Restoration | iRestore Restoration Software

10 Steps to Organize your Warehouse

Posted on October 2, 2023October 2, 2023 by iRestore

By Lisa Lavender M.T.R., M.F.S.R., M.W.R.

You may have tried to mobilize Operation: Organize the Warehouse, or it may be on the “TO DO” list. Because there is never enough time, or space, in our restoration businesses, we need to plan, schedule, and make it happen. Described in the article, “Roll it Uphill – A Lesson in Leadership”, is the mindset of taking action and leading the way instead of placing blame on your team for the things that don’t get accomplished. Take the example of a new piece of expensive equipment that gets lost and forgotten in a messy collection of equipment, cords, and supplies. It happens all the time, right? What would be the result if the thought process was more of the following…

Does the new piece of equipment have a designated, labelled place where it belongs?
Did this designated place get communicated to the team?
Does the rest of your equipment and supplies have assigned shelf or floor space?
Do you currently have space capacity for additional equipment? Might it have been better to rent it?

In the article, Improving Effectiveness, Efficiency, Profitability by Looking outside the Industry, you will find inspiration in other industries that could best help us design and maintain the warehouse. In disciplines described, you will find simple approaches and guidance that will help you lay-out and organize your production and storage areas in a way that will maximize your efficiency and reduce your headaches.

To move it off the list of dreams and goals and make it a reality, let us focus on what is to be gained:

Efficiency: Operation efficiency is tied to reducing the number of resources needed to deliver a high-quality product or service. In this case, decreasing the amount of time required to locate, mobilize, clean, maintain and repair your equipment and supplies will increase:
1. Profitability
2. Productivity (which also results happier work force)
3. Customer Service
Asset Management: Our equipment, supplies, and if you do contents, the responsible custody of customer property, is an important part of our operation. The better we can track, maintain, and care for our assets, the better our operational results.
Credibility and Pride: In our eLearning lesson on the custodial closet, instructor Mark Warner describes this area as the “back of the house” and explains that during an audit, the first place he inspects is the “back of the house.” The general organization, housekeeping and cleanliness of this space is the evaluated. In our industry, the warehouse, is the “back of the house” and is a reflection on the company.
Mindset and Culture: As we produce clean and healthy environments for our customers, it is vitally important for us to provide a facility that exemplifies quality, efficiency, and pride. This creates a culture and mindset that is reflected in the personal appearance of our staff, their vehicles, and the condition of the jobsite. If we expect clean, organized, and safe job sites, it starts with how well we manage and control our shop or warehouse.

The following is a practical list of steps offered not as an expert in the field but as an accountant-turned-restorer with a passion for our operations, workflows, and cultures. Depending on your status, you may adjust the list to meet the needs of your organization.

Before executing your project, I offer the following tips, and my joke for managing anything is, “It is just like running a restoration job!”

Assign and grant the authority to a project manager who is ultimately responsible for goals, objectives, and managing the resources.
Each task should have a clearly defined expectation, a person assigned to the successful execution, and start dates and completion dates.
As a project, formalize periodic updates and adjust the plan as needed.

Simple Steps:

