How we train the crew
A guide and a test for every job.
Nobody on a Seasons crew claims a job they haven't read the guide for and passed the test on. Here's what that means, and why it's the thing that lets a homeowner trust a first-time worker.
Why guides
Experience is what a first job is for. The guide is how we start them with some.
A sixteen-year-old has never been told that bags split when you overfill them, that the arrow on a furnace filter points toward the unit, or that after photos only mean something when they're taken from the same spot as the before. Those aren't instincts. They're two minutes of reading each, and we wrote them down.
Every service has a crew guide: what the customer is paying for, the steps in order, what "done" looks like, which photos to take, the mistakes we see most, and the safety rules for that job. Then a test on exactly that guide, with wrong answers marked and explained, retaken as many times as it takes. Nobody claims a job in a service until they have passed its test; most crew members start with leaf raking.
The guides themselves live inside the crew app, not on the public site: they're training material for people we've hired, and they change as we learn. What you can see is the standard itself: what done looks like for every service, with the checklist and the same side-by-side photos the crew learns from.
- Before any job
- Read the guide, pass its test, 80% or better. The app won't let a crew member claim a job otherwise.
- Before the job board even opens
- An approved application and an ID check by our team: the I-9 at payroll onboarding, or an ID in person.
- Indoor jobs
- 18 and over, ID verified, every indoor test passed, and a separate clearance from ops.
- On the job
- The same checklist from the guide, ticked on their phone, with photos our team reviews before you're charged.
- When a guide changes
- Everyone retakes that test. Nobody coasts on an old pass.
Outdoor guides
One per service, all four seasons.
Leaf raking
The lawn and the hard surfaces are clear of leaves, the bags are tied and stacked where the customer asked, and the yard looks like somebody cared.
Guide + test · a few minutes to read; the job itself runs about 1 hr 30 minGarden bed put-to-bed
Annuals are out, perennials are cut back to a few inches, the beds are raked clean, and everything is bagged.
Guide + test · a few minutes to read; the job itself runs about 1 hr 40 minHoliday lights & decor, ground level
Their own lights and figures are up on railings, bushes, posts and the lawn, tested and on a timer, with nothing above shoulder height.
Guide + test · a few minutes to read; the job itself runs about 1 hr 30 minWindow well cleanup
Every well is clear of leaves, trash and dead growth down to the gravel, the grate or cover is brushed off, the drain isn't buried, and the well looks like someone cared.
Guide + test · a few minutes to read; the job itself runs about 40 minHoliday decor takedown & pack-up
Everything is down, coiled, labeled and packed into their bins, stacked where they asked.
Guide + test · a few minutes to read; the job itself runs about 1 hrPorch & entry refresh
The porch, steps and front door look cared for: swept, cobwebs gone, mats shaken, door and ground-floor glass wiped.
Guide + test · a few minutes to read; the job itself runs about 1 hrSpring bed cleanup & weeding
Winter debris is out of the beds, weeds pulled by the root, edges tidied by hand, and the beds are ready for mulch or planting.
Guide + test · a few minutes to read; the job itself runs about 1 hr 40 minMulch spreading
Their mulch is spread evenly, 2–3 inches deep, pulled back from stems and siding, with no bare patches and no pile left over.
Guide + test · a few minutes to read; the job itself runs about 2 hrPatio & walkway sweep
Patio, walks and steps are swept clean of petals, grit and leaves, and the outdoor furniture is wiped down.
Guide + test · a few minutes to read; the job itself runs about 1 hrPet waste cleanup
Every pile in the lawn and the beds they pointed out is gone, double-bagged and in the bin or the spot they chose, and nothing is left on the grass.
Guide + test · a few minutes to read; the job itself runs about 30 minOutdoor planter planting
Their plants are in their planters the way their note or photo shows, at the right depth, firmed in, watered until it runs out the bottom, and the area is swept, with no soil on the porch.
Guide + test · a few minutes to read; the job itself runs about 45 minWeeding visit
Beds, gravel and the cracks in walks are weeded by hand, roots and all, and bagged.
Guide + test · a few minutes to read; the job itself runs about 1 hr 15 minWatering while you're away
The pots, planters and beds on the list are watered on each visit, with a photo each time so the customer knows it happened.
Guide + test · a few minutes to read; the job itself runs about 30 minPatio furniture & deck wipe-down
Tables, chairs and railings washed with mild soap, rinsed and wiped, the patio swept, cushions shaken out.
Guide + test · a few minutes to read; the job itself runs about 1 hr 15 minTrash & recycling bin cleaning
Each empty bin is rinsed, scrubbed inside and out with mild soap, rinsed clean, tipped to drain, left open to dry, and put back where it lives. No smell, no residue, no soap film.
Guide + test · a few minutes to read; the job itself runs about 30 minIndoor guides
Stricter rules, same idea.
Indoor guides add the house rules: an adult home, nothing on a ladder, nothing heavy, nothing of yours handled, photos only where you've said yes.
Kitchen cabinet refresh
Every reachable cabinet front, drawer front, handle and toe kick wiped with a mild cleaner and dried streak-free. Insides stay shut.
Guide + test · a few minutes to read; the job itself runs about 1 hrBaseboard cleaning
Baseboards along every open wall on one floor dusted and damp-wiped, light furniture slid back exactly where it was.
Guide + test · a few minutes to read; the job itself runs about 1 hrInterior door cleaning
Both faces, the trim and the handles of up to ten interior doors wiped and dried.
Guide + test · a few minutes to read; the job itself runs about 45 minHVAC filter replacement
Every reachable return and furnace filter swapped for the customer's new one, arrow toward the unit, date on the edge, old ones bagged, sizes noted.
Guide + test · a few minutes to read; the job itself runs about 20 minLight bulb replacement
Up to eight burned-out bulbs swapped for the customer's bulbs in reachable fixtures, tested, covers back on, old bulbs bagged by type.
Guide + test · a few minutes to read; the job itself runs about 20 minGarage refresh
With the cars out, the floor swept wall to wall, cobwebs down, bench top and reachable shelf fronts and the door wiped, sweepings bagged; nothing heavy moved, nothing hazardous touched.
Guide + test · a few minutes to read; the job itself runs about 1 hrOther light maintenance
One hour of chores from the approved list the customer picked at booking, each ticked as done, time logged.
Guide + test · a few minutes to read; the job itself runs about 1 hrTwo ways in
Book a yard, or tell a teen about us.
The guides are why both sides can relax a little.