Offices need to be clean – it doesn’t matter what kind of office you have.  You may be the manager of a small real estate firm, a family medical centre, legal offices, or anything in between.  No matter your business or market, having a clean office tells your employees and your customers that you are professional and organized and ultimately considerate of the health and wellness of the key stakeholders in your business.  So, what should you expect from your office cleaning staff members or contractor?  What is considered standard office cleaning etiquette?  Let’s take a closer look.

Established Schedules

Your office cleaning contractor or professional should follow an agreed-upon schedule.  Regularly scheduled cleaning not only ensures that your offices are well-maintained, but it puts you in the driver’s seat when it comes to quality control.  If your recycling and garbage are always emptied on a Friday afternoon, then you know there is a problem if the job has not be done come Monday morning.  Likewise, regular schedules hold your cleaning professional accountable to your cleaning contract.

Prioritize your Cleaning Requirements

Some jobs need to be done on a daily basis, and some jobs can be done less regularly.  For example, you want to make sure your bathrooms are sanitized every day, whereas the office kitchen’s refrigerator can be cleaned on a less regular schedule.  Carefully consider your priority cleaning needs and make sure you communicate these needs to your cleaning professionals.  When you sign a cleaning contract, you should expect the high priority jobs to be specified along with your scheduling expectations.

Another factor to consider is high-flow areas or common touch points of your office.  Especially if you have a lot of outside visitors or high staffing levels, you want common areas to be regularly disinfected to reduce the spread of germs and ultimately reduce lost productivity due to employee illness.

Identifiable Staff

If your cleaning staff works during regular business hours, you should expect that they are wearing uniforms or other clothing items that makes them easily identifiable.  Nametags, lanyards, or specifically coloured shirts and/or pants will help make them stand out so that they can be held accountable to their work.

Common Consideration

Again, if your cleaning staff works during regular business hours, you should expect that their work tasks to not interfere with business-as-usual.  Running loud cleaning equipment such as vacuum cleaners or buffers should not happen during peak hours.  These activities should be held for hours when your office is closed; or, if you run a 24/7 operation, you should explicitly negotiate a time for these tasks.

Safety First!

Finally, your cleaning staff should demonstrate awareness of standard health and safety protocols.  Non-hazardous cleaning materials or appropriately labeled materials should be used.  Wet floors should be marked to prevent slips and falls.  And cleaners should be aware of the needs and safety of other staff members.

You might think of janitorial services as a necessity for your business, but have you ever really thought of how a janitorial company can help your business?  Obviously, business owners know that it’s important to keep their workplaces clean and tidy, but the benefits of janitorial services are often taken for granted.  There are a host of services that professional janitors provide including cleaning and maintenance for offices, industrial facilities, and even private homes – but the question often remains whether it’s better to hire a professional janitorial company or to provide those services in house.  So let’s have a closer look – how can a janitorial company help your business?

First and foremost, choosing professional janitorial services makes your job as a business owner easier.  Most companies will provide detailed consultations so that you can ensure that all the janitorial services you need are provided without having to oversee the work yourself.  This means no hiring and training cleaning staff, no sourcing and purchasing cleaning products and equipment, and no need to oversee the administrative work associated with managing staff.  The extra time you save in working with a professional janitorial company frees you to focus on more profitable goals that focus on your organization’s mission and success.

In addition, professional janitors’ expertise is in the cleaning and maintenance of facilities.  They bring specialized knowledge and skills that the typical business owner simply does not have.  So, when you choose to work with in-house staff, you’re running the risk of overlooking important tasks or even inefficiency in the job.  Reliable, expert janitors know which products are best for which jobs, they have all the necessary equipment, and they bring years of experience that ensures the cleaning and maintenance work they provide is done effectively and efficiently.  In the end, all the business owner needs to do is periodically review the work provided to ensure their own satisfaction.

Finally, when working with professional janitors, business owners have the freedom to arrange customized services on a specified schedule so that cleaning and maintenance never interferes with business operations.  Some of the side benefits of a well-maintained workplace is improved employee efficiency and health standards in the workplace.  When the office or facility is kept clean, employees can focus their energy on the work at hand rather than constantly tidying up after themselves.  Similarly, maintaining a healthy and sanitary work environment helps to ensure that workers miss fewer days due to illness.  Professional janitorial companies are well-suited to keeping your office or workplace up to health standards so that your employees are healthy and energized.

Clearly, there are many benefits to working with a professional janitorial company for your business.

What is quality assurance?  In a nutshell, quality assurance is a process or program by which a standard of quality is maintained for a product or service.  That being said, any quality assurance program usually incorporates many stages to ensure quality at every step of service delivery or product production.  When it comes to our own quality assurance program, we make every effort to thoroughly and effectively deliver quality cleaning services by addressing our performance across all aspects of our business.  So, what are the elements of our quality assurance program?

Consistent Oversight

We recognize that quality assurance is not a destination, but a journey.  We are always reviewing, monitoring, and inspecting our services to ensure that our customers receive the highest level of cleaning services throughout the lifespan of their contract with us.  A supervisor or quality assurance professional conducts regular and unscheduled inspections and we collect regular quality assurance reports from our sites.

Setting Expectations

Not only do we inspect our work to ensure quality, but we set the highest industry standards for our services.  We assign dedicated staff to address the unique needs of each of our customers and work closely with these clients to address their own expectations of our services.  Our goal is to help our customers not only maintain their facilities, but to prevent future problems and also identify areas for improvement.