Assign a project manager and consider a project team.
Evaluate your space.
1. Look at it with fresh eyes.
2. What is working, what is not working?
Evaluate your Inventory.
1. Supplies, Equipment, Tools, Contents, Other.
2. Get rid of what you do not need or use.
3. Consider how your inventory is used in your workflows.
Design the space in support of inventory, workflows, services, and needs. Sketch out several layouts using the following tips:
1. Maximize space and fully utilize the volume of your space.
2. Allow for safe and clear walkways.
3. Consider the organization systems that you may need like, shelving, hooks, etc.
4. Other considerations such as Safety and Cross-contamination
Designate locations for the inventory and use the following tips in making these assignments:
1. Efficient workflows that consider our movements, frequency of use, proximity to loading, weight of the equipment and supplies, and service commonality. An example is we do not want to put a piece of equipment on a shelf that is 12 feet overhead that is used daily. We want to minimize the movement and time it takes to gather necessary supplies and equipment to clean a carpet.
2. Utilize best practices and traditional vocabulary in warehousing and make it part of your culture.
  1. Example: Zone | Aisle | Rack | Shelf | Bin.
  2. The Vacuum is stored in Zone A, Aisle 2, Shelf 1, Bin b = A.2.1.b
3. Workspaces may include the need to accommodate:
  1. Contents
  2. Equipment cleaning, maintenance, repair
  3. The movement of forklifts or pallet jacks
Choose an Inventory Management System / software solution and maintain it.
1. The system should support designated storage location and movements. You can read more here: Restoring Success, Inventory Management
2. Plan for the pieces will present you with a graphic on the movement that must be accounted for and other considerations in maintaining your warehouse system.
Acquire all tools and supplies needed to support the plan:
1. Shelves, dividers, hooks
2. Tape: Use the proper tape on the floor to create zones, aisles, walkways, and other designations in support of your design.
3. Ladders, forklifts, other tools, and systems that supports the safe accessibility of the inventories.
Signs, labels, and color coding are some simple solutions that will help the team utilize and maintenance of the system. Consider a grocery store, with signs telling us where to find condiments. You would not put an air mover in a spot for the condiments! (Bad restoration joke?)
Supplies Management:
1. Establish documented minimum and maximum supply inventory levels that is appropriate for the space designed. Having a two-year supply of X is not practical for maximizing our warehouse space.
2. Establish a restocking protocol that rotates the supplies in accordance with a First In – First Out approach. This will ensure a rotation and avoid potential spoilage of your supplies.
3. Job costing can be supported if it is part of your supply management systems.
Maintaining the Warehouse: As part of the operations, protocols, the systems, and warehouse need to be maintained so that the company and team can continue to enjoy the benefits of the project.
1. Establishment of Receiving Protocols. A few examples to consider:
  1. Reviewing shipping documents, reconciling them with the shipment and forwarding the slips to accounting
  2. Cleanliness: New supplies are sometimes received and covered in dirt and grime. We do not want dirty supplies on our shelves and worst, yet we do not want them landing on a job site.
2. Have clearly defined expectations and assignment of responsibilities in all cleaning and maintenance related efforts.
  1. Person assigned (rotation)
  2. Frequency Schedule
  3. Use of a checklist.
3. Visual Inspections and Supply Checks:
  1. Assigned and periodic inspections
  2. Supplies, even with a digital management solution, should have assigned and periodic inventory checks.

Warehouse management is an ongoing practice that helps our operation, efficiency and can inspire the team. As with much in our industry, changes, technology, and evolution, will often require on-going redesigns of the space and systems. I have seen many beautifully organized and clean warehouses in my travels. Those of you who have mastered the feat of keeping order in the chaos, please share your tips in the comments below. May your well-planned, systems- driven, and organized warehouse bring you much Restoring Success.

Large Loss in the Restoration and Remediation Industry… Are You Ready?

Posted on June 8, 2023June 21, 2023 by iRestore

Lavender M.T.R., M.F.S.R., M.W.R., Thomas McGuire

June 7, 2023

As a restorer, once you catch the bug, the thrill of being called to action to respond, restore, and leave an impact, it is not uncommon to want to go to the next level; the Large Loss. We could consider this the Olympics of Restoration where all your technical, soft skills, and project management abilities are challenged. For those of us who are a bit of adrenaline junkies, it is a rush.

When speaking to CAT Volumes, large loss, or commercial restoration opportunities think about the Seneca quote, “Luck is when preparation meets opportunities.” In other words, as Director of Education, Chuck Boutall, would say, “You have to be ready before you can do it!”

As restorers, we often get caught up in the urgencies of the day. If we seek the opportunity to successfully respond to a large loss, we must get ready. Tom McGuire who developed and delivers his Large Loss Mastery course all over the world was inspired to get restorers ready before the call with the big one. “Learning on the job of a Large Loss will lead to disappointment and heartache. Why would you do that to yourself when you have decades of experience with some of the largest projects ever done at your fingertips?” McGuire states. His approach based on years of large loss experience is to prepare restorers to do the job right, on time and make a profit.

