The way you run your custodial operations lets your employees know what you think of them. What message are you sending?
Many things in this world are unspoken, yet they say a lot about people. These customs aren’t hard to find if you look around, either. Think about the “thank-you wave.” You’re in a line of traffic, and you let someone in the oncoming lane take a left turn in front of you. They give you the wave. It’s a way of saying they appreciate your thoughtfulness; it’s a sign of respect. What’s the first thing you think when they don’t wave?
Bringing that idea into the world of custodial operations, what message do you think your employees get when you don’t offer the “thank-you wave” at work? What happens when your new employees see a disorganized shelf of cleaning supplies? How do your veteran employees react when they are out of fresh mop heads – again? It seems like you don’t care about your team. You might as well wish them good luck and hope they make it across the lane of traffic.
These seemingly “little” gaps in the way you run your custodial operations will have an exponential impact on your team’s long-term stability and the success of your business. Cleaning up these rough patches, however, can do wonders for your business on multiple levels, from more efficient operations to higher customer satisfaction.
Increase the efficiency of your team, reduce your costs, and improve results. With Janitorial Manager, all this and more isn’t just a dream, it’s your new reality. Contact us for a free demo right now and see how it works!
Why professional custodial operations are essential to business success
Let’s look for a moment at Roland’s experience. Roland is a new employee who just moved from out of state. You’re excited to bring him on board because he has a lot of experience, and all of his references raved about how good he is with coworkers and customers and how adept he is at his job.
Roland walks in for his first shift to discover that the schedule is different from what the two of you agreed on. Since Roland has other responsibilities, he can’t adjust his schedule. No problem. You fix it and get him started at his first location. Things are going along smoothly until he discovers you’re out of floor cleaner. Then at the second location, the floor buffer is in a corner waiting for maintenance. Roland leaves at the end of his shift, determined to find another place to work as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, scenes like this happen repeatedly, and it’s not just new employees who get fed up and leave. In fact, your long-term employees and your customers see the lack of professionalism and the disorganization, and they leave, too.
Why you should bring a higher level of professionalism to your operations
You already know the costs associated with high turnover, but did you know that bringing a higher level of professionalism to your custodial operations is one of the simplest ways to retain staff (and customers)? Let’s go back to Roland for a moment.
He quickly found another job at ACE Cleaning Company, and on his first day, he walks in and sees that his schedule is exactly like he expected it would be. He gets a nice, clean company shirt to wear and a checklist of everything he needs to know about ACE. When he goes to his first location, the team supervisor meets him, and they chat with the customer for a few minutes. When Roland goes to the janitor’s closet, everything is neatly organized, and he finds out the supplies are checked at the end of each shift, so the team never runs out of anything.
Things are similar at the second location, only the supervisor tells him that the floor buffer is out for regular, planned maintenance, and they are using a back-up.
Sure, this is all great for Roland, but how does this impact the business? Aside from the expense of hiring and onboarding new people?
Retaining employees is a good look. It lets your customer know that you care about your employees. Long-term employees know the job, and they’ve built relationships with each other and with your customers. That means they can work more efficiently, do a better job, and bring stability to both your customers and your business.
Now how do you turn your custodial operations into a more professional system?
- Keep supplies stocked. Your team can’t do a good job if they don’t have the supplies they need. Be sure to track your inventory and order far enough in advance, so you never need to worry about running out.
- Keep your tools maintained. Your equipment needs to be in good working order. Create a maintenance schedule and stick to it. Your team can work more efficiently when they show up to a site, and all the equipment is ready to use.
- Pay attention to the schedule. This will help you recognize gaps in your custodial operations and figure out where some employees may be overworked or where you can reallocate your resources.
- Offer performance reviews. Too often, the only feedback employees hear is when they need to improve on something. Regular performance reviews, however, set up the opportunity to point out positive things, as well.
- Create clear instructions for each location. Communicate clearly and succinctly what the expectations and tasks are for each site your team cleans.
- Communicate. Stay connected with your team. Ask questions about their experiences on different jobs. Ask how things could improve. Ask if they need anything to help them do their job. Keep them updated on any significant business changes, like new clients. Share feedback from customers.
- Work to grow your business. Your employees want stability, and one sure way to get that is to land more accounts.
Turning your custodial operations into a top-notch professional system is easy with the right tools (like Janitorial Manager). It’s also an incredibly effective way to help you retain both customers and staff.
Easily stay in touch with employees and clients, bid on jobs, manage inventory, perform inspections, and more with Janitorial Manager. Check out a free demo to learn about all the great features!