I’m a supervisor and designer at a large florist. We usually have at least 3 to 4 florists on the floor just on a weekday, and on weekends there’s normally a half dozen of us.

I’ve been with the same florist for years. I’m a trained designer, and I’m always taking courses and going to conventions to stay on top of styles and keep up to date.

I’m finding, though, that the people that are being hired to work with me aren’t trained the same way that I was. Not only do they not seem to have the same education as me to start, but they’re also put out on their own before they’re ready to work the till, the wire machine, and even answer the phones professionally. Not to mention the fact that they don’t know how to design flowers in bouquets or arrangements, nor do they know how to treat or clean the flowers.

I try to do my best to help, but it’s a busy place, and I’m needed by the customers. On average, they’re given three days of training, and then just expected to work as though they’ve been doing this all their lives. Some of the tools and cleaning machines (the device that whips off extra leaves and thorns) can be dangerous if they’re used wrong. Plus, the arrangements we’re giving customers are going down in quality.

I feel like I’m the only one left who knows what she’s doing. What can I do to help get us back on track? It’s getting haywire around here!