GroundKprs
01-08-2002, 10:39 AM
As a regular visitor to many homes and small businesses, the lawn guy gets to know more about a property than anyone else. The piles of sawdust in the lawn tell us when the carpenter was there. The bits of wire and insulation tell us when the electrician was there. The pieces and bits of shingle tell us the roofer was there (for the next 3 years!). The lint in the drive or gutter tell us when the carpet cleaner was there. Even the mailman who is there every day doesn't notice all these, because he doesn't see the whole property.
We also get to know the comings and goings of our clients, over the years. The crew doing a home every week will know when the house is empty, especially if both homeowners work. And they will know which angles of the house are hidden from neighbors view. This goes for not just the client property, but all nearby homes or businesses.
This past summer I heard of a situation of a two block area of houses suffering theft. The police interviewed the lawn maintenance contractor who serviced about half the homes here, and may have also checked others working there. Has anyone considered this aspect of our business, and planned for the problem of a dishonest employee setting up clients for burglary or other theft, by themselves or by selling info to others to do on their own?
Is there a simple, legal procedure in your area to check criminal history of prospective employees? Have you worked with local law enforcement to recognize a pattern of problems in your working area that could indicate a bad apple on one of your crews?
We also get to know the comings and goings of our clients, over the years. The crew doing a home every week will know when the house is empty, especially if both homeowners work. And they will know which angles of the house are hidden from neighbors view. This goes for not just the client property, but all nearby homes or businesses.
This past summer I heard of a situation of a two block area of houses suffering theft. The police interviewed the lawn maintenance contractor who serviced about half the homes here, and may have also checked others working there. Has anyone considered this aspect of our business, and planned for the problem of a dishonest employee setting up clients for burglary or other theft, by themselves or by selling info to others to do on their own?
Is there a simple, legal procedure in your area to check criminal history of prospective employees? Have you worked with local law enforcement to recognize a pattern of problems in your working area that could indicate a bad apple on one of your crews?