As we begin to consider what we need to do, consider doing a needs analysis. Evaluate your general operations, administration, in-house skills, and resources. The following is a brief list of considerations that we compiled to help you start evaluating your needs and determine if you are ready:

Knowledge and Skills: Do we know what we are doing?
- Soft Skills
  - Confidence
  - Communication
  - Resourcefulness
  - Drive for Results
  - Other
- Technical & Management Skills
  - Consider the types of losses, industries, buildings, stakeholders, and the related complexities. Evaluate yourself and your team’s proficiency and seek to learn where you find gaps. Being resourceful when you have a technical expertise gap will also serve you well.
  - Excellent Project Management skills are an absolute. Scheduling, planning, coordination, and documentation will need to go to a new level.
  - Management and Administrative: From estimating to invoicing, managing resources, budgeting, and job costing, the team and systems must be ready to manage and support the complexities related to a large loss.
- Resources:
  - Equipment, Supplies, and Materials
  - Alliances, Partners, Subcontractors, Consultants
  - Finances: You are not a bank, and it is important to have the financial resources available to fund a large-scale project.

Once you have evaluated the needs and capabilities of your organization, you can focus on next steps to get the team ready. The following is a list of considerations and tips:

Self-Assess: Engage the team in a self-assessment to drill down on development and training needs. It is critical that the team has confidence in the skills and abilities necessary to effectively manage a large loss.
Training and Courses: Based on the identification of skill gaps and training needs, enroll in courses. Training and courses will give you access to experienced experts, knowledge, and certificates that validate your expertise. Large Loss Mastery has developed a series that helps fill the gaps for the key roles needed to execute.
Practice: How do you practice when you do not have the opportunity?
- Start a “What would you do if”? This is best done as a group exercise.
  - What would you do if your local Museum had a fire?
  - What would you do if the Court House had a major water loss?
  - What would you do if the Hospital had a fire in one wing?
- When you have a loss, that may be only one or two units in a Condominium or one store in a mall; play out the scenario of it being eighty units or the entire mall.
- Look around any facility you step into and ask yourself what would you do to help the client recover from a catastrophic event? Fires, Floods, Mold, and Natural disasters happen all the time.
Resources: The skill of being resourceful and having the right resources when the opportunity to respond presents itself is imperative.
- Internal Resources: Evaluate and train.
- External Resources:
  - Existing – What do you have? Take an inventory and identify gaps.
  - New Resources – What other resources, relationships, and subcontractors are needed? Build and prepare your relationships and resource lists. It is good to have multiple resources per category.
Operations and Systems: Once you identified areas that need to be developed, make it happen. If you need to strengthen systems, administration, and documentation, doing so at the time of a large loss is not the time to address it. There are many details and the following article will give you some helpful tips: 8 Tips to Manage the Thousands of Details.
Finances: The billing and collections processes must be sound. Always know where the money is and who is paying, Receiving your Receivables. It is also best to evaluate your banking relationships and your cash flow needs for a large loss.
Confidence: Find confidence in your existing experiences, get training, and find experienced mentors.

When you are prepared for the moment, even if the job looks like luck to everyone else, you will know better, it was because of your dedication to having all “your ducks in a row” and being prepared for WHAT IF? HOW MUCH? AND HOW LONG? When you ask if you and your company are ready for large loss, say, “YES!” Preparation is an investment! Habit #3 of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephan Covey, Put First Things First. “Prioritize and achieve your most important goals instead of constantly reacting to urgencies.” Put that big rock in the bowl: https://youtu.be/zV3gMTOEWt8.

May getting ready for Large Loss bring you much Restoring Success.

Burnout in the Restoration Industry | Part 1

Posted on November 6, 2019February 20, 2020 by iRestore

Editor’s Note:

This is the first article of a multi-part series on employee burnout in the restoration industry. Part one introduces the nature of burnout and summarizes findings from a study on burnout in the restoration industry. Part two begins a discussion on things restoration companies can do to manage one of the most complicating factors for burnout among restoration professionals – workload. Part three advances the conversation and discusses what restoration professionals can do at the individual level to manage workloads more effectively.

