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First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers Occupation Detailed Description

First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers career

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers

The main tasks and work activities of First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers are to establish work standards, inspect work to ensure standards are met, supervise maintenance workers, plan employee work schedules. In general, for the First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers, coordination, critical Thinking, active Listening, management of Personnel Resources and other 17 skills are required.
First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers Job Description
EducationMost occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Related ExperiencePrevious work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Job TrainingEmployees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
ExampleThese occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include hydroelectric production managers, travel guides, electricians, agricultural technicians, barbers, court reporters, and medical assistants.
The following chart shows the education/training levels for First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers jobs. 2.75% of First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers have High School Diploma (or the equivalent) and 27.33% of First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers have Post-Secondary Certificate.
Less than a High School Diploma
0.00%
High School Diploma (or the equivalent)
2.75%
Post-Secondary Certificate
27.33%
Some College Courses
3.92%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
34.83%
Bachelor's Degree and Above
31.17%

Tasks and Work Activities of First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers

  • Establish and enforce operating procedures and work standards that will ensure adequate performance and personnel safety.
  • Inspect completed work to ensure conformance to specifications, standards, and contract requirements.
  • Direct activities of workers who perform duties, such as landscaping, cultivating lawns, or pruning trees and shrubs.
  • Schedule work for crews, depending on work priorities, crew or equipment availability, or weather conditions.
  • Plant or maintain vegetation through activities such as mulching, fertilizing, watering, mowing, or pruning.
  • Monitor project activities to ensure that instructions are followed, deadlines are met, and schedules are maintained.
  • Train workers in tasks such as transplanting or pruning trees or shrubs, finishing cement, using equipment, or caring for turf.
  • Provide workers with assistance in performing duties as necessary to meet deadlines.
  • Inventory supplies of tools, equipment, or materials to ensure that sufficient supplies are available and items are in usable condition.
  • Confer with other supervisors to coordinate work activities with those of other departments or units.
  • Perform personnel-related activities, such as hiring workers, evaluating staff performance, or taking disciplinary actions when performance problems occur.
  • Direct or perform mixing or application of fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, or fungicides.
  • Review contracts or work assignments to determine service, machine, or workforce requirements for jobs.
  • Maintain required records, such as personnel information or project records.
  • Prepare or maintain required records, such as work activity or personnel reports.
  • Order the performance of corrective work when problems occur and recommend procedural changes to avoid such problems.
  • Identify diseases or pests affecting landscaping and order appropriate treatments.
  • Investigate work-related complaints to verify problems and to determine responses.
  • Direct or assist workers engaged in the maintenance or repair of equipment, such as power tools or motorized equipment.
  • Install or maintain landscaped areas, performing tasks such as removing snow, pouring cement curbs, or repairing sidewalks.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesProviding information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Making Decisions and Solving ProblemsAnalyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Guiding, Directing, and Motivating SubordinatesProviding guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
  • Coordinating the Work and Activities of OthersGetting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
  • Scheduling Work and ActivitiesScheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing WorkDeveloping specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
  • Communicating with Persons Outside OrganizationCommunicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
  • Updating and Using Relevant KnowledgeKeeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  • Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or PeopleAssessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
  • Establish work standards.
  • Inspect work to ensure standards are met.
  • Supervise maintenance workers.
  • Plan employee work schedules.
  • Trim trees or other vegetation.
  • Irrigate lawns, trees, or plants.
  • Plant greenery to improve landscape appearance.
  • Instruct staff in work policies or procedures.
  • Inventory materials or equipment.
  • Confer with coworkers to coordinate maintenance or cleaning activities.
  • Evaluate current or prospective maintenance employees.
  • Prepare chemicals for work application.
  • Determine resource needs.
  • Document work hours or activities.
  • Investigate work related complaints to determine corrective actions.
  • Inspect landscaping to determine treatment needs.
  • Remove snow.
  • Provide information about landscaping services or costs.
  • Estimate maintenance service requirements or costs.
  • Inspect buildings or grounds to determine condition.

Skills and Abilities for First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers

  • CoordinationAdjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Active ListeningGiving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Management of Personnel ResourcesMotivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
  • Time ManagementManaging one's own time and the time of others.
  • MonitoringMonitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • SpeakingTalking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Social PerceptivenessBeing aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Reading ComprehensionUnderstanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Judgment and Decision MakingConsidering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Complex Problem SolvingIdentifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • Learning StrategiesSelecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
  • Active LearningUnderstanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Service OrientationActively looking for ways to help people.
  • InstructingTeaching others how to do something.
  • PersuasionPersuading others to change their minds or behavior.
  • Operation and ControlControlling operations of equipment or systems.
  • Operation MonitoringWatching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
  • WritingCommunicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • NegotiationBringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
  • Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Problem SensitivityThe ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Speech ClarityThe ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Deductive ReasoningThe ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Written ComprehensionThe ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Category FlexibilityThe ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Speech RecognitionThe ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Information OrderingThe ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Inductive ReasoningThe ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Far VisionThe ability to see details at a distance.
  • Arm-Hand SteadinessThe ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Written ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • VisualizationThe ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
  • Static StrengthThe ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
  • OriginalityThe ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
  • Multilimb CoordinationThe ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
  • Fluency of IdeasThe ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
  • Time SharingThe ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
  • Adjustable wrenchese.g. Adjustable hand wrenches
  • Adjustable widemouth plierse.g. Adjustable widemouth pliers
  • Graders or land levelerse.g. Bed shapers
  • Cutting machinese.g. Brick cutters
  • Articulating boom lifte.g. Bucket trucks
  • Chain sawe.g. Chainsaws
  • Claw hammere.g. Claw hammers
  • Power drillse.g. Cordless drills
  • Desktop computerse.g. Desktop computers
  • Dump truckse.g. Dump trucks
  • Flatbed trailerse.g. Equipment trailers
  • Agricultural tractorse.g. Farm tractors
  • Fertilizer spreaders or distributorse.g. Fertilizer spreaders
  • Forkliftse.g. Forklifts
  • Spadese.g. Garden spades
  • Hoese.g. Gardening hoes
  • Shovelse.g. Gardening shovels
  • Grease gunse.g. Grease guns
  • Sawse.g. Hand saws
  • Hedge clipperse.g. Hedge trimmers
  • English LanguageKnowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Administration and ManagementKnowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • Customer and Personal ServiceKnowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • MathematicsKnowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • Personnel and Human ResourcesKnowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
  • Education and TrainingKnowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • Sales and MarketingKnowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
  • Economics and AccountingKnowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
  • Computers and ElectronicsKnowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.