Articles
August 2004
The Director - Features
The Ten Commandments for Successful Management
“Common sense” rules to help ensure that experienced, capable staff are “ready, willing and able” to meet the needs of grieving families
The current shortage of qualified licensees in many areas of the country emphasizes the importance of retaining skilled and proficient employees in the funeral home. Due to the direct costs of interviewing and hiring new employees, as well as the indirect costs of potentially idle equipment and taxing an already overworked staff, it becomes even more crucial to maintain an adequate number of employees to serve client families. In addition, the majority of students enrolled in the 54 accredited institutions of funeral service education are entering the field with little or no prior experience and/or family involvement in the profession.
With all of these factors looming over managers, using effective techniques for supervising employees in the funeral home is paramount. Most experts agree that the tasks of management ultimately involve “common sense” rules of treating workers with dignity and respect. Unfortunately, this premise is often ignored, however, and the list that writer Stephen W. Smith presents called the
Ten Commandments for Successful Management will help ensure that experienced and capable staff are “ready, willing and able” to meet the needs of a grieving family.
Smith, M.S.Ed., is a member of the faculty in the Department of Funeral Service Education at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park in St. Louis, Missouri, and is the program director for the certificate of proficiency in funeral directing. Smith also is a licensed funeral director/embalmer in Missouri and Illinois.
