I'm often asked how I keep a building running smoothly with good quality housekeeping. I'm also told that after a while, it's back to the same old thing and the quality becomes ordinary again. Like every human being, we're not fully motivated 365 days a year, year after year, and the same goes for housekeeping employees. So, I'm sharing some of my tips for keeping employee motivation at its peak.
Where do your employees come from?
It's important to know that the reality of housekeeping varies worldwide. For example, in Quebec, we have a lot of asbestos tile as flooring. But in other countries, terrazzo or tile is most often used. In South America, for example, tile is sometimes found on outdoor sidewalks. Therefore, it's easy to wash them with plenty of water. However, the situation is quite different for maintaining vinyl tile. It's therefore important to clarify the correct maintenance methods when welcoming a new employee.
What experience do your employees have?
Employees with experience in post-construction cleaning, those who have worked as washers in food factories, and those who have worked in office buildings have very different work experiences. And the benchmarks for best practices are definitely not the same. Also, in some workplaces, quality is not at all important to company management, and in other workplaces, some bosses are excessively strict.
Depending on the company's management, preferred work methods will vary. For example, some companies advocate dusting rather than cleaning furniture. However, both techniques are very good, but will not be used in the same places. There is no perfect method for recruiting the best employee, despite some person selection toolsL. But as much as possible, I believe it is better to recruit an employee who is as close as possible to one's needs as to those of the employer.
Does an employee really lose motivation?
We wrote an article talking about the employee ill will. And I still believe that every employee needs to receive attention from their boss to know if they are satisfied or not. And even more, they need to receive ongoing training, which is far from popular in housekeeping. It's also incredible how many new technologies or innovations come out every year in our field. Nevertheless, some contractors continue to use the same old equipment and old methods. Yet, new technologies save work time by being much less damaging than old methods. And generally, new methods are much less expensive in the long run.
What is the starting point then?
Your basic instructions and regulations
The rules vary from company to company, and it's best to make your new employees aware of yours. This can be done as a group or with each new employee. You'll need to inform them how to report their time and even who their line manager is. It's important to communicate your work schedule to them.
Basic training
So, no matter what type of employee you decide to hire, you'll need to provide your new hire with a solid foundation of training, if only to establish your expected quality standards. You'll need to clarify the cleaning products you use and their recommended use. You'll need to communicate how your equipment is operated and how to maintain it. And, of course, your recommended work methods.
Continuing education
I suggest adding training every year so that employees want to improve and discover better ways of doing things. Also, encourage them to ask themselves if their way of doing things could be improved. Because, indeed, employees are always part of the solution. Imagine, every day, they do the same tasks and thus become experts in their work. It's a goldmine of information if we give them the chance to express themselves.
Continuous training should allow employees to push their abilities to the next level. For example, office building employees are often left in the same job. This isn't a big deal, but you could give them the opportunity to learn innovative floor care methods or even how to clean upholstery or any other related stain. And of course, remember to check whether the training is paying off in the short, medium, and long term. During quality control, you can check whether the employee is applying the new techniques, for example.
Give yourself quality control tools
Quality control tools are motivational tools if applied respectfully. Generally, employees want to do better, but don't know how. So, there's no better time than during quality control to conduct brief refresher training sessions, while congratulating the employee on the positive points they've accomplished.
Furthermore, it is really important that quality control is equal for all employees. And for this, you need a grid, for example, which will allow you to rate the same points for each employee as much as possible. You could also choose to have the quality control of the work verified by a specialized organization, such as CF Salubrité offers it in its services. Or you could do it yourself as long as it is done by someone with experience and is fair to everyone.
Clarify the work to be done
We've all learned how to clean a toilet, for example. However, the method, frequency, and products or accessories vary greatly. All of this must be described and, where possible, even illustrated to better understand the employee. CF Salubrité develops work schedules for its clients' employees. You can see our basic principles here.
Quality control is also a special time you have with your employee. Choose to make this a quality and, above all, positive experience. Of course, you can choose to meet your employees in other ways, for example, simply meeting them for a coffee in their presence. If only to show them how much you appreciate them.
You see, everything we talked about above is part of quality control.