Training and Qualifications

We take hiring very seriously.  Our staff must demonstrate exemplary skills or undergo the necessary training to achieve the level of service we demand for our customers.  Not only are your cleaners highly qualified, they are also carefully vetted so that we know we work with skilled professionals that represent the qualities of integrity, initiative, and industriousness.

Likewise, our supervisory staff are groomed to represent our core values and vision.  Providing the highest standards of cleaning service set us apart from our competitors and we want to ensure our management team maintains those standards.

Preparation

New contracts are handled with the care and attention they not only deserve, but require.  We want to ensure our new customers are effectively taken care of during their transition to our services and endeavour to make this transition problem-free and within a 24-hour timeframe.

Sustainability

Finally, when it comes to the products we utilize to deliver our services, we’re never satisfied.  We want to give you the best possible cleaning services, but we are also committed to providing safe and sustainable cleaning solutions.  As such, we are always reviewing the products we use and continue to upgrade to the best and most sustainable alternatives available on the market.  When it comes to cleaning, we know it’s important to offer unparalleled services while also mitigating our impact on the environment.

Keeping a clean office is integral to running an efficient business with productive staff and satisfied customers.  Though you might see office cleaning as a tedious necessity, there is no question it needs to be done.  As such, the question often turns to whether to hire in-house staff to manage your cleaning requirements or whether to outsource your office cleaning.  So, why would you choose to contract your cleaning rather than managing the tedium yourself?  Let’s look at the top 5 reasons to outsource office cleaning.

Quality

Professional cleaning companies offer the highest quality cleaning work because they have the skills, experience, equipment, and supplies to get the job done right no matter the size or nature of your office.  They already know which products work and which don’t, and they know how to get the job done effectively and affordably.  Plus, as outsourcing professional cleaners means you’re working with people that prioritize cleaning you’re also sure to enjoy a spotless office.

Cost

Hiring, training, and managing in-house janitorial staff costs you time and money.  You’ll also have to purchase cleaning equipment and supplies, not to mention maintaining and replacing these products.  On the other hand, professional cleaning companies already have the tools they need to clean your office and you won’t need to worry about staff turnover, employee benefits, and other costs of managing and hiring cleaners.  You can also arrange a cleaning schedule that is right for your business rather than paying cleaning staff regardless of whether there is work to be done.

Service

At the end of the day, outsourced cleaners make their money from satisfied customers so they’ll go above and beyond to deliver quality work at a price you can afford.  While you might get lucky and hire an excellent janitor that takes pride in her or his work, you might also suffer the fate of many other business owners – high cleaner turnover and the costs associated with finding and training new cleaners.

Management

As it’s already been suggested, there are a number of administrative tasks associated with managing in-house cleaning staff.  Not only do you need to manage salaries and benefits, you’ll also be responsible for managing cleaning supplies and equipment.  Some products will require special attention as determined by health and safety requirements; for example, many cleaning products require special storage and warnings to protect the health of employees.  By outsourcing your office cleaning, all these extra duties are passed on to your cleaning company.

Comprehensive Cleaning

In many cases, even if you decide to use in-house staff for cleaning, you’ll still have to outsource some cleaning jobs.  Beyond basic cleaning services, you might need regular deep carpet cleaning, outdoor window cleaning, and other tasks that you might not consider affect your day-to-day operations.  Working with professional cleaners means all your cleaning tasks are handled by one company who can also help you identify some of the hidden office cleaning necessities.

We’re already more than half way through 2017 – it’s hard to believe where the time goes.  With the winter well behind us, facilities managers often take this time of year to take a much deserved break knowing it won’t be long before another fall and winter season kick off.  That being said, there’s no time like the present to start preparing for what’s to come and to consider new and better ways to manage your facility.  These maintenance tips for facilities represent our best practice advice to improve building maintenance efficiency.

Prevention Saves Time and Money

If you’re feeling like you have some extra time on your hands right now, don’t forget what your busy season looks like.  Regardless of your industry, facilities managers will benefit from a proactive approach that ensures structures and equipment are in prime operating condition.  You can even take some time to reflect on your biggest headaches of the past year and plan for the coming months by evaluating the current status of your facility, identifying potential repair and maintenance needs, and even developing a long-term maintenance schedule that helps you keep on track.

Consider a New Approach to Lighting

LED lighting is the wave of the future – and while the initial costs associated with LEDs are higher (especially if you include installation costs), the long-term investment is a sound one.  LEDs last longer and they are more efficient too.  This means less time spent maintaining lighting as well as lower energy costs.  Plus, LED systems are increasingly standardized and their costs are dropping.

Get Analytical

Collecting an analyzing facilities data helps you do your job more efficiently.  There are numerous tools available that help you identify problem areas, inefficiencies, and even potential solutions that you may have never considered before.  Using the most modern technology available, you get access to the information you need to avert potential problems before they arise.  Indeed, data analysis offers myriad benefits – not only can data aid your prevention strategies, it can also help you in a crisis.

Mobile Technology for the Win

It’s the 21^st century, so it’s time to go mobile with your facilities management technology.  You’re a busy manager; heck, you may be managing multiple facilities at the same time.  You’ve got a smart phone and possibly even a tablet as well, so why aren’t you making the most of this technology?  Mobile apps and other programs can provide you with facility information when you’re on the go.  Pull up blueprints, check heating systems, view maintenance schedules or vendor information wherever you are so that you never miss a step.

Combining tried and tested facilities management strategies with the most up-to-date technologies available will put you at the top of your game while saving you valuable time and money.