Promoting Professionalism in the Maintenance Department

A maintenance department in which professionalism is part of its culture and image has many benefits:

• Lower turnover. People like being part of something they can be proud of. Not only are they less likely to quit, they are also more likely to try harder while there.
• Greater effectiveness. When people make professionalism part of how they approach their work, they are more thoughtful and more thorough.
• Less friction with other departments. Professionalism means you conduct yourself in a way that tends not to offend. It also means people are less likely to take offense when you don’t mean it.
• More credibility. The polish that comes with professionalism helps you when you are trying to persuade the plant controller to approve new test equipment or a production manager to give you a larger window for conducting tests.

Some ways to promote professionalism:

• Have a dress code. Torn jeans, worn T-shirts, and unpolished shoes communicate unprofessionalism. That is not to say shoes must be spit-shined daily, but slovenly doesn’t cut it.
• Have a speech code. Cursing may seem harmless in the shop, but it is unprofessional. It is also unprofessional to make negative comments about the company, its management, or the work in general. It is professional to clearly articulate a problem to a supervisor or manager, with the clear intention of seeking a solution.
• Keep the shop areas organized and clean. Clutter and grime indicate a poor attitude. There’s no place for “slummin’ it” in the maintenance department. A poorly maintained maintenance shop says much. So does a well-maintained maintenance shop.
• Respond to needs. When people say they need specific training, specialized test equipment, special jigs, or some other resource to best perform their jobs and you are the manager, respond in a professional manner. This sets an example. Budget constraints often make these requests difficult or impossible to meet, but don’t dismiss them on that basis. Rather than just say, “We can’t budget for that,” ask them to help you provide cost justification.
• Don’t permit passive-aggressive behavior. People need to understand that if they don’t like something, they can speak up. That is, either accept things as they are or define and address the exact issue. Gas-lighting others, chronically complaining about perceived slights, doing shoddy or incomplete work as a means of protest, and spreading innuendos about others are behaviors that do absolutely nothing to correct a problem (whether real or imagined). And they are toxic behaviors.
• Encourage open communication. If you encounter passive-aggressive behavior, offer open communication as the acceptable alternative. People who use passive-aggressive behavior typically do so because they are afraid to speak up or perceive that behavior as superior to confrontation. Creating a safe environment for communicating problems (real or imagined) in a respectful and constructive way removes the pseudo-justification for passive-aggressive behavior.