Since the 1990s, experts have been declaring burnout levels are reaching epidemic proportions among North American workers (Maslach & Leiter, 1997). Since that time, most people would probably agree that work-related stressors have only intensified with the proliferation of metrics, technology, and the need to be “on” all the time. A recent study by Gallup (Wigert & Agrawal, 2018) surveyed 7,500 full-time employees in the United States and reported that 67% of the respondents experienced feelings of burnout on the job. Another study by Deloitte (2018) surveyed 1,000 full-time professionals in the United States and reported that 77% of respondents said they had experienced burnout in their current job. In addition, the World Health Organization announced it would be revising its definition of burnout in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases, effective Jan. 1, 2022. One of the primary changes will be how burnout is classified—this revision will involve a change in classification from “a type of psychological stress” to a “syndrome.”

Disaster restoration professionals operate in a niche of the construction industry that is inherently stressful. Their work often demands being on call and working long hours under stressful and dangerous conditions following fires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and a variety of other catastrophic events to structures. In addition, there are performance demands driven by metrics related to response times, project completion rates, customer service, and many other factors. Such conditions make restoration professionals more susceptible to burnout; therefore, it is important to understand the nature of burnout and how the effects may be mitigated.

“Burnout is defined as a crisis in a person’s relationship with their work, as well as a syndrome of three distinct feelings that comprise the dimensions of burnout: exhaustion, cynicism, and professional efficacy (Masiach & Leiter, 1997)”.

The reasons for burnout can be complex and are addressed at length in many studies and books that have been published on the topic over the past few decades. Many have debated the reasons for burnout, whether occasional feelings of burnout can be good for someone, the complexity of burnout and the degree to which non-work factors may contribute to feelings of burnout on the job (and vice-versa), and where future inquiries into the subject should focus—among other topics. While many of these factors are still being debated and explored, there are many things scholars and professionals have come to understand about burnout and agree upon. Specifically, it is important to understand that some industries have higher burnout rates than others and that contextual factors such as organizational culture and the capacity to cope with stress within individuals vary widely.

Regardless, there is much for an industry to gain by having a deeper understanding of employee burnout among professionals and to explore strategies for improving the health and lives of its members. The primary goal of this article is to discuss the nature of burnout, share findings from a recent study on burnout within the restoration industry, and begin a practical discussion related to how we, as an industry, can seek to thrive with the inherent challenges the industry faces. We hope many productive conversations develop from this article.

Restoration is a great industry that does great work for the great people of our society. It is inherently challenging and stressful, but rewarding for those who enjoy working hard and doing good work for good people in need. This article seeks to candidly discuss the challenges of burnout for restoration professionals and begin a productive conversation on how we, as an industry, can do our work in a rewarding, enjoyable, productive, and effective manner.

Burnout

Burnout is defined as a crisis in a person’s relationship with their work, as well as a syndrome of three distinct feelings that comprise the dimensions of burnout: exhaustion, cynicism, and professional efficacy (Maslach & Leiter, 1997).

Dimensions of Burnout

The three dimensions of burnout help us understand the primary characteristics of burnout and provide insight into the nature of the burnout experience.

employee burnout, restoration management, restoration management software

Exhaustion: The feeling of being overextended and physically and emotionally drained. “[It] is the first reaction to the stress of job demands or major change” (Maslach & Leiter, 1997). When someone is feeling exhausted, they lack energy and are unable to unwind and recover (Maslach & Leiter, 1997).
Cynicism: Leads to people developing a distant attitude toward work and the people surrounding them at work. In a sense, it is a defense mechanism that is deployed to protect oneself from exhaustion and disappointment (Maslach & Leiter, 1997).
Professional Efficacy: Relates to feelings of effectiveness and adequacy regarding a person’s work. Accomplishment is vital and it is important for professional development and self-confidence. As someone loses confidence in themselves others lose confidence in them (Maslach & Leiter, 1997).

Worklife Context

(Sources of Burnout)

Equally important to understanding the components of the burnout phenomenon it is essential to examine the primary sources that influence exhaustion. There are six sources of burnout that mediate feelings of exhaustion:

Summary of Findings from a Recent Study

A recent study on burnout conducted by two of this article’s authors, Dr. Avila and Dr. Rapp, sought to explore the nature of burnout and worklife context (sources of burnout) among restoration industry professionals (Avila & Rapp, 2019). We distributed a survey that consisted of a demographic questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, (MBI), the Areas of Worklife Survey (AWS), and a set of exit questions that gauged respondents’ turnover intentions. A total of 318 respondents completed the entire survey.

