7 Powerful Employee Retention Strategies for Cleaning Companies

These employee retention strategies are sure to help you grow a loyal and fantastic team.

Employee retention is a challenge that every commercial cleaning operation deals with at some point. It’s no secret the industry has a high turnover rate. Nor is it a surprise to anyone that replacing employees is not always that easy- especially during a labor shortage. So when you hire good people, you want to keep them. That’s why it’s crucial to have some employee retention strategies you can rely on. 

Knowledgeable, long-term employees bring a lot to your organization. They help your customers feel secure because they see familiar faces whenever the cleaning team comes in. They can troubleshoot and fix equipment problems. They may even be some of your best customer service representatives because they can anticipate and take care of issues before people notice or upselling services to your clients. 

New employees bring benefits to your business, as well. They may be eager to learn, energetic, and ready to take on new tasks. In both cases, it helps everyone – you, your customers, and your team – to have employee retention strategies in place, so these excellent people stick with you. 

7 Employee retention strategies to put in place today

The important factor here is not which one or combination of these you use. What’s important is that you have employee retention strategies in place. You can always change and adjust things as needed. Below are 7 powerful employee retention strategies to help you tackle the issue

1. Put effort into onboarding. It can be frustrating as an employee to not understand the job or the expectations. A good onboarding and training program sets people up for success.

2. Offer ongoing training. People want to learn and grow. So give your team a chance to try new things or expand their skillset. Additionally, if you use the opportunity to get certifications for your team, you could expand your business offerings. This is truly a win-win situation. 

3. Offer benefits. This may be one of the best employee retention strategies in an industry that doesn’t always offer much in terms of health insurance, paid time off, or sick days. Offering benefits will make your business stand out, attract good employees, and incentivize your team to stick with you. 

4. Offer higher pay. It’s one of the best employee retention strategies out there. Sure, people enjoy compliments or the free pizza here and there, but those don’t pay the bills. And if your concern is that your budget is too tight, it might be time to raise your fees. Always be sure to justify your higher rates with the unmatched value that your company provides.

5. Be enjoyable to work for. At some point, we have all had a great boss that we loved working for. Unfortunately, we’ve also had a boss that we couldn’t get away from fast enough. Be the first boss. You don’t have to be friends with your team, but don’t be afraid to go on-site and work. Remember that people need breaks or that a kind word does more for morale than embarrassing someone for a mistake.  

6. Stay organized. Why is this in a list of employee retention strategies? If you’ve ever worked for someone completely disorganized, you know why it’s here. Your ability to keep yourself organized means your employees have the supplies they need, their schedules are correct, they get paid on time, and their jobs are as hassle-free as possible. 

7. Let people go. This may seem like a strange addition, but it only takes one bad employee to drag a small organization down. This isn’t about the people who make mistakes or have a hard time with something. The people you need to get rid of are toxic employees. These are the people who complain, cut corners, are uncomfortable to be around, and make everyone else work harder. These are the people who drive your good employees away. Indeed, talk to them and find out if something is going on, but don’t let one person make everyone else miserable. Incidentally, this is also true for clients. There are clients out there that it’s time to say goodbye to. It’s not easy to do, but it will help your business grow.

Adopting any of these employee retention strategies can bring stability and expertise to your cleaning business. Put two or three together and you’ll be the company everyone wants to work for. Add all of them to your business and there’s no stopping you!