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By
John Trotti
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John
Trotti
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In our companion
publication, Grading & Excavation Contractor, we’ve
focused on five key issues that we feel spell the difference
between truly successful operations and the also-rans.
While that publication pays attention to the specific
needs of dirtmovers—landfill operators for instance—if
you broaden your focus I think you’ll agree that
they apply to nearly all aspects of the waste business
as well. In fact I think you could mix them up and roll
them out like dice from a cup, and the order you put
them in would make little difference because the more
you look at them, the more you see that they are inextricably
linked, so here’s what rolled out on my table.
Productivity
While there may seem to be no end to the number
of tasks we attend to in the course of a workday, when
all is said and done there are a certain few that lie
at the heart of our charter. Yes, there are the economic
rewards, and underlying them is our innate urge to excel—a
compulsion honed by the rigors of competition—but
at the core, the productivity that counts lies in those
areas spelled out in our goals and objectives, beginning
with “get the trash off the curb.”
Safety
It makes no difference what the business; it is
our responsibility—fiscally as well as morally—to
reduce the exposure of our workers and the public at
large to all risks to life, limb, and property within
our control. While the waste industry has shown improvement
over the past few years, it still ranks as one of the
most dangerous in many of its operations. Ours is a
never-ending fight to seek out and eliminate hazards.
Cost Control
Whether we work for a public agency or a private
enterprise, it is our responsibility to achieve the
maximum benefits of our efforts for the most enlightened—notice
I didn’t say miserly—use of our resources.
As most providers of goods and services are quick to
point out, least-cost and cost-effectiveness rarely
go hand in hand. Life cycle analyses and full-cost accounting
tools have found their way into the waste field, allowing
us to make sure the public is getting the most bang
for the buck.
Regulatory
Compliance
While today’s increasingly regulated business
environment is driven largely by environmental goals
and requirements, in the long run most reflect the awareness
that many of our actions have long-term consequences
that are not seen or whose costs are not borne during
their commission. As an “environmental” industry,
you would expect waste practitioners to lead the way
in compliance.
Employee
Concerns
While I can’t imagine there has ever been
such a thing as a stationary target in the composition
or needs of our workforce, I do believe that today we
face changes that demand special attention. The most
obvious example of change is the growing percentage—now
nearly two-thirds nationwide—of workers whose primary
language is other than English.
Language
may be the most obvious feature in this transformation,
but other areas such as education, technical knowledge,
expectations, and view of authority may pose greater
challenges both now and in the future.
Beyond the
details of dealing with employee matters, however, lies
an even more important area of concern: our underlying
vision of how best to accomplish our mission.
Several years
ago, Nancy Nevil—solid waste manager, Plano, TX—wrote
a Guest Editorial entitled “Employees
Are Number One” espousing the concept that
the way we treat our employees is the way they will
treat our customers.
I believe,”
she proposed, “that if an organization would spend
more time and energy on employee satisfaction, customer
service and efficiency would follow,” and I am
convinced she was (and is) spot on target. The rationale
for her assertion? “Since frontline workers are
usually the best resource for improved efficiency, employees
must be a part of the solution to any problem.”
Bulls-eye!
Send
John an Email
MSW
- May/June 2005
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