Facility managers want cleaning staff who can consistently deliver the most efficient results without disruptions and distractions. But to provide that quality of service, cleaners need an enabling environment.
How can facility managers (FMs) make life easier for their cleaning crews? We’ll present a few convincing ways below.
Enable productivity
When it comes to cleaners’ productivity, the overall objective is to create a work environment where cleaning staff are empowered with the most effective cleaning procedures that minimize any negative impact on their health. There’s plenty that FMs can do in this regard, such as:
- Ensure there’s a conducive working environment that includes essentials like correct lighting to avoid eye strain and good ventilation to prevent fatigue.
- Research and provide recommended ergonomic cleaning tools and equipment. Investing in high-quality cleaning equipment and tools can make a noticeable improvement to work completion times, as well as workers’ attitudes.
- Provide appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).
- Ensure that the work area is safe, that cleaners have unhindered access to the work area, and that the building is free of the distractions and dangers of avoidable hazards.
Provide well-thought-out maintenance schedules
Facility maintenance work will sometimes create a mess no matter how careful the workers are—especially activities like masonry work or painting. When these repairs are poorly scheduled, it can stress the cleaners and cause conflict with other workers as cleaning crews will need to clean more frequently than initially planned.
Such issues can be minimized by using a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) to organize and coordinate work. Using a CMMS, FMs can notify everyone of projects well in advance, allowing all teams to plan accordingly. Facility managers also can track and update their maintenance schedules on the go using an enabled mobile device.
A CMMS comes with other functions that are essential for smoother cleaning operations, such as the inventory management module. With it, common inventory problems like depleted cleaning supply stock can be minimized or, with time, eliminated.
Finally, FMs need to put in some effort to create efficient cleaning plans as a good plan will have a direct impact on the overall workload and maintenance schedules.
Enforce facility rules and regulations
In addition to managing their teams and overseeing schedules, FMs can help cleaners maintain orderliness and cleanliness in their facilities by adopting rules for how occupants use the building’s amenities and ensuring compliance with these mandates.
In residential buildings, these rules are usually distributed to all tenants and referred to as “house rules.” They guide tenants on the usage of common areas. In public buildings, like shopping malls, offices, and hotels, strategically placed signage will usually do.
Standardize routine processes
Disorganization, stress, and costly mistakes occur if your custodial team doesn’t know which tasks to complete each day or if team members waste time waiting for instructions.
That unproductive time quickly adds up. To prevent this, it’s vital that FMs have a system in place for their cleaning crew to follow. A couple of avenues to achieve this are through:
- Training programs. Even if cleaning staff have all the tools required to complete the job, do they understand exactly how to optimize the resources available to them? On-the-job training is an ideal way for cleaners to learn how to handle specific chemicals and become familiar with the facility’s expected standards. This knowledge will result in faster cleaning processes that don’t compromise on service quality. Also, a side benefit of adequate and frequent training is that it frees up FMs to focus on other responsibilities since they won’t need to micromanage the cleaning crew.
- Standard operating procedures (SOPs). Standard operating procedures are another popular resource for streamlining cleaning work. SOPs contain all the instructions and steps required for executing routine tasks. They are especially helpful for outlining procedures for dealing with hazards and/or using any tools and chemicals that pose a safety risk. Well-prepared SOPs are structured, practical, easily updated, and easily accessible. This is why more companies opt for creating digital SOPs instead of keeping paper records in file cabinets.
Like any other category of workers, cleaners will be more inclined to do their best if they feel valued and see that the management has taken steps to remove as many work obstacles as possible. By implementing the above tips, facility managers will be better positioned to create a work environment where cleaning crews can work with minimal stress.