The Inner Workings of a Landscaping Crew at Level Green

Want to apply for a job on a Level Green Landscaping crew, but not sure what you’re getting into? 

We’re here to fill you in.

How much do you work? Who’s in charge? What about lunch? 

Take a look.

Who’s on A Crew?

Each Level Green landscaping crew is led by a supervisor. 

Supervisors start out as crew members, learning the ropes after working here for a while and receiving extra training.

Everybody does everything around here. 

Supervisors aren’t just sitting on mowers watching their crews sweat. They’re out there working, too, teaching and coaching crew members while also keeping crews and job sites safe, keeping the client happy, and ensuring efficiency.

Sometimes crews include an extra driver. Drivers are supervisors in training. They report to the supervisor and essentially become second in command in the field. 

Drivers are responsible for the safe operation of trucks and equipment when necessary. Drivers are also laborers on crews, performing tasks such as mowing, trimming, and blowing.

Types of Crews

Level Green is a full-service landscaping company. We do it all. That means there are several types of crews:

• Maintenance crews mow, weed and blow to keep properties looking good. 
• Enhancement crews boost properties’ appeal by adding planting beds, patios or landscape lighting. 
• Construction crews tackle paver projects, retaining walls and outdoor seating. 
• Water crews keep thirsty plants irrigated through the hot, dry season.
• Flower crews install thousands of colorful flowers in the spring.
• Detail crews prune, weed and keep things tidy, especially on city properties that don’t have much turf to mow.

A Typical Day

Crew members are up and at it early, arriving at work between 6 and 6:30 a.m.

Supervisors get the trucks ready, although most preparation is done the afternoon before.

If it’s Monday, that means the day starts with a safety meeting.

Everybody is required to attend.

They’re short — usually 5 to 15 minutes. But the topics are important, from dealing with bee stings and poison ivy to how to safely change mower blades.

Clocking In

Before crews leave the Level Green yard for the day they clock in on their supervisor’s cell phone. No paper time sheets.

Then, hop in the truck and head to the job site, usually a 15 to 30-minute drive. Good news: travel time is paid. 

When supervisors clock in, any special instructions for the job show up on their cell phones, so they can share details with crew members.

Job Mapping

Job mapping figures out the most efficient way to maintain a property, from the time it takes crews to accomplish each task to how many crew members are needed to exactly how they flow through the property to get the job done right.

Supervisors use the job maps to fill crew members in about the exact plan for the day.

Each crew member gets an assignment. Crews don’t have to constantly ask their supervisor, “Hey, what do I do next?” Everybody knows what they’re doing and where they should be next.

Job maps are also posted in the truck so crews can review them to get a sense of the job direction.

Arrows on the job map point where to go and how long it should take to complete each task

You might have 10 smaller jobs before lunch, or the same big job all day. 

Lunch!

Lunch breaks are always from noon to 12:30. Bring your own. All crew members need to stay on the job site. 

Back to It

Crews continue working until the end of the day, which could be 3:30 or 5:30, depending on the day and the season.

In the busy spring season, crews work six days a week. That slows to five days a week in early summer and four in the height of the dry, hot summer.

Then it’s back to five for leaf removal season.

Heading Home 

When the truck arrives at the gate, everybody out. Crews clock out on their supervisor’s phone and are done for the day. 

There might be machine maintenance to do at the end of the day — replacing mower blades or changing oil.

The whole crew isn’t needed for this, but one or two will help the supervisor with those tasks. They take turns, rotating through the crew over time.

Moving Up

There’s lots of room to move up at Level Green. We expect our crew members to learn and grow, and we help make that happen with plenty of training. 

Supervisors spend a lot of time teaching and sharing their skills.

Yearly job performance reviews can include pay raises based on performance and meeting goals.

Sun, Rain, Sleet, Snow 

We work outside, in all kinds of weather. Hot sun. Rain. Blustery snow.

Some new crew members are surprised to learn we work on rainy days.

Pruning and weeding can happen in the rain. Rainy days are great opportunities for extra training, too.

Time for Fun

We know this is challenging, demanding work. We’ve all been there.

We appreciate our crews’ sacrifices and commitment and are happy to reward it.

Plan to have plenty of fun.

Each Level Green branch decides on its own celebrations,  to show appreciation for months of hard work or to kick off the spring season.

It might be a homemade feast of carne asada. An end-of- year cookout with burgers and hot dogs. A made-to-order omelet breakfast.

Operations managers will sometimes buy up a bunch of breakfast burritos at McDonald’s and hand them out to grateful crews as they head out in the morning.

After an especially hot day of work, crew members might return to chunks of cold, juicy watermelon. Or an ice cream truck might show up.

Want to Join The Team?

We’re always looking for hard-working, talented people to join our team.

And with our projected growth in the next year, it’s an exciting time to come on board.

Are you ready to work for a strong, successful company with lots of room for personal and professional growth?

We’d love to meet you.