Trying to run a business while you’re understaffed can be a daunting challenge. Here are 10 staff shortage solutions that will help.
Whether it’s employees calling in sick, you don’t have enough people on your team, or someone stops showing up, trying to cover a short-staffed shift is one of the not-so-fun parts of running a commercial cleaning business. And some staff shortage solutions aren’t really practical. Sure, you can hire extra people to prepare for when those shortages come up, but that wreaks havoc on your budget.
We all know the janitorial industry has a notoriously high employee turnover rate. We also know that high turnover is expensive and it can potentially interrupt the high-quality service we want to give our customers.
There’s good news, though! We also know there are short-term and long-term staff shortage solutions that work!
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Use these staff shortage solutions to keep your cleaning business running no matter what
There is a range of short-term to long-term staff shortage solutions. Some of these will require some hustle on your part, and you may find that some of them will have an associated cost. However, the expense of making sure your work gets done far outweighs the expense of dissatisfied clients and a poor reputation. You’re certainly welcome to compare different outcomes. In fact, you should. But don’t dismiss something just because you may have to shell out some cash for it. That could be money well spent in the long run.
1. Offer more hours to your current employees. This is perhaps the easiest and quickest solution for staff shortages. You have people who already know the job and may be interested in working additional hours. Of course, that could mean you have to pay overtime, but that’s better than losing clients.
2. Train your team to do more. If your staff shortage is in a specific skill set, can you train other people on your team to do that job? Depending on the skill, this may require a certification course or hands-on training, but it could be well worth your time.
3. Hire a temporary employee. Hiring through a staffing agency takes much of the administrative burden off you. Agencies such as Randstad, Manpower, and Adecco do the footwork for you. It’s a great way to fill in a position for a few shifts or a temp-to-hire situation.
4. Hire “unqualified” people. What does that mean? Stop looking for people with previous janitorial experience. A wide range of candidates out there may have the skills you need without specific janitorial experience. You can train people on how to do the work. That’s easy enough. Interview service industry people, parents, or anyone else whose job requires them to stay on task, pay attention to details, and work with a sense of urgency.
5. Post your job opening on social media. You never know who may be in your audience or who they may know.
6. Use technology. Technology like janitorial management software can help you streamline your entire workflow. Keep up with inventory, equipment maintenance, staff reliability, checklists, and more when you use technology designed to help your business succeed.
7. Ensure good working conditions. There are two factors that impact working conditions. One is the actual job. You can’t do much to change the tasks or the environment of a job. The other factor, however, is entirely within your control: how you treat your team. People stick with employers who treat them well. That means everything from thanking them for the hard work to ensuring your customers also treat your employees respectfully.
8. Increase your wages. Yes, there’s more to a job than money, but money is also what people use to pay rent, buy food, and live. Improved pay tells your employees that you care about them and you want them to stick with you.
9. Offer benefits. If you really want to attract and retain top-notch employees, offer benefits. Health insurance, paid time off, and a retirement plan are just a few common benefits. It’s worth noting, too, that while some of these staff shortage solutions may take time to implement, you could add sick time as a benefit pretty quickly.
10. Revamp your hiring and onboarding process. Hiring the right people and getting them comfortable with your team can do wonders for employee retention and job performance. Don’t hire out of desperation. Take your time and get people you know will be able to do the job and do it well.
Being short staffed can feel like a crisis. But if you can look at long-term solutions, you may find that it becomes less of a problem with each passing day.
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!