Technology has changed employee management for the better. If you’re still working out how to supervise cleaning staff efficiently, consider software like Janitorial Manager to help you.
Supervising a team can be a challenge, especially in an industry where employees work at multiple locations on any given shift. Furthering that challenge is the reality that many managers don’t always fully grasp how to supervise cleaning staff, with or without technology. That’s not to say supervisory skills can’t be learned—they absolutely can—but for those who aren’t natural managers, it can take some time and dedication, especially if they’ve never managed from a distance before.
The good news is that technology like Janitorial Manager has fundamentally improved the foundation for how to supervise cleaning staff, making it easier than ever to connect with and keep tabs on your teams out in the field. With cloud-based and mobile technology, employee supervision has never been easier or more effective—as long as you fully understand the features of your software and how to harness those features to streamline your employee management.
While no two programs are the same, we’ve got some general tips about how janitorial software can help you stay in touch with each employee even from far away—a huge plus for these pandemic times!
Stay connected and up-to-date with Janitorial Manager! Schedule a free demo to see how we can help streamline your business and impress both your employees and your customers.
Wondering how to supervise cleaning staff when you’re not onsite? Here are 5 ways the right janitorial management software can help.
1. Connect in real-time
Just as a manager in an office setting might swing by an employee’s desk to check in, janitorial managers also like to see how things are going in real-time, which was very difficult before without onsite supervisors. Now, most janitorial software gives you the ability to communicate with your teams while they’re on the job, all from the convenience of wherever you happen to be (assuming you have an internet or cellular data connection). This allows you to ask and answer questions, give instructions, and resolve any unexpected issues right away, empowering your employees to finish their work as efficiently as possible.
2. Updated information
Another way that software helps with learning how to supervise cleaning staff is that it allows you to send further details or updates to previous instructions immediately. This way, even if a client requests something while your employees are on the job, you can quickly contact them and make the change. (Something your clients will love, too!) You can easily communicate job site instructions, schedules, modifications, and much more. Plus, the information is always at your employees’ fingertips, so they don’t miss anything.
3. Inventory and documentation support
A common challenge when learning how to supervise cleaning staff is figuring out how to give them the tools and resources they need to track job site inventory and document any issues or questions that may arise. With janitorial software, all that has changed. Employees can keep updated inventory counts through the same mobile app you use to communicate with them. They can also add documentation or notes that may be necessary for any given situation. Not only that, but as the manager, you’ll be able to see who entered what information and look for patterns. If, for example, it seems that you’re burning through trash bags on a small job site, you easily look back at the inventory history, see who’s been ordering and how often, and take appropriate steps to fix the situation.
4. Employee performance
Many janitorial programs also feature employee performance tools. These are great for giving employees both positive and critical feedback, providing them a platform to grow and succeed. If an employee is underperforming, you can document the issues in the software so that both you and the employee can easily access it and work on making adjustments. You can also set individual goals and measure/monitor progress, not to mention that having each employee’s history at your fingertips is incredibly useful for managing long-term team members. Your staff will appreciate being able to reflect on this information regularly, and you’ll appreciate not having to keep track of files and paperwork that can so easily get lost.
5. Keep compliant
A question that often comes up about how to supervise cleaning staff has to do with compliance. Even if you keep and update compliance information at your headquarters, some of your team may not see it, especially if they mostly work in the field. All that has changed with software like Janitorial Manager. Now you can keep all compliance updates on a centralized, cloud-based platform that employees can access at any time. When you make updates, easily notify employees and ask (or require) them to read through the changes. This is especially useful during the COVID-19 pandemic as many regulations change even more often than they used to. With all the information they need available on the platform, you can always rest assured your teams have the most current information so they can do their jobs without risking any violations.
From simple things like clocking in and clocking out to making sure employees are where they’re supposed to be when they’re supposed to be there, janitorial management software is a game-changer when considering how to supervise cleaning staff. You can get a quick and easy snapshot of when employees start and finish work, making it easy to identify any attendance issues, and you can even make sure that they clocked in from the job site and not somewhere else. Employees can be asked to log the duration of each job, which will help you ensure maximum efficiency and make employee reviews more concrete and useful. And, in the unfortunate event that something suspicious is going on at a job site, your employees can send current photos and other requested material so you can address a situation immediately and with confidence that you have all the information that you need.
Learn more about all the fantastic ways Janitorial Manager can help you supervise your staff and manage your business with a free demo. Contact us today to set something up!