how to control the maintenance man
 

I have a maintenance guy working for me in a manufacturing facility. He is a sharp guy who has been here many years longer than me. I'm sure he knows how to repair just about everything in the place. That part is good.

The difficulty is that he has an odd personality, where he takes everything very personally if you question anything he does, which makes it difficult to deal with him or even get him to explain what he is doing or why he is doing it. He gets very defensive very quickly. It's to a point where his immediate supervisor doesn't like to get involved. The guy comes and goes as he pleases, starts early and racks up the OT whenever he wants (although always has a good reason when I question it), and doesn't currently report to anyone.

I don't doubt his abilities but his coworkers are telling tales about him. They paint a picture that he may not be as hardworking as he seems. I have come to the conclusion that I need to keep better track of what he spends his time on and how he decides what the priorities are.

I assume that the maintenance dept in most plants actually follow rules and protocols of some sort. Perhaps a system of work orders? A time card?

Can someone in the know explain to me how such a system would work and how I might go about setting it up? Any thoughts appreciated.

Nice forum by the way. Been about for a while.

Make him keep a log. Either that, or you will need someone to shadow him, and that is probably not going to work out all that well.
I would be happy to have a guy that I could trust to keep the place running, that is reliable, dependable, and knows every intricacy of the place.
I always hated it when I had a direct boss who was not a mechanic, or even remotely mechanically inclined. These were the guys who were always asking " why is it taking so long?" My canned response was always. " I can get it done quick, or I can get it done right, what do you want me to do?"
Welcome to the forum .

I'd be over the moon with that too. I thought that's what we had, but more and more I hear he is busy making puppies. Meanwhile it's difficult for me to do anything but trust what he tells me. After all, what do I know about these things.....?

As time goes by though, I see he is not reporting to anyone, he makes his own schedule and books all his hours to "maintenance". He has free reign which would be great if it turns out he's a stand up guy.

Just wondered how a normal maintenance guy spends his day and how his hours are allocated. Perhaps there is a system that a maintenance dept would follow....?

A normal maintenance would be to work repair tickets(WRT) and do scheduled preventative maintenance ( PM).

The WRT would usually be made out by the supervisor on the floor or person in charge to repair anything that comes up out of the normal. Time arrived and completed would be noted and signed off by both the repairman and ticket issuer.

PM's would be scheduled and performed on an as required time frame...i.e--belt changes, fluid changes...etc. These would have a pre determined time interval and time needed to complete. Also logged time in and completed.

This guy has free reign. If he is charging OT without any controls or documentation of performed activities.....he is screwing you.

Make him salaried?

Does he do a good job of keeping the place running? Are folks happy with his work and his response and turn around times? If so, you have to ask what all of that is worth to you and your company. I can see wanting to get a handle on what he does if he is doing a poor job, but that does not sound like the case. Do you want him filling out paperwork that is meant to track what he does and justify his time, or do you want him fixing things? Do you feel like you have to "manage" him because, well... because you are a "manager", and that's what you guys do? Sometimes I think the most difficult thing on earth for a "manager" is not meddling in something that's working...

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We actually had an engineer here named Michael Bolton.

Well, you asked for it...You sound like a clueless manager :rolleyes:

create a new SOP for the maintenance dept.

scheduled PM on equipment with dated checklists and repairs have a ticket submitted and signed when completed-

or hire a maintenance manager to oversee the dept.

or make him salary-

a person will tend not to milk the clock on salary as the clock belongs to them-

Two posts to his name, and in this thread? WTF?

For the most part.

Sometimes, not always.

Not in the slightest. I have a million things to do and I've got no desire to get involved in this guys work day.

The difficulty is, if he really is busy making puppies and the other guys see it and tell me, it's a problem if they see me ignore it. One bad apple and all that. They are going to start asking themselves why they work hard when this guy gets paid to screw around.

not sure if thats fair but whatever you wish.

I considered this but the flip side is that a guy can take advantage and keep leaving for middle of the day doc appointments etc etc.. whereas before he would have made the appointment in the end or beginning of the day.

I've spent time on this forum before, just never bothered posting. For the most part this is a pretty good bunch of people and I know many of you are owners, managers etc etc and may have experiences that could help me figure out how to move forward without upsetting the guy.

you could give him someone to manage-

Do the above or get him a new boss. Transfer his duties to a different department and have that department head lay the law down to him. "The old way was fine, but I do not do things the old way. We want to keep you but things are going to change a bit in the way its run"...

Do agree with the Salary bit... that would stop the OT.

he may only be the maintenance guy...
but he does have you & management figured out...
does as he pleases..
your afraid of him.
sounds like a boss..
promote him...
or leave him be..
he's a survivor...
he dines on folks like yourself...
seems you amuse him...


Rika

I am guessing he can't work on a running machine
or at least do much in normal hours

so early before the machines start running
or later after then workers leave

if the shop is smoothly running
clean jobs up to date
do not be a control freak
you may ''save a few hours'' on his pay
but it may cost lost production time far in excess of savings

if things are not running well
then you need to do something

Sounds like you have arrived at an answer. Maybe you "have a million things to do" because you are already taking this level of interest in too many things already.

I'm not trying to bust your balls or anything, but just how long have you been managing at your current level? I assume you are a second or third level manager (from your reference to his "immediate supervisor"). What is your background prior to this position? Specifically, were you working in or around any of these shops in this manufacturing facility it sounds like you are now managing?

You have to understand that coworkers "telling tales" of one anothers' time wasting, screwing off, "cheating" the company, and on and on is part and parcel of how all such facilities operate. Everyone is a first team all star in their own book, while all of their coworkers are lazy, inattentive louts whose work only gets done thanks to the particular hero with whom you are currently speaking. You need to learn to seperate the wheat from the chaff. Often the guy who gets the most done, and has therefor earned the most leeway in how he gets it done, is the one they gripe about the most.