7 Ways to Spot Problem Employees With Equipment Inspection Software

We talk accountability like we’re experts in the matter.

The truth is…we’re not.

We just listen to what the experts are saying.

One of the common challenges faced by managers that we hear quite often is execution.

Another is not being able to prove it.

You know it’s happening, but a significant obstacle is in front of you.

A black hole of checklists, work orders, and fragmented processes prevent you from identifying your problem employees.

Equipment inspection software enhances your operation and makes tracking accountability doable.

You can be a leader in any operation, airports to sports, to receive the value offered by such a solution.

That’s what this article’s about.

We’re not here to do a feature dump on equipment inspection software, but to explain the ways you as a professional can identify your team’s weaknesses and fix them.

Here’s a fact, unless you position your organization to track accountability purposefully there’ll be no light at the end of this tunnel.

Would you say it’s time to change that?

We say it’s time for you to stop stressing over the employees hindering your team’s performance.

There’s a solution. We’re not talking the software’s functionality itself, but what it allows you to do.

This is unquestionably important – and there’s a difference.

A solution’s value derives from the ability to hold your staff accountable for their performance and to have the documentation to back it up.

It’s a simple concept with extraordinary impact.

MANAGING ACCOUNTABILITY IS EASY WITH EQUIPMENT INSPECTION SOFTWARE

If you’re already using a solution or evaluating whether you should move to one, use the following seven ways to spot your problem employees.

It’ll help you move your operation from a cost center to a profit center.

Mind you, these lucky seven are not jawbreakers or too hard to swallow.

They’re pretty darn simple, especially if you apply them!

1. Equipment Inspection Software Starts with Accurate Documentation

To most of you, this might be pretty obvious. It is, but it’s also essential that we address it.

A solution will come with the ability to record and manage your property’s vital information accurately.

All your staff can execute inspections while digitally delivering the results to you without the need to write it down.

No more pen and paper.

If someone is producing inaccurate and useless reports, you know what and how to resolve the issues immediately.

2. Checklists: When Inspections Go Bad

In theory, we’d say lists are a significant tool for your property management efforts.

However, they’re only as reliable as the employees completing them.

A core flaw surfaces in your inspection process and your problem employees naturally reveal themselves.

How do property managers and supervisors validate whether their employees complete required inspections?

Are you saying, “Good question?”

The problem is unremitting.

An employee might only initial the checklist without completing the inspection, or address only the items they feel matter.

Typically what we see here is referred to as “the flying checkmarks” where an employee checks off all items without taking the time to do the inspection as was expected.

What happens when someone ignores an inspection or faulty equipment that affects your compliance status or the safety of your guests?

To be frank, this is atrocious and harmful to the efficacy of your operation.

What’s worse is the lack of integrity.

You haven’t even addressed accountability at this point.

With this, you’re only touching the root of the problem – integrity.

The result of this: unnecessary allegations among supervisors and staff when injuries occur, or equipment stops working without warning.

Don’t let this happen!

3. The Opposite of Efficiency Can Be Early Retirement

Keep an eye on inefficiencies to keep your organization out of early retirement and staying in the green.

Most solutions give your staff the tools to be well-organized, from the ability to record an inspection at the time of review, to attaching multimedia.

We’ll dive deeper into multimedia below, but we’re sure you agree there’s no reason your employees should be spending unanswered hours handling inspections that take a quarter of the time when using inspection software.

4. It Is a Small Learning Curve for Staff

When we say small, we mean it.

Most inspection solutions can have your team trained up in 30 minutes.

We’re talking fully operational.

In 30 minutes you’re moving your team from disjointed with no accountability to effective and efficient.

Your property management black hole can finally close for good.

5. Barcode Labels Lead to Smarter Inspections

Running routine inspections becomes easy for your employees when they no longer need to check off a list.

When you supplement it with the ability to use a device to scan barcode labels on your equipment, you just supercharged your operation!

Your employees scan the label, the digital checklist populates, they see all inspection items for a piece of equipment, and they complete the inspection in a timely manner.

Now you have the power to hold them accountable for their inspections.

Isn’t that the breath of fresh air you need?

6. Pictures Are Worth 1,000 Words. (Technically 84.1, but Who’s Counting?)

Touching back on efficiency: software solutions can make recording an inspection a straightforward process.

For your staff, simple. For you: peace of mind.

With the ability to attach pictures, video, and audio, your employees have all the details to show whether your equipment passed or failed inspection.

Your team can work together to document before and after photos of faulty or replaced equipment. No more mysterious equipment failures.

7. Generating Work Orders Is so Easy We Can’t Pinpoint a Reason Not To

If an inspection happens to fail, from a solution’s mobile handheld device employees are able to submit a work order.

Your engineering team is then able to track and respond to the work order effortlessly.

We call this maximum efficiency.

OVER TO YOU

When using these methods to identify potential problem employees, you might find out after all – the problem wasn’t your employees – it was your process.

We do not deny that apathetic employees exist, but many times you’ll find the problem stems from particle flaws in your operation.

Your team’s weaknesses are more likely to surface when you don’t have the foundation in place to hold them together.

We believe that implementing smart processes together with inspection software will promote an environment conducive to honest employee participation.

Use this list to discern problem employees, but also work hard with your team to produce absolute efficiency.

As you’re doing this, use the built-in analytics provided by many of these systems to measure success.

Discover how you can better allocate resources, train employees effectively and manage property inspections with ease.

We’re confident that long-term analytics will show you it’s better to develop your processes and your employees, together.

Data will tell you a story that allows you to see what you’re doing right or wrong and how to spot it.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in October 2014 and has been updated for comprehensiveness and freshness.