Can You Make Sign Employees Liable for Careless Mistakes?

How do you get employees to use their common sense, to make them legally responsible for stupid unnecessary mistakes?

Regarding “make them legally responsible,” conceivably this is possible but it would require having employees sign a contract that names them as (presumably) financially responsible for “stupid unnecessary mistakes” they make (terms to be defined). However, having employees sign such a contract seems unlikely. Moreover, if one did sign then made a mistake that falls under the definition of what they’re liable for, it’s hard to imagine a way back to normal for you and that employee. Instead, one has to assume the role of the parent on the hook for their young children’s stupid mistakes. Try positive reinforcement and emphasize the benefits of avoiding errors. Educate as necessary that blunders costing money hurt the company, future salary increases, bonuses and the like. Train new employees well and fully, and hopefully this should not be much of an issue.

Best strategic thinking on a sign company? 1) Specializing in one or two things, vs. 2) Taking every job that makes financial sense.

As mentioned in this month’s From the Editor (see page 8), we see this question a lot. What we’ve seen and heard especially recently is a greater tendency toward #1. Our Shop Operations column this month supports this position. Dale Salamacha counts among the benefits higher net profits and lower stress. On the other hand, as long as #2 makes dollars as well as sense, this may be the wiser strategy for companies with fewer established clients than Salamacha’s, companies looking to grow or to get noticed. While a number of companies agree that it’s often best to say “no,” a number also never want to say “no,” wanting to be a one-stop shop. So, it depends where you are with your business, your regular customers, your capacity for growth, risk and change. (For more on trying new ideas, see signsofthetimes.com/22ways.)

What is the general disposition of signmakers with large format printing capability to pursue vehicle wraps?

We’re not in a position to say what the general disposition of large format printers toward vehicle wraps is, but we can say that sign pros sharing their experiences with us have found it “mixed.” Vehicle wraps encompass a large market so any large format shop not installing as well as printing graphics is obviously leaving that money on the table. But that’s a table around which a game of musical chairs can often be played. A well-worn tale involves a signshop hiring a new employee to do wraps, training them, then having that employee leave the company and take their talents elsewhere. Our January article on hiring and retaining new employees expressly named vehicle wrappers as difficult to keep. The best way to keep trained wrappers around, the article states, is to foster a company culture that will make them want to show up on time, take pride in their work, value their teammates, have fun and look forward to coming in the next day.