The results on burnout revealed that, when compared to other industries, restoration professionals were experiencing higher levels of exhaustion, cynicism, and professional efficacy. The researchers had not anticipated this interesting finding. The model, as discussed in earlier in this article, suggests that as exhaustion increases, cynicism increases, and professional efficacy decreases. Why would restoration professionals have increased professional efficacy when the mediating factors suggest they should be experiencing the opposite? Is it their resilience? While years could be spent studying this to find an explanation we aren’t going to be doing that. It is time for a practical discussion. We know restoration professionals experience burnout so it is imperative for us to discuss why we think this is the case and what we (professionals and employers) can do to mitigate the effects of burnout.

“Results of the six sources of burnout found that workload was the only source having a statistically significant effect on exhaustion for restoration professionals.”

Moving forward, an important part of the discussion on burnout should explore the reasons restoration professionals would experience burnout in a manner that is so unique and different from other industries. What factors do we think are contributing to this dynamic? Could findings on the sources of burnout help us understand how and/or why restoration professionals would experience burnout in the manner the study has revealed? Could the amount of hours restoration professionals work be contributing to them having a high sense of professional efficacy? Could factors related to the number of years they have worked in the industry influence their sense of professional efficacy?

Results of the six sources of burnout found that workload was the only source having a statistically significant effect on exhaustion for restoration professionals. From this point, the researchers had to look to answers respondents provided in the demographic questionnaire at the beginning of the survey. There were two primary data points in the demographic questionnaire where the researchers discovered correlations to workload:

Number of hours worked: Respondents self-reported the number of hours worked and the average was 52 hours per week; however, some respondents reported working more than 80 hours per week. As the number of hours increased, the respondents were move likely to report a heavier workload.
Number of subordinates: Respondents self-reported the number of subordinates supervised and this finding was negatively correlated with perceptions of workload. As the number of subordinates supervised increased the respondents were more likely to report a heavier workload.

While workload, in itself, can involve many factors, we will explore ways in which it can be managed effectively at the company and individual levels. In the second part of this series, we will start to discuss how to manage the burnout.

Special Thanks

The authors wish to extend special thanks to the members of Business Networks who have graciously shared their experiences, NextGear Solutions who opened the door for public discussion on these topics among restoration professionals, and other industry professionals who have engaged us on the development of the study throughout the entire process. Thank you for the support, feedback, and valuable insight.

Lisa Lavender, Contributor and Co-Author

Managing Contracts And Documents With iRestore

Posted on April 29, 2019February 19, 2020 by iRestore

iRestore helps you manage and execute your documents and contracts without the burden and expense of multiple part forms and paper juggling. Your job contracts are integrated into your system and can be easily executed and shared. When you are on the go, your contracts and documents are with you via your ipad. The extensive document feature allows all your company contracts and documents to be easily stored and accessible in the proper location. It goes beyond job specific documents. Document organization tools can be found in Job Files, Company Files and Employee Files. Whether it is a contract you sign with your phone company or a subcontractor agreement with a paint sub, don’t buy more file cabinets! Simply scan and upload to the “DOCUMENT” tabs in your system and never hunt for a document again.

Rest assured that when you execute contracts from your iRestore system signatures are date, time and GPS stamped for maximum security.

–Ryan Smith, President & CEO

Designed To Gather The Right Info – Consistently And Easily

Posted on October 11, 2018February 20, 2020 by iRestore

Your iRestore is designed to gather and connect all the critical information on the job. It is of critical importance that all required information at the interview is gathered accurately and consistently. Upon setting up a new job in iRestore, information will be synced to all platforms: desktop, iPad and phone. When utilizing the tech wizard, the first step will be to verify the accuracy of the information on the new job. To create buy-in from your team, invest in explaining and create understanding of the value and importance of all the information. Consistency in gathering all information is of the utmost importance in linking data and getting the most out of your system through the following features:

Job Management
Contracts
Marketing and Relationship Development
Reporting Features

Read more about the iRestore job management features.

Tag: Restoration

10 Steps to Organize your Warehouse

Large Loss in the Restoration and Remediation Industry… Are You Ready?