So maybe you are either thinking of inquiring about starting with a janitorial service, frustrated at your current service or simply confused as to why your service varies or has inconsistencies. You would think there is a simple answer like the company doesn’t have standards or they don’t seem to care, etc. right? It is a possibility but there are some things that, from an employer’s side, make those things a daily reality and are really out of our control (granted we at Garden City Janitorial do our very best to mitigate or cover so that you as a client never know).
So we thought we could explain what are some things that, while we try to handle internally, can effect your service.
1. Employee Turnover
The last 2+ years has really brought this point to light. One of the most consistent issues we deal with as a company is our turnover rate. Generally, national statistic of janitorial turnover is 200%. You read that right – so a company of 250 people on average, would hire over 500 people a year.
Company culture could play a part in this but generally, people are people. Janitorial tends to be at night, a hard schedule to deal with long term. Cleaning is hard on the body day in and out – that also could play a part. Cleaning is also easy to get burned out on quickly. It requires the same work be done over and over and daily, I mean – I get bored just cleaning the kitchen counter daily!
At Garden City Janitorial, we do our best to have a livable wage, good company culture, and great leadership but all these things do not guarantee that someone will stick around. Keeping one (or a team) of cleaner(s) at one location isn’t always possible. Training takes time, consistency takes time and finding the right fit isn’t always easy. We do try our best though to both communicate the change or fix any mistakes that may happen. We do love communication, good or bad – to help find a better fit or see things our supervisors may have missed.
2. Not Knowing the Scope of Work
Part of our pricing formula is what is actually being cleaned and how often. Different types of cleaning require varying levels of time to clean (think OR cleaning versus an office). This is reflected in our custom scopes of work, which is a detailed list of what to be cleaned and where, how often it is to be cleaned (daily, weekly, etc.) and any periodic or specialty services that we offer. We stick to this scope religiously. It is what we can measure both for our company performance, but our staff – we want to hold ourselves accountable on all levels.
Many of the complaints we receive are items that are not on our scopes. Trust me, we want to go above and beyond for our customers but we also can not discipline our staff for things that they are not even supposed to do. We also stick to the scopes as they help with our data fueled pricing. This includes our expertise on how long the clean(s) should take, the staffing needed, products to be used. All these help us be a long-term, sustainable business where we can take care of our people.
Our advice? Do a bit of research into the scope beforehand (including other staff members). Items that are not up to par on the scope – you bet we will be there to fix it. But if it isn’t on the scope and you would like it to be…well hey let’s have a conversation and readdress your needs! We want to make you happy as our client.
3. The Weather
Being in Montana, this one is pretty self-explanatory but often not considered. Our industry is as predictable as the weather and is also immensely affected by it. As in many service industries, there is a seasonality to our business. For example, in winter, rock salt is hell on flooring – we have some great product options but supply issues happen and it isn’t always perfect getting it to come off. We dread rock salt (though appreciate what it does). This article can help explain some great tips if you need as well.
The mud in the spring can both ruin a vacuum (word to the wise, DO NOT vacuum up anything wet – you’ll probably be buying a new vacuum).
We all deal with Mother Nature, but it sometimes can affect your cleaning – just hang in there with us and maybe join us for a coffee to help the headache it can cause!