[ last word ] BY MÉLANIE MARIER
RETAINING QUALITY JANITORIAL STAFF The emergence of collaborative offices and new flex time patterns are significantly reducing traffic and changing the purpose of office buildings and towers. These new usage patterns of public spaces have had a major impact on the activities of janitorial companies.
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n most cases, large facility managers entrust the responsibility of this important aspect of asset management to building service contractors (BSCs).These contractors must maintain and guarantee uninterrupted service delivery and obtain a complete on-site coverage for their clients, not only as a matter of customer service quality but, above all, to avoid a drop in or loss of revenue. Most janitorial service contracts are quantitative, i.e., based on hours worked. In this sense, the manpower that is deployed on a contract has a direct impact on the billing and profitability. Employee retention has always been one of the greatest challenges facing commercial cleaning companies, but over the past two years, the turnover rate has skyrocketed. In addition to low wages, this is a poorly valued trade, reputed for being physically demanding with binding work schedules. Given the abundance of employment opportunities, retaining quality employees is certainly easier than attracting new ones. THE SKILLED WORKFORCE
Having a sufficient workforce is not enough. Qualified and experienced personnel are key to remain efficient and to avoid increased operating costs that come with an uncontrolled employee turnover. Experienced workers can diagnose and repair the equipment.They can anticipate problems and minimize the number of clients’ complaints by resolving them early. They are also the trustworthy resources for new employees whom they can mentor and supervise. The key to retention? Recognizing their value and cultivating respectful relationships. The scope of the custodial workers goes far beyond their job description, often considered simple and basic. Through constant professional cleaning
and disinfecting, these front-line workers: • Have a direct impact on the quality of the environment and therefore on customer satisfaction. • Play a leading role in a building’s health and safety by ensuring sanitation of the spaces. • Preserve the architectural quality of the buildings by preventing the deterioration of the materials. • Undoubtedly improve the profitability and value of a building. HEALTHY WORKPLACE LEADS TO HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS
To retain employees, you must give them something to stay for. The trend towards employee wellness and healthy offices paired with the reorganization of work patterns offer many opportunities to finally promote social equity and improve working conditions for these once invisible frontline workers. Improving working janitorial staff conditions is a shared responsibility between the FM, the BSCs and even the tenants. Here are some recommendations and initiatives that are being implemented in various buildings: • Take advantage of the drop in building occupancy to increase daytime work schedules that improve work-life balance. • Make technology available to maintenance staff to facilitate communication or work monitoring and encourage data sharing among all parties involved. • Make cleaning operations visible to reassure occupants, especially in shared office environments.
• Provide properly equipped janitorial facilities and quality supplies in sufficient quantities. • Give clear and consistent work procedures and available and accessible on-site resources. • Invest in training programs and promote opportunities for growth within the company. • Offer schedule rotations so that all have access to weekend days off, at least occasionally. • Offer employees assigned to the same contract the ability to manage their schedules among themselves. • Reduce work schedules to three days per week. A shorter work week could reduce stress and absenteeism, while maintaining or even increasing productivity. SHARED BENEFITS OF HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS
The more the building’s occupants interact with the janitorial staff, the more familiar they become, and mutually respectful relationships arise.The staff tends to be more attentive and proactive. In turn, tenants are more appreciative of the efforts of the cleaning crews and are more respectful of the environment.The familiarity of the relationship favours exchanges and communication of needs, thereby lessening the number of complaints. Janitorial staff perform field work daily and know a lot about the behaviours, good and bad, of building occupants. A FM who welcomes the feedback of the BSC employees can gain valuable information to drive facility management and decision-making. | CFM&D
Mélanie Marier is an Auditor at ValkarTech, a consulting firm specializing in building hygiene management and quality control of housekeeping operations. She is also the Marketing and Business Development Director at HBlogin Real Estate Technologies Inc., the technology division that develops tailored IT solutions to optimize maintenance, increase profitability and improve the overall quality of buildings.
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