clean cut crews.

Define clean cut?

I think presence is everything. Its one thing to have tattos hanging out of your shirt. Its another to have long ratty hair, dirty/holey blue jeans (that dont fit), and dirty mismatched shirts.

Give evreyone matching co. shirts, and enforce their use. Encourage everyone to wear Carharts, or Arborwear.....maybe buy themtheir first 2 pairs or give them to them at a discount? This way everyone looks presentable.

LEAD by example!!
 
Look at the companies that command top dollar for their work in any field and you'll see that presentation does count. Yes they're are plenty that don't care but, that is a minority. When the largest home electronics retailer in Canada did a survey of it's customers they found that the number one reason people shop there was store presentation. Neat, clean, organized.

People do look at you and assess your attitude toward your work by how you look after yourself. If you're successful you would maintain your clothing, hair and general appearance in an acceptable manner.
 
We have a good clean company look with the arbor wear and co. shirts and every thing. Its the pony tails, dreadlocks and little boy pubic hair beards that drives me nuts. It's not every one but 2 out of five guys still keeps things looking like they could be sharper. I hate to drive off one or two hard working guys because I can't bend. But again I taght em every thing they know and I can do it again. It is my company after all. I offered em both a raise and the oppertunity for a better position come the new year, No intrest.
 
If thats all your bent about I would say your worrying too much. Look at Beddes. Does he look unprofessioanl with dreads? Maybe a bit like a dirty hippie, but not unprofessional. IMO

Best of luck with your choice!
 
Yeah and I have a tattoo on my chin. Beddes although I have not met him to date, like myself, looks like he knows how to hold himself professionaly. There's a big differance when your talking about kids with 2 years in the belt who might actually forget to hook up the chipper some mornings.
Beddes can come work with me any time, no hair cut required.
 
Have any clients commented? Are there safety issues with the ponytails or dreads? Even if one customer said something about it the likelihood is others feel the same way. But those are the ones that see the crew and don't call you for a quote.

This is the nature of the market. We don't define it the client does.
 
There's something about continuity.

I've observed workers on campus at one time or another in full uniform, but tails hanging out while others wearing blue pants and a logo-less T-shirt. Line 'em up, something's out of order with one of them. Hmm, which one?

The lawn maint guys that stroll through my neighborhood wear consistiently cap, glasses, light tshirt (if not co. logo). I don't see the tats, bling, hair, race, creed or color. Same thing, I drive by a tree job site and see reasonably matched tops and drawers, I see a team. I know they're there to do their job (just had to use all of them in a sentence!). The next thing I look at are their eyes.

Shiny truck and mismatched employes-- looks like the boss is spending too much time hanging around the paint shop instead of investing in the service end of the business. See the truck and go looking for the crew.
 
It is all about presentation and customer perception. If your customers are of a culture that shys away from facial hair then any beard will be a problem.

If you market to retirees, especially the WWII generation you may find long hair, tats or ratty clothes will turn them off.

If you look neat and organized then the customer will think you are neat and organized. If you show up looking like someone that crawled out of a dumpster with rattle-trap trucks they may be thinking twice about hiring you.

As for the employees, they represent you and your company and you have a right to expect them to meet your standards.

In some jurisdictions though, you may not have total freedom though.
 
Good thoughts everyone, all of this helps alot. Jim D. you've seen my guys over the the years @ TxTCC and such. Am I being a a-Hole boss or what? How does it look to you? And I dont mean Keith or Nate.
 
Image is important, exceeded by performance. Customers will see the work performed everyday, and only see the crew when they are working.

Talk up the crew to your customers a little bit. Let they know that you are happy with the crew as they are dependable and reliable. You are happy to have them, because they make your company a good company.

I like to introduce the crew briefly to the customer if they should need to talk to me while I am with the customer. I think it shows your pride in your crew, and that you don't have a bunch of losers that you need to keep away from the customer at all cost.

Emphasize to the crew that in addition to the good work you see them doing, that image help to keep you all busy working, and earning. Thank them for being professionals, looking and acting like professionals around the jobsite and customers, and they can screw around and make off-color jokes offsite.

As someone said, lead by example, which I suspect you do, by your concern of appearances. Clean shaven every day, or almost everyday, shirt tucked, etc will show them what you are looking for.

We do dirty work, so I don't think that everyone will look as clean cut as doctors or chefs.

You have uniforms, good equipment, signage. So long as you are doing good work, and good customer relations, I imagine you have most of your bases covered.
 
We have clean maroon trucks,(although old) and clean maroon t-shirts on all the guys on the crew. we have clean maroon sweatshirts for winter, and lovely maroon brochures that I give out with every bid. This branding has done very well for us, and new customers often comment they have seen the maroon trucks or shirts in their neighborhood. I don't enforce a shaving rule, I have a kinda wild soul patch that should be trimmed more often, but we do try to keep from looking scruffy. No smoking in front of or on any customer's property, only in the truck at breaktime, if you must. just my thoughts......
 
Thanx, Seem like were all on the same page and I might not be the jerk I was begining to feel like. Any thing else from me on this subject would just be venting. Noel -Your looking handsome as ever, good to here from you. If you don't mind mabey I'll cut and paste you Pic there as a good example for our company manual. - Chears
 
When I was running crews I expected beards...or postponed shaving...to at least have the fuzz squared off under the neck and cheeks.

company t-shirts..tucked in almost 100% of the time

Jeans with very few holes

NO droopy drawers!!!

Boots laced up and tied
 
no shirt tucking for me.
Saw dust ends up n your underwear that way
grin.gif
 
haha too much info Paul, I actually ran that way for a little then realized it wasn't a great idea on hot days

As far as clean cut goes, I'm not exactly "clean". I had a scruffy beard, tattoos all over the place but I always wear company apparell as far as a shirt goes. My pierceings and tattoos are a bit off putting, but being foreman I always have the chance to talk to the homeowners. Once I'm able to convey verbally that I'm not crazy and I'm very polite the homeowners rarely notice the Tats and beard any more.

I agree on the company uniform. Matching shirts are a must. I've started to inform workers about holes in there pants. I only mention it and the guys usually take the hint. I've always enjoyed the freedom of the tree industry. I enjoy the fact that I can grow a beard long, pierce what I want and tat what I feel like. It's a freedom that not many people get to enjoy. It's one of the reasons I chose this field over teaching. I'm judged on how hard I work not by my slick looks.
 
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