"Although effective when used and good for quick notes about shift-specific issues, the inherent flaw of white boards is that they are erasable, and no information is tracked over time."

Working with dog daycare employees at times can feel like you've inherited the unenviable job of high school guidance counsellor. Keeping your employees on task-and accountable for their duties - can be, to say the least, challenging. Young, inexperienced or uneducated workers often have problems with accountability and communication, so as a business owner you have to help them learn how to be responsible.

Daycare employees need to be on top of myriad issues - which include both behavioural problems or concerns and health issues. The complex interactions of a group of dogs needs to be tracked and watched for the safety and health of all involved. This includes not only who's grouchy but also who's not drinking enough water. Employees will often notice things, but how can you get them to better communicate among themselves and with you?

Clearly defining tasks is the best way to start. Employees need to know exactly what to do when they recognize an issue. Make sure that you define what steps to take. The first step is always to somehow record the issue for others. Kennels often have a white board on the wall that is a simple way to keep track of issues in the daycare - like "Buddy needs lunch" or "Cooper cut his foot." Although effective when used and good for quick notes about shift-specific issues, the inherent flaw of white boards is that they are erasable, and no information is tracked over time. For liability reasons, keeping a health or behaviour log on paper when you notice a dog having an issue is a better bet. A paper log (or a computer log if your software permits it) also allows you to check which employee wrote the notation so that you can check back in when necessary. It's important that employees be instructed to use defined terms when noting health or behaviour. "Buddy was in a bad mood," is not helpful; "Buddy growled and snapped and was put in time out twice," is more effective and conveys the information better. Forms or charts with clear measures of behaviour and health (like temperature, stool consistency, water intake, etc.) will help your employees better define what they see.

After an issue is somehow recorded, then what? Employees need a system for communication. I was once in the back of the supermarket and noticed how there were enormous coloured charts defining each step of customer service, and it struck me that colour is a good way to help employees communicate. We immediately implemented red cards - for behaviour issues - and yellow cards - for health issues. When employees noticed an issue, they filled out a coloured form and handed it to the shift supervisor. This allowed the kennel worker to simply be responsible for notifying the manager. We found that this system worked well because employees did not have to wonder about what constituted an issue - they simply reported a dog that didn't eat, or vomited, or snapped, and the issue was immediately addressed by management. You can easily make custom pads of paper at your local office supply store (just ask them to glue copies together), and we found that having pads of red cards and yellow cards hanging on the wall made the cards easily accessible and easy to fill out.

Some daycares have come up with novel ways to track issues - particularly when a split shift is used and employees don't have the opportunity to talk to each other. A private kennel blog can be set up and used as the logbook (this has the advantage of being searchable by keyword). Others turn to texting - we all know that employees are great at checking their cell phones - and a text blast about shift-specific issues is a simple way to communicate to several employees at once. Make sure that if you do use technology, that you always have a physical backup though - computers can and do fail. An "inbox" for each employee is always a good idea and allows you to disperse checks, send memos, and otherwise communicate. Just make sure they're regularly checking the boxes.

Finally, tracking and accountability systems only work when employees are actually held accountable. When implementing a new system, make sure that you take the time to thoroughly explain it to staff, and actually check in and make sure it's being properly used. If you have a logbook, check it after each shift.

Whiteboards should be watched, and reports or forms collected and filed. If you're not checking it daily, chances are that employees will slack off and forget. As a manager, you need to hold up your end of the bargain, too, and make sure that you teach staff members that accountability does matter.

Source: By Jaime Van Wye Source: Pet Services Journal March / April 2009