We know that as a business owner or manager you wear many hats — it’s what you signed up for. Most of your employees, on the other hand, didn’t sign up for quite as many hats. Their focus is on efficiently and effectively doing the job they were hired to do. The fact of the matter is: it’s harder for them to do their job well if they are also helping to clean your office. Yet, this is the cleaning reality for many businesses.
You have your company’s best interest at heart. That’s why you might believe that cutting your janitorial service is one way to save your business money. What you may not realize, though, is that asking your employees to clean can instead end up costing your business money in the long run. Asking employees to pick up after themselves at the end of the day is one thing, but it’s another thing entirely if they’re the ones taking out the trash and scrubbing down the bathrooms.
At ServiceMaster, we know that professional janitorial services are the only way to go when it comes to office cleaning. If you’re not convinced just yet, here are the three top reasons why your employees should not be cleaning your office.
Employee Cleaning Responsibilities Can Negatively Impact Morale
You may not see the effects right away, but asking employees to take out the trash and clean the office is not good for your company culture and often leads to frustration. This is especially true if your employees are not being monetarily compensated to clean. Employees want to work in an office where they feel valued and respected. Being in a healthy environment means higher employee satisfaction and increased productivity. A happy workplace is better for everyone, including you.
Quality Can Suffer When Employees Are Responsible For Office Cleaning
Home cleaning is different than office cleaning. At home, you’re probably focusing more often on tidying, as opposed to thorough deep cleaning. Cleaning at home means making your house more enjoyable to be in while cleaning at the office is focused primarily on sanitizing. These different motivations for cleaning the office versus cleaning at home could lead to lesser quality in the office, which isn’t safe for your employees or your customers.
Additionally, “clean” means something different to everyone. You may end up getting different qualities of work from different employees based on their perception of “clean.”
Not to mention, the products used to clean an office are generally different than what you use to clean your home. Not everyone is familiar with the proper methods of using industrial-grade cleaners. That could lead to not only spotty work but also harm to your employees should an accident occur.
You Lose Value When You Rely on Employees to Clean The Office
If you’re having your employees clean the office because it will save you time and money, then it’s time to reconsider. Chances are you aren’t actually saving money and, in fact, you could be wasting your employees’ time. Time spent cleaning the office takes time out of your employees’ workweek, giving them less time to do the job they were hired to do. Like we touched on earlier, when employees feel that their professional skills are valued, they are happier at work and more productive.
Professional cleaners are just that: professional. They know how to get in, get clean, and get out as quickly and thoroughly as possible. You can’t say the same as for your employees.
Breaking it down, you’re probably spending more money having your employees clean the office than you would by hiring an outside commercial cleaning service. The average hourly costs for your employees is generally greater than that of a janitorial service. Plus, as mentioned above, it takes special training to use commercial cleaning techniques and if you’re planning on training your employees, that costs even more time and money.
It is also possible that your employees are not covered by your insurance, since cleaning is outside their regular scope of work. If something happens and damage to equipment or a person occurs, you could find yourself paying for an expensive worker’s compensation lawsuit.
It’s time to reconsider having your employees clean your office. Hiring outside help will give you a better clean every time, which is better for everyone! Using a professional cleaning company like ServiceMaster Clean ensures your facility is cleaned efficiently and consistently using our advanced products and techniques that have been perfected over more than 60 years. At ServiceMaster, we’re here to make sure you are safe and healthy at work. Get an estimate today to see how you can save.
