How to Get the Most Out of Your On-Site Porter Services

Day porters are those jack of all trades individuals that make your day go by without a hitch. They make coffee, deliver mail, do vendor receiving or anything else that makes your day to day job easier. You could simply use your porter for day to day operations or you could use him or her for an expanded role. If you are ready to take the next step and get the most out of your porter, here are some tips on how to approach it.

1. The first thing to do is to work to define the role of you porter through the employment group. A clearly defined job description will help you make sure you get what you want out of the porter position.
2. Always get a background check on any person who is going to be working in your building – especially a porter who could be working with sensitive information. Being able to trust your porter is of the utmost importance. Drug screening is also highly recommended.
3. Make sure that there is a backup plan in place for those days when your normal porter is sick or unable to come to the job for any reason. A great contractor will make sure that multiple porters are aware of the unique needs of your location.
4. In the description of job duties there should be a phrase that covers reasonably assigned duties at the discretion of the customer. Don’t make the mistake of adding tasks that could be overdoing it. Always remember that the porter is only one person and not to overwhelm him with a ton of extras in addition to the daily responsibilities.
5. Be as clear and consistent with your porter about what duties are the most important in your building. Keep an open dialogue with your porter to make sure he understands the importance of the daily routine.
6. If you have a problem you can’t fix with a simple dialogue with the porter, contact the janitorial contractor. The porter, being an employee of the janitorial contractor, should be managed by the contractor. Sometimes the solution is a simple verbal clarification, other times it could mean the changing of porters altogether.

The day porter job description is defined by your needs. As long as you keep a clear line of communication between you and your porter you’ll have a great working relationship.