MANAGEMENT AND DISCIPLINEOF AN UNDERTAKING ESTABLISHMENT.
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Muchof the success of an undertaking establishment will be dependent, not only upon the head of the firm himself, but also upon the discipline maintained among those to whom the details of the business are entrusted; and the difficulties surrounding proper management will increase as it extends and involves the employment of more numerous operatives, unless the general duties of all are specifically laid down, and the particular duties of each well defined and insisted upon.
The rules which follow were prepared by a gentleman of considerable experience and unusual success in business; they were designed for a store employing three assistants.
Although, of course, they require modifications to suit the circumstances of different establishments, their general tenor is adapted to all, and the high tone of professional and moral aptitude they require renders them worthy the acceptance of every assistant who would deserve the approval of his employer, and of every employer who desires the best interests of his assistants.
1st.—To see that the specific duties of the other assistants are promptly and well performed.
2d.—To attend to mail orders from dealers in the country; select the goods to be packed up and sent out; to wait on customers, etc., that the two other assistants may not be hindered in the performance of their duties.
3d.—He is to attend to the laying out of bodies; and in the absence of the proprietor, or if the pressure of business should require it, he is to take charge of the funerals, with the assistance of the second assistant.
4th.—In case of the absence of either of his juniors, to take the place of the second assistant.
5th.—He is to take charge of the books, collections, etc., should the proprietor wish him to do so.
6th.—He is to take knowledge of and properly note any articles that may be needed for the store, including goods to be purchased and work to be attended to.
7th.—To see that the stock of goods is well supplied with those items which are generally kept by the quantity. Should the place of business be remote from any manufacturing firm of undertakers’ goods, such as coffins, hardware, caskets, etc., he is to keep a faithful and strict account of the sizes, styles and grades of caskets and coffins on hand, as also of theneedful requirements in that line; he should also call the attention of the proprietor to the quality, style, etc., of the goods needed, and place in the hands of his employer a list of the goods to be ordered, or likely to be called for.
8th.—To keep a note book of what is necessary to be done in the ordinary business of the store, and to designate employment for the other assistants.
9th.—He is to superintend, and if need be to help, in the lining and trimming of coffins, and, in the absence of the proprietor, to attend to the embalming and preserving of bodies.
10th.—In short, he must, during the absence of the proprietor, take entire charge of the store, and be alone responsible for its business.
1st.—It will be his duty to dust the cases, desks, etc., thoroughly every morning. This service must be performed before breakfast, and as often repeated through the day as necessary.
2d.—In the absence of the third assistant, he is to perform his duties.
3d.—He shall assist the proprietor, or the first assistant, in the laying out, washing and dressing of bodies; and also at funerals, in the management of the hearse and carriages.
4th.—He is to trim caskets according to the directions of the first assistant, and follow the instructionsgiven him as to the choice of materials used in their ornamentation.
5th.—He shall see that a sample of each size, style and grade of coffin and casket be always on hand in the show room, and ready to be turned out in the shortest space of time possible.
6th.—He is to keep an exact record, in the book devoted to that purpose, of the name, residence, cause of death, age and place of burial, of all parties which may have been interred by the firm. This register must always be posted up to date.
7th.—It will be his duty to clean the show cases, work room, and the stock in general, once a week, and oftener if necessary.
1st.—He is to open the store in the morning; make the fire, and attend to it through the day; sweep out the store; wash the windows; and see that all tools and implements are in their proper place and ready for instant use.
2d.—It shall be his duty to keep cooling boards clean and tidy; to have palls, stools and pedestals dusted and in shape.
3d.—It shall be his duty to pack goods and make boxes when required.
4th.—It will be required of him to do such errands as the business of the store may demand, and also to close the store at night.
1st.—Business hours will include the time between breakfast and six o’clock, P. M., except when special duty may require it otherwise.
2d.—During business hours, all hands must be employed at some regular store duty.
3d.—As waiting on customers is a duty which requires most knowledge and experience, the first assistant must always serve when there is one customer; the other assistants may help if need be.
4th.—The first assistant must always take that part of the duty which requires most knowledge and skill. This order of duty must never be deviated from, if circumstances will admit of it.
5th.—All other duty must give way to that of waiting on customers.
6th.—Every person entering the store, whether pauper or president, infant or adult, white or colored, must be treated with courtesy and kindness.
7th.—Boisterous mirth and a sullen temper are to be equally avoided, as productive of neither business nor business character. The acquisition of a uniformly cheerful temperament is an attainment worth far beyond the price it usually costs.
8th.—There are to be no masters and no servants. Each one is to feel conscious of the fact that the performance of the duties assigned to him is just as necessary and as important as what pertains to any other hand in the store. All useful employment is honorable; indolence is a disgrace.
9th.—An afternoon of every week will be devoted to the cleaning of the store, in which all must share as occasion offers.
10th.—As neatness, order and cleanliness are necessary, and not mere accomplishments, in an undertaking establishment, all are required to practice them constantly.
11th.—Assistants should be rather select in the choice of their acquaintances; while the occasional visit of a well behaved friend will be countenanced, lounging in the store will not be tolerated.
12th.—Each assistant shall have, if business permits, one afternoon and evening every week, and every other Sunday; the afternoon will comprise the time between twelve o’clock at noon and six o’clockP. M.; the evening, between six o’clockP. M.and the closing of the store. These privileges must not be interfered with unnecessarily.
13th.—No assistant residing in the house will be allowed to be absent at night after the closing of the store, without special permission.
14th.—A vacation of two weeks every year will be allowed each assistant.
15th.—It is not the wish of the proprietor that any of his employes should extol the goods beyond their merits to advance his pecuniary interests, or to say or do aught in the performance of his duties that he would not be willing that others should say or do to him under the same circumstances.
A cheerful compliance with the foregoing rules isconfidently expected, and the repeated infraction of a regulation of the store will be cause for dismissal.
In certain establishments, where a driver is kept for the purpose of taking care of horses and driving the hearse or other vehicles, this employe shall be under the immediate supervision of the proprietor.