Management Philosophy Fuels Employee Longevity

Metro-Rooter’s managers foster an atmosphere of mutual respect that keeps employees in it for the long haul.
Management Philosophy Fuels Employee Longevity
From left to right, Ike Noland, plumbing manager; Tom McLaughlin, president; Pat Daniels, vice president; Mike Jones, vice president; and Donna Branson, office manager, look over plans to convert a commercial property from a septic system to a lift station to tie into the city sewer.

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You might call Tom McLaughlin a “long timer” in the waste management industry. His involvement dates back 40 years, when the Jacksonville, Florida, native worked at the Jacksonville Beach Pollution Control Plant while still in college.

Just a few years later, in 1978, he founded Certified Environmental Services in Jacksonville, which was then primarily a water and wastewater treatment plant operations company.

It’s no surprise, then, that the man who has worked so long and hard at his passion could inspire his employees to remain with his company – now known as Metro-Rooter Plumbing Service, which provides plumbing contracting, lift station operations and repair, pumping services, septic and drain field installations, industrial pipe cleaning and video.

Of the company’s 54 employees, four have been there more than 22 years and a good percentage have been there more than 10 years. “I’d say that it’s darn near 50 percent (over 10 years),” says McLaughlin.

He credits his company’s employee longevity record to “phenomenal” growth and a “good fundamental philosophy."

“I built the company on a couple principles that work very well,” adds McLaughlin, a master plumber. “I just kind of knew it was a good way to handle things. You never miss an opportunity to say thank you to a co-worker.”

As the company grew and added more supervisors, McLaughlin says he imbued them with his philosophy that their purpose was to give the technicians what they need to do their job. It’s all part, he believes, of fostering a respected and productive team.

The service team members’ goal is to prevent and/or resolve any problem their customers might have. This philosophy, McLaughlin believes, ensures satisfied customers who will become repeat customers and recommend Metro-Rooter to others.

“If you have a good employee, that’s where your best idea is going to come from,” McLaughlin says, adding that some supervisors and owners tend to devalue their lower ranks.

But he believes, “What they think matters; we give the employees a lot of credit. It’s a family … I’ve always treated it like that. If they have issues, we’re all together.”

While that’s an honorable goal, McLaughlin admits, “You can only do this with the right people. Some (employees) have come and gone that just didn’t fit the mold.” For example, he expects his employees to have “good common sense … a basic understanding of what they’re doing, and, first and foremost, they’ve gotta be honest.

“All they have to do is be honest; if they make a mistake, tell us about it so we can fix it and minimize it … We don’t condemn or give employees a hard time because they make a mistake.” And along with that policy comes no tolerance for lying or cheating.

While McLaughlin expects a lot from his employees, in return, he says, “We take good care of our employees; we became a desired place to work.” That includes providing top of the line equipment and benefits as well as excellent pay.

“The guys make substantially more than their peers in this area in this industry,” McLaughlin says. Their rates, he says, are a result of getting competent workers and those who work well with customers.

And while some owners might not know what to do when faced with an aging workforce, McLaughlin truly values the experience they bring, so he finds ways to shift duties accordingly.

“The long-term employees helped build this company,” he says. “One of the things that I have had to learn is how to deal with the employee that’s aging.

“They’ve paid their dues. We’ll find something else for them to do … the knowledge and the experience and the history … that still works.”

It’s been a long time since McLaughlin started his business with nothing but a ’67 VW bus and tools from the flea market. “And off I went!” he recalls.

But time marches on, and he has looked to the younger generations to work at Metro-Rooter as well. McLaughlin says it’s invaluable to have younger workers, especially when it comes to technology. He jokes that he often asks his own 14-year-old son for help with computers.

And he hasn’t lost hope on the millennial generation, which sometimes can get a bad rap in terms of work ethic.

“There are still those out there that have the right mindset,” he says. “I’m not giving up on the next generation.”



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