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Workloading is most often associated with the bidding process, but it can also be helpful in managing in-house cleaners. 

For in-house cleaners, the workplace is an ever-changing field of spills, dirty floors, empty soap dispensers, and full trash receptacles. At times, the work day may feel like a continual race from one issue to the next, especially, if tackling new demands on top of regular tasks.

If you’re managing in-house cleaners you’ve likely made a few changes and updated some of the workloading processes along the road. However, if you inherited a system that was put in place years ago, or your team is struggling to keep up, it may be time to revisit your process and analyze how you can better manage all the details, time, and costs that go into each job.


If you’re ready to bring your cleaning organization to the next level, schedule a free call with Janitorial Manager to see how our software can make your janitorial operation more successful.


In House Cleaners

Does Workloading Make a Difference?

You already know workloading can help determine how long a particular job should take. With ISSA time and tasks standards, you can reasonably estimate the time your team needs to do anything from cleaning one restroom to cleaning every restroom in a facility.

Workloading can also help you find any inefficiencies in your processes or identify if the workload isn’t distributed equitably among your in-house cleaners.

Additionally, proper workloading can ensure the job is getting done right. If you don’t have enough time allotted to a particular task, or worse, multiple tasks, your team may struggle and end up cutting corners as a result. 

How can workloading be improved so that jobs are better managed?

5 Ways to Help Your In-House Cleaners Succeed

1. Start from scratch. Even if you developed the system you’re currently using, things shift over time. People leave, and new people come in. Flooring and carpet get worn down. Fixtures get replaced, and different models are installed. If you notice your team of in-house cleaners is having difficulty, take the time to start over with your workloading. Approach this as if you were doing a walkthrough for a new bid. Take new measurements, recount fixtures, review your cleaning checklist, and get an accurate picture of what your work looks like today. 

2. Test your workloading in real life. You can learn a lot starting from scratch with your workloading. You may even find your current workloading is reasonably accurate. On paper, that is. And while the industry standards are generally correct, you may find there are specific issues within your facility that result in tasks taking longer than expected. For example, perhaps there’s no easy way to get from one side of a facility to the other. Maybe there’s no elevator, and your carts and equipment need to get hauled up a flight or two of stairs. For that matter, maybe your team doesn’t have the right tools for the job, so they’re making do with what they have available. 

3. Review your supplies and equipment. Even if your in-house cleaners have an equitable workload, the supplies and equipment they use can significantly affect how efficiently they carry out their duties. Old vacuums, sub-standard cloths, and run-down supplies just aren’t going to cut it. This kind of equipment results in your team taking longer than normal to finish their tasks or the job not getting done the way it should. You may find it’s time to switch to microfiber cloths, repair your equipment, update your cleaning solutions, invest in new equipment, try a color-coded cleaning system, or any other fixes that could help your team work more efficiently and more thoroughly. 

4. Ensure your task lists are accurate and updated. This is an easy issue to overlook, especially since so many of the items become routine. It’s easier than it seems to duplicate efforts if your team isn’t regularly updating their checklist. People have to find their coworkers to find out if something’s been done or not, or they assume something isn’t done and complete the work a second time. One simple solution is to go digital with your checklists. That also makes it easy to update your lists on the fly and distribute it to everyone on the team. 

5. Retrain your team. What if you go through this process and find that everything is as it should be? What happens if you review, restructure, and test your workloading and your team is still coming up short? One of the considerations, in this case, is training. Again, if you’re new to a managerial position and coming in from outside, you have no idea how, when, or even if your in-house cleaners were trained. Even if you’ve personally hired and trained everyone on the team, some things fall to the wayside over time. There could be equipment they aren’t using correctly or maybe they aren’t mixing cleaning solutions properly. Whatever it is, refresher training is always helpful. 

If your team is struggling, take the time to revisit the basics. You may find it’s time for an update.


Harness the value of Janitorial Manager to streamline your cleaning operation like never before. Learn more today with a free discovery call and find out how to make your cleaning operation more efficient and cost effective!


 

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