Facility Maintenance Workers Seek Better Tools and Embrace Smart Tech for Job Satisfaction

Most commercial facilities maintenance workers (81%) expect to remain in their jobs long term, with 49% planning to stay at the same level and 32% seeing a pathway into management, according to the 2026 Maintainer Mindset Survey, an annual benchmark study from GP PRO, a division of Georgia-Pacific that evaluates the mindsets, work habits, and operational realities of commercial facility maintenance workers.

Time in the role aligns with age, with 62% to 65% of participants over 35 reporting more than a decade of tenure. Job satisfaction also correlates with age: 83% of 45- to 54-year-olds reported being “very satisfied,” while only 23% of 18- to 24-year-olds shared that sentiment. Nearly half of all participants (47%), however, cited better tools and supplies as key to improving job satisfaction and reducing turnover, ranking them as important as adequate staffing.

“The findings of this year’s Maintainer Mindset Survey continue to dispel long-held misconceptions, including the belief that maintainers are a transient, tech-averse workforce,” said Michelle Auda, senior director, insights and knowledge, Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products LLC. “Our research reveals that these hard-working professionals see themselves as critical operational partners who are eager to embrace new tools that not only help make their jobs easier but also empower them to better support the people and facilities they care for.”

The survey also revealed that 37% of maintainers describe their daily workload as either “too much” or “entirely too much” to manage. Routine, manual processes compound this burden and consume valuable time. An overwhelming 84% of maintainers reported conducting unnecessary dispenser checks at least daily—walking into public restrooms to manually inspect paper towel, bath tissue and soap dispensers only to find them completely or adequately full.

When asked which inventory and refilling tasks they wish were easier and faster, maintainers cited the following: checking dispenser supply levels (40%), refilling soap and hand sanitizer dispensers (36%), refilling paper towel dispensers (29%) and refilling bath tissue dispensers (26%). Unproductive checks across large-scale facilities create unnecessary physical fatigue and take time from deep-cleaning tasks.

Contrary to long-standing assumptions that front-line cleaning workers resist digital adoption, the 2026 survey revealed a workforce actively seeking smart technology to bring order and predictability to their shifts. Nearly six in 10 maintainers (58%) feel happy, and nearly half (48%) feel excited about using new facility equipment.

Among those polled, 59% of maintainers expect a real-time supply application to cut unnecessary footsteps, reduce physical fatigue and help them stay ahead of patron complaints. While compensation remains the top reason for switching employers, access to better tools and equipment is the second-most important criterion.

In turn, most (78%) of respondents reported that simplified restocking tasks directly boost their job satisfaction—up 17% from last year’s survey (61%). When asked which specific design features would make dispenser maintenance quicker and simpler, maintainers emphasized intuitive features that minimize manual labor: fewer steps in the refilling process (69%), at-a-glance visibility to evaluate supply levels without opening covers (54%) and smart dispensers equipped with automated, low-supply alerts (46%).

Complete 2026 Maintainer Mindset Survey findings are available here.