Groundskeeper vs. Grounds Person: Understanding the Differences
If you are the owner of an expansive property, it is important to have the right people to keep your grounds well-maintained. This can either be a groundskeeper or a groundsworker. A property management staffing agency can help you find the perfect fit for your property. However, are there any differences between these two roles? This blog explores the difference between groundskeepers and ground workers.
Who Is a Grounds Keeper?
A groundskeeper is responsible for maintaining a property’s gardens, plants, and lawns. The groundskeeper ensures that all the habitats within the property look perfect. As a result, a groundskeeper must perform various activities, including weeding, planting, mowing lawns, trimming hedges, watering gardens, pest control, and trimming trees.
A groundskeeper also has extra duties, such as watering, fertilizing, mulching, and applying pesticides to the plants around the grounds they are tasked with maintaining. Groundskeepers are common on college campuses, gardens, or parks, and their job is to ensure that the landscape within these areas is in perfect order.
Who Is a Grounds Person?
A grounds person is responsible for the overall upkeep of public parks, an institution’s grounds, and other similar areas. However, a grounds person has expanded responsibilities that see them employed in schools with provisions for outdoor or lawn sports grounds. The grounds person takes charge of golf, soccer, football, and tennis grounds, among others. The maintenance job on these grounds entails maintaining the grass on the lawn, repairs, and maintenance of fixtures on the grounds, including fixing lights, benches, and fountains. The grounds person is also responsible for keeping these areas clean, taking care of plants, and carrying out routine fixtures and repairs.
What Differentiates a Grounds Keeper from a Grounds Person?
A few responsibilities differentiate a groundkeeper from a grounds person. For example, a groundskeeper:
- Manages landscape installation projects.
- Removes debris from stairs and walks.
- Rakes leaves and mow lawns.
- Uses leaf blowers, upkeep plants, and remove weeds.
- Helps out with general building maintenance, such as plumbing and electrical repairs.
On the other hand, a grounds person:
- Uses hand saws and pruners to manage tree cuttings on a property.
- Uses wood chippers and grind saws to carry out maintenance on the grounds.
- Carries out HVAC maintenance, carpentry, and plumbing works.
- Use equipment like snow blowers, chain saws, sod cutters, and pruning saws for grounds maintenance.
- Mow lawns and plant flowers.
Connect With Top Talent in Property Management
There isn’t much difference between a groundskeeper and a grounds worker, as both seemingly work on grounds around different properties. The differences in actual pay rates between these two professions depend on where you work, the size of the company you work for, and the demand for people with your skills. If you are looking for a groundskeeping or grounds person opportunity, OnSite Property Solutions is offering groundskeeper jobs in Atlanta. Contact us to get your profession going.