That time an old foreman told me to always sweep behind myself on jobsites

Back in 2017 I was working with this guy named Frank, must've been 60 years old. He told me the cleanest installers always get called back for more work. I was young and thought it was dumb, just wanted to get to the next job. Then about six months in I saw a customer complain about a messy crew from another company. Next week that same customer called our boss for a bigger project. Frank was right. Now I leave every site cleaner than I found it and I've gotten referrals from homeowners who noticed. Any of you guys have a habit that pays off in the long run?

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1 Comment

veramiller1mo ago

Sweeping behind yourself is fine and all, but I've seen guys take that to an almost obsessive level, like they're cleaning a hospital room instead of a construction site. Some customers will notice, sure, but plenty of people just want the job done fast and cheap. Your mileage may vary big time depending on who you're working for. I've known messy crews that got tons of callbacks just because they were family or friends with the contractor. Not saying Frank's advice is wrong, just maybe not the magic bullet everyone makes it out to be.