performance is critical. 

Simply put, proactively managing your drivers will help you minimize accidents and injuries while increasing your company’s profitability. For help managing your drivers or other risk management processes, contact an ArboRisk team member today. 

Written by: Eric Petersen