FOCUS CLEANING
A healthy investment
Sickness in the workplace is a pain for everyone
involved. No one likes to be at work when they
feel under the weather, and there is also nothing
worse than sitting opposite a colleague who has
succumbed to a virus and wondering how long it
will take to jump across the desk and strike you
down.
Although germs and sickness may only rarely
be caused by low levels of cleanliness, there is no
doubt that cleanliness is linked – at least in people’s
minds – with a healthy workplace. To maintain a
really high level of cleanliness, cleaning firms need
to demonstrate that their sta are committed.
Better sta training, employee engagement and
communication with clients all help to retain sta for
longer periods of time, and sta who are invested in
their work are more likely to do a better job.
Recent research commissioned by Cleanology has
shown that when it comes to hygiene, the FM sector
is exceptionally discerning. Of the clients interviewed,
the FM workers had a greater tendency than others to
take cleaning into their own hands. Just over half are
likely to carry sanitising spray at work – 16 per cent
more than the norm.
The research looked into behaviour around illness
and work, and attitudes towards workplace hygiene.
It also highlighted an interesting correlation between
sickness and the perceived causes. For example,
80 per cent of FM workers tend to believe that sick
colleagues are responsible for passing on germs,
compared with just 66 per cent of employees in other
sectors.
It is an interesting insight to see that while only
a quarter of people blamed a dirty workplace for
catching an illness, two out of five are carrying
cleaning wipes. For cleaning firms, this is a telling
insight into the standard of cleaning in many
workplaces, and – for employers and FMs – it must
also raise questions around the link between
cleanliness in the workplace and productivity. Sta
rarely feel able to perform at their best when they are
sick.
RELATIONSHIP BUILDING
Although actual levels of cleanliness play a large part,
other factors, such as loyalty and recognition, are
also strong indicators for how sta feel at work. One
way that cleaning firms can help to ease the pressure
is by ensuring that FM workers are able to build a
relationship with individual cleaning operatives and
40 SEPTEMBER 2019
see them as part of the team. Cleaning sta could
contribute to FM team meetings, for example, and
communicate with site managers on a regular basis.
Of course, to achieve a symbiotic relationship like
this, the cleaning firm needs to achieve good levels of
sta retention. As a traditionally low-skilled, low-paid
sector, cleaning is not historically associated with high
retention levels, but times are changing, and there are
many ways in which managers and companies can
incentivise sta .
Investing in clear and regular training benefits
everyone, from individual operatives to the cleaning
firm and its customers. Training helps sta to feel
valued and enables them to adhere to the highest
standards.
At Cleanology, for example, each of our 500
employees receives induction training which allows
us to establish clear foundations and expectations
as well as clarifying company ethics, such as health
and safety, sta welfare, integrity, corporate social
responsibility and environmental policy. We explain
the basics, such as what the work entails, procedure
for holidays and sickness, and the routine for shi s.
This is followed by onsite training to cover practical
aspects such as how to clean, change vacuum bags
and handle chemicals, what to do in case of a fire, and
also first aid, health and safety, risk assessment and
site-specific security protocols.
Training continues into the following days and
months, supported by annual refresher training for all
employees, and frequent two-day ‘toolbox training’
reminder courses. In the last three months, 50 sta
have undergone training to keep in peak performance
and stay abreast of constantly evolving issues, such
as sustainability and environmental policy. It helps
to retain sta and makes them feel closer to the
business. Many site supervisors started at Cleanology
as cleaning operatives, gaining promotion and career
development as they went along.
MANAGEMENT PATH
One of our area support managers, for example,
started as a cleaning operative at Cleanology five
years ago. Having taken advantage of all the training
opportunities, he progressed to supervisor level and is
now in charge of a team of 100 people.
Head o ice sta are o ered fire marshal training,
while HR teams undertake conflict management
training. All supervisors attend a dedicated training
course at head o ice and gain a certificate. Meanwhile
managers can attend weekly training sessions on
management, HR and HSE, with the opportunity
to gain external accreditations from the likes of the
Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH),
National Examination Board in Occupational Safety
and Health (Nebosh) and The British Institute of
Cleaning Science (BICSc).
Cleaning specialists also regularly attend carpet,
upholstery and floor care courses at Prochem,
the UK’s leading chemical manufacturer. For the
management team, Cleanology provides frequent
IT, communication, sales management and other
relevant training.
Decent and fair remuneration also plays a part.
Cleanology is a keen advocate of the real living wage,
and our research showed that we are not alone –
93 per cent of respondents said they cared about
cleaning operatives’ pay to some extent, while almost
half (45 per cent) said they would not work for a
company that does not pay cleaning operatives the
real living wage.
For FM employees, the benefit may not be
immediately obvious but, in the long term, greater
training for cleaning sta can have a positive impact.
Driving higher standards – and greater investment
in the job – among cleaning sta builds greater
confidence among FM sta around hygiene levels, and
helps to maintain a more resilient workplace.
Workplace hygiene is a hot issue, with cleaning fi rms on the
front line. Dominic Ponniah, CEO of Cleanology, explains
how the fi rm’s commitment to staff training benefi ts the
workplaces they service