Laundry and dry cleaning manager

Laundry and dry cleaning managers oversee the laundry operations in an institutional laundry. They supervise laundry and dry cleaning staff, plan and enforce safety procedures, order supplies and oversee the laundry’s budget. Laundry and dry cleaning managers ensure the quality standards and that customers’ expectations are met.

The following job titles also refer to laundry and dry cleaning manager:

laundry and dry-cleaning coordinator
dry-cleaning and laundry supervisor
launderette manager
laundry and dry cleaning service manager
laundry service manager
laundry and dry cleaning coordinator
dry cleaning and laundry supervisor
laundry and dry-cleaning service manager
laundry manager
dry-cleaning service manager
dry cleaning service manager
laundromat manager

No formal educational credential is generally required to work as laundry and dry cleaning manager. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Laundry and dry cleaning manager is a Skill level 3 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to laundry and dry cleaning manager.

spa manager
garage manager
contact centre supervisor
beauty salon manager
recreational facilities manager

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of laundry and dry cleaning manager. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of laundry and dry cleaning manager with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

membership manager
client relations manager
facilities manager
purchasing manager
tourist animator

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of laundry and dry cleaning manager.

Customer service: Processes and principles related to the customer, client, service user and to personal services; these may include procedures to evaluate customer’s or service user’s satisfaction.
Corporate social responsibility: The handling or managing of business processes in a responsible and ethical manner considering the economic responsibility towards shareholders as equally important as the responsibility towards environmental and social stakeholders.
Quality standards: The national and international requirements, specifications and guidelines to ensure that products, services and processes are of good quality and fit for purpose.
Product comprehension: The offered products, their functionalities, properties and legal and regulatory requirements.
Customer relationship management: The customer-oriented management approach and basic principles of successful customer relations that focus on interactions with customers such as technical support, customer services, after-sales support and direct communication with the customer.
Communication principles: The set of commonly shared principles in regards with communication such as active listening, establish rapport, adjusting the register, and respecting the intervention of others.

These skills are necessary for the role of laundry and dry cleaning manager.

Create solutions to problems: Solve problems which arise in planning, prioritising, organising, directing/facilitating action and evaluating performance. Use systematic processes of collecting, analysing, and synthesising information to evaluate current practice and generate new understandings about practice.
Adjust production schedule: Adjust work schedule in order to maintain permanent shift operation.
Oversee guest laundry service: Ensure that guest laundry is collected, cleaned and returned to a high standard and in a timely fashion.
Manage budgets: Plan, monitor and report on the budget.
Maintain relationship with customers: Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with customers in order to ensure satisfaction and fidelity by providing accurate and friendly advice and support, by delivering quality products and services and by supplying after-sales information and service.
Handle customer complaints: Administer complaints and negative feedback from customers in order to address concerns and where applicable provide a quick service recovery.
Manage staff: Manage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the workers to meet the company objectives. Monitor and measure how an employee undertakes their responsibilities and how well these activities are executed. Identify areas for improvement and make suggestions to achieve this. Lead a group of people to help them achieve goals and maintain an effective working relationship among staff.
Supervise the management of an establishment: Run the management of an establishment and ensure that every need for a smooth running of the operations is looked after.

Manage health and safety standards: Oversee all personnel and processes to comply with health, safety and hygiene standards. Communicate and support alignment of these requirements with the company’s health and safety programmes.
Manage work: Supervise, instruct and plan work for teams or individual members of the team. Set up time schedules and make sure they are followed.
Identify customer’s needs: Use appropriate questions and active listening in order to identify customer expectations, desires and requirements according to product and services.
Maintain customer service: Keep the highest possible customer service and make sure that the customer service is at all times performed in a professional way. Help customers or participants feel at ease and support special requirements.
Evaluate employees: Analyse employees’ individual performance over a certain time span and communicate own conclusions to the employee in question or higher management.
Schedule shifts: Plan staff time and shifts to reflect the demands of the business.
Delegate activities: Delegate activities and tasks to others according to the ability, level of preparation, competence and legal scope of practice. Make sure that people understand what they should do and when they should do it.
Supervise work: Direct and supervise the day-to-day activities of subordinate personnel.
Plan health and safety procedures: Set up procedures for maintaining and improving health and safety in the workplace.
Ensure equipment maintenance: Ensure that the equipment required for operations is regularly checked for faults, that routine maintenance tasks are performed, and that repairs are scheduled and performed in the case of damage or flaws.
Get involved in the day-to-day operation of the company: Collaborate and perform hands-on work with other departments, managers, supervisors, and workers in different aspects of the business from preparing accounting reports, envisioning the marketing campaigns up to having contact with clients.
Analyse goal progress: Analyse the steps which have been taken in order to reach the organisation’s goals in order to assess the progress which has been made, the feasibility of the goals, and to ensure the goals can be met according to deadlines.
Monitor customer service: Ensure all employees are providing excellent customer service in accordance to company policy.
Follow company standards: Lead and manage according to the organisation’s code of conduct.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of laundry and dry cleaning manager. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Cleaning industry health and safety measures: Preventive and interventional methods used in the cleaning industry to maintain health and safety for all workers and tertiary persons.
Organisational policies: The policies to achieve set of goals and targets regarding the development and maintenance of an organisation.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of laundry and dry cleaning manager. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Implement marketing strategies: Implement strategies which aim to promote a specific product or service, using the developed marketing strategies.
Order supplies: Command products from relevant suppliers to get convenient and profitable products to purchase.
Use solvents: Clean products or surfaces by using solvents to dissolve or extract other unnecessary substances.
Manage payroll reports: Maintain personnel records as well as payroll reports. Record evaluations, promotions or disciplinary actions.
Manage profitability: Review on a regular basis sales and profit performance.
Oversee quality control: Monitor and assure the quality of the provided goods or services by overseeing that all the factors of the production meet quality requirements. Supervise product inspection and testing.
Collect items for laundry service: Collect the dirty pieces of clothing or other linen within the facility and send it to the laundry service.
Manage workflow processes: Develop, document and implement traffic and workflow processes across the company for different functions. Liaise with several departments and services such as account management and the creative director to plan and resource work.
Discharge employees: Dismiss employees from their job.
Fix meetings: Fix and schedule professional appointments or meetings for clients or superiors.
Manage inventory: Control product inventory in balance of availability and storage costs.
Inspect dry cleaning materials: Check which items are suitable or unsuitable for dry-cleaning by interpreting care labels and decide which dry cleaning processes may be required.
Manage a team: Ensure clear and effective channels of communication across all departments within the organisation and support functions, both internally and externally ensuring that the team is aware of the standards and objectives of the department/business unit. Implement the disciplinary and grievance procedures as required ensuring that a fair and consistent approach to managing performance is consistently achieved. Assist in the recruitment process and manage, train and motivate employees to achieve/exceed their potential using effective performance management techniques. Encourage and develop a team ethic amongst all employees.
Train employees: Lead and guide employees through a process in which they are taught the necessary skills for the perspective job. Organise activities aimed at introducing the work and systems or improving the performance of individuals and groups in organisational settings.
Liaise with managers: Liaise with managers of other departments ensuring effective service and communication, i.e. sales, planning, purchasing, trading, distribution and technical.
Read care labels: Sort clothing items according to their colour or fabric by inspecting and reading care tags or labels. They indicate agitations, how a particular fabric should best be washed, bleached, dryed, ironed and cleaned.

1439 – Services managers not elsewhere classified

 

 

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References

1. Laundry and dry cleaning manager – ESCO