How to retain the best employees in your cleaning organization

[ad_1]

Contribution of the cleaning manager

It’s no secret that the commercial cleaning industry has a notoriously high turnover rate. Unfortunately, constant turnover puts a strain on your time, energy, and budget. When you manage to hire a great team, you want to do everything you can to keep them on board.

Think about it. With a solid team, you don’t have to worry about whether or not they’ll show up for their turn or do a good job on the field. Instead, you’ll have confidence knowing they’ll be in the right place, at the right time. You will also have peace of mind knowing that they will treat your customers with respect, fulfill their obligations with care and represent your cleaning organization well.

Plus, your valuable time will be freed up to tackle new projects instead of being consumed by hiring and training new employees all day long.

To reduce the chances of losing trusted staff, here are some ways you can work to keep them on your payroll.

5 Steps to Retaining the Best Employees on Your Commercial Cleaning Team

1. Create an environment of respect. This may sound simple, but it’s incredibly powerful. People want to feel respected. In the case of a cleaning company, this means thanking people for a job well done. It means making sure your team has the information they need to complete their tasks correctly. It also means that they are provided with essential equipment and supplies, such as PPE and cleaning products, to carry out their duties and responsibilities effectively. Another way to show respect is to stick to a schedule to make sure your team knows how many hours you expect each week. When you empower your team with the right tools and encouragement, they’ll soon learn how much you care about their well-being and likely stick around for the long haul.

2. Don’t micromanage. This can be difficult, especially for small business owners and operators, but remember that if you have a solid onboarding and training program, you don’t need to micromanage. More importantly, micromanaging is a great way to alienate your employees. Employees flourish when they are given the tools to succeed and are treated with confidence and trust that they will do their jobs well.

3. Be open to feedback. People should be able to approach you without fear of retribution. Whether it’s an idea for working more efficiently, issues with a coworker, or perhaps frustration with the schedule, it’s important to be a good listener so your employees feel heard and understood.

4. Stay organized. Your ability to keep things organized may not seem like great advice on how to retain the best employees, but think about it from their perspective. They want to show up and do their job. If they don’t have the supplies they need or if their equipment is breaking down, their time is spent figuring out how to solve these problems themselves while in the field instead of being able to do their jobs. To avoid this frustration, make sure your cleaning company has an effective way to monitor supplies and ensure that routine maintenance checks are performed on each piece of equipment.

5. Give people a chance to get ahead. This can be a tricky retention strategy as your overall business needs to grow for employees to have more opportunities. However, it’s also a proven strategy that’s easy to implement. As your commercial cleaning business grows, consider employees who have proven themselves to be reliable and trustworthy in their work and provide them with opportunities for roles such as shift supervisors, regional management, etc.

You won’t always be able to keep your best employees on the team. This is just a fact of the business world. However, there are many things you can do to tip the odds in your favor and make your commercial cleaning operation one that attracts great people and encourages them to stay with you.

For additional cleaning manager information, check out this article on how to optimize surveys to drive your business.