Team Labor Crews vs. Individuals
Using team labor crews vs. individual workers is the way we maintain home owner associations. But what makes one way better than another?
Since being in business since 1978, we've done it all. In the past, using individuals on maintenance accounts was the way we conducted business, but now have found team labor crewing or "crewing" is a WAY more efficient way to go. When we decided to switch to crewing, we found employees actually prefer to be with others vs. alone as it boosts moral and naturally encourages friendly competition among the group, thus getting more work done in a timely manner. Through extensive study of our company, we analyzed the differences between crewing and individuals working. We found through utilizing software programs such as FLEETMATICS gps service, ESUB, PRONTOFORMS & our very own applications, how much time employees actually spend (or don’t spend) being productive. Since such programs require daily updates from employees, progress is revealed on a particular task or project. This then keeps employees from procrastinating, and creates a record of how long it took them to accomplish certain tasks and projects.
Through our study, we concluded the following:
Working in a team
Personalities who are able to work with a group of people in a team tend to communicate well with others.
Teamwork provides workers a cooperative, enjoyable and friendly work environment. The team can also be helpful in responding to worker’s problems and questions, therefore increases the work efficiency.
One of the main benefits team environment is the ability to share ideas among the group.
Two heads are better than one: one person’s knowledge and abilities are limited and it could be hard to deal with difficult problems without others’ help. On the other side, every individual is different and has unique qualities. Individuals with different experiences and backgrounds increase the creativity of individual team members and the group as a whole. When members apply different skills they are often able to come up with a more effective solution than one person working on the same problem.
Teamwork also plays a key role in improving relations among the employees.
In a team, sometimes you do not get the credit you have earned, but It is amazing how much people can get done if they do not worry about who gets the credit.
A competitive team work environment can also work well for individuals who typically prefer to work solo.
Working individually
You get the credit for your achievements. As you get to do everything, you are the only one who gets credit for it. You can’t end up in a situation where others do less, but get praised.
It’s easier to concentrate & focus. You’re interrupted less and don’t need to shift and shape around others.
You’re in charge of your goals and decide what to do and when. Your responsibilities might be allocated by someone else, but you are the one who decides who to deliver and carry out your tasks.
We found when workers are ranked solely on individual performance, it may create a culture of back-stabbing and individuals hoarding information from one another.
In conclusion:
