Employee Retention: The Key to Getting Your Best Cleaning Technicians to Stick Around

Hiring the right team for your cleaning company is only half the battle. More difficult, often times, is getting your best cleaning technicians to stick around. In fact, surveys from both Proctor & Gamble Professional and CMM magazine found employee retention is the top challenge facing cleaning operation managers.

The cleaning industry averages turnover rates around 100%—and they can skyrocket to 400% in certain markets and economic conditions. That means even the most experienced BSCs can find it difficult to maintain a quality staff.

Employee turnover is problematic for several reasons. First, it can also take a toll on customer satisfaction. Too few employees can disrupt services, while new and inexperienced cleaners can make costly mistakes.

Turnover is also expensive. Labor is the number-one cost for most BSCs, and high turnover can drive those costs even higher. Each new hire requires a new round of time and money spent on advertising, interviewing, onboarding/paperwork, training, and reduced productivity until they are up to speed.

Retaining a top-notch team takes effort. Here are a few tips for helping you keep your best and brightest around for the long haul.

Employee Retention

Smart Hiring and Training

Employee retention starts with smart hiring. You want to invest time in finding employees who are a good fit for your company and more likely to stay for years to come.

• Create a profile of your ideal employee and use it as a guide to screen candidates. What are the common skills and personality traits among your best, long-term employees? Use these as a guide when interviewing.
  
  
• Write a job posting specific to the job and your company. Clearly outline the responsibilities of the position and your requirements (skills, transportation, background check, etc.). More importantly, spend time attracting candidates by featuring all benefits of working for your company. People may come to work for you if you offer better pay than your competitors, but one of the top reasons they stay is for the benefits. Do you offer health benefits? Retirement plan? PTO (paid time off)? Flexible schedules? Birthday cake on their birthday? If you can effectively describe what makes your company a great place to work, then you've got a shot at retaining the best workers.
  
  Providing more information upfront will help weed out candidates who aren't a good fit and save you time in the hiring process. It will also allow you to more easily find candidates whose goals are aligned with your company's.
  
  
• Another proactive measure you can take is creating a referral program. Ask current employees to recommend friends or family for open positions in exchange for a bonus (only if a successful hire is made as a result, of course). Current team members know your culture and are likely to recommend only people who would be a great match.

Want more tips on hiring for growth? Click here.

• After hiring a new staff member, it's important to train them well. Your training program should not only explain how you do things, but also why you do them that way. Communicate your company's mission and your employee's role in achieving it. Having a sense of purpose helps people feel more invested in, proud of, and loyal to their work.
  
  
• The best employers also invest in ongoing training. Workers are happiest when they are allowed to develop new skills and sharpen existing ones. Encourage employee development by offering regular training opportunities on best practices and new trends.
  
  
• Also, employees are far more likely to stick around if they know they're likely to be promoted in the future. Help them develop as leaders by creating a mentoring program. You should also let your employees know about your company's growth plan and their potential role in it.
  
  
• Finally, make sure you provide the tools your employees need to be effective and efficient. A janitorial worker will quickly grow tired of a job that doesn't include functioning equipment. Invest in the best products that allow your workers to do their jobs well.

To learn even more about the best practices in janitorial training, click here.

Recognition & Rewards

To attract quality employees, it's important to pay at least an average industry rate ($12.24 hourly or $25,460 annually for commercial janitors and building cleaners, according to the U.S. Department of Labor at the time of this writing). Money is important, of course, but it's not the only factor in employee satisfaction.

Money alone won't make employees loyal. They also need to feel valued. Management must create a positive work environment that includes regular communication with plenty of encouragement and motivation.

How often do you meet your employees at the start of their work day? Too often, owners or managers only talk to frontline workers when there are problems. Create a regular schedule of frequent communication so employees don't assume they are in trouble if they hear from the boss. It only takes a few seconds to say “good job,” but that simple act could make an employee's day.

Consider sending out a staff email newsletter each month, and hosting regular team-building and celebratory events for employees. Also, make positive feedback a routine part of all interactions with employees. For example, when doing site inspections, point out what workers are doing right and well along with areas that need improvement.

A formal recognition program can also go a long way in building employee trust, engagement, and happiness. A recent survey by Badgeville found 83% of employees said recognition for contributions is more fulfilling than any rewards and gifts, and 71% said that the most meaningful recognition they have received had no dollar value. 

A successful employee recognition program, according to our friends at SweptWorks, should be:

• Specific: It's more meaningful when you recognize a specific achievement (and, if possible, the specific results achieved) than issuing a generic “thank you” from time to time.
• Inclusive: It's just as valuable to have a co-worker recognize your hard work as it is a manager. Make sure your recognition program encourages your entire team's participation.
• Visible: Public praise has a big impact. It's okay to recognize an employee privately, but make sure you talk about their efforts during your next staff meeting or in your staff newsletter.
• Timely: Don't wait until year's end to recognize your employees. These programs work best when the feedback is immediate (or within a few days).
• Routine: Recognition needs to be consistent. Make it a habit so that employees feel valued and know you truly mean what you're saying.

Finally, make sure you let employees know you welcome their feedback and value their opinions. People want to be heard. Companies that listen to their staff's feelings and make changes based on that feedback are more likely to develop loyal teams.

Retaining your best employees is imperative if you want to have a profitable business over the long term. It not only improves your bottom line but also boosts customer satisfaction.

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