Get Ready to Celebrate Your Workers This Week

Tactics for retaining valuable workers include compensation, benefits, and appreciation. Employee Appreciation Day, commemorated this Friday, March 4, offers the perfect opportunity to show your workers you notice their hard work and dedication.

Gift cards and free lunch are always nice, but also consider perks specific to your cleaning staff that will last all year long, after the lunch has been eaten and the gift card spent. ABCO Cleaning Products suggests the following tips for celebrating and supporting professional cleaners:

• Offer training courses in custodial workers’ native language and English to foster a culture of learning and minimize language barriers. With educational materials in various languages, you can enhance employees’ understanding of key concepts.
• Provide employees with high-quality cleaning tools and equipment to help improve their efficiency and their safety. Routinely check that cleaning tools are stored correctly and function as intended.
• Use safer, less toxic chemicals to reduce the risk of workplace injuries. Avoid those with abrasive additives and fragrances that can irritate the skin and eyes.
• Establish practices that regularly recognize employees, such as setting up an Employee of the Month program in your workplace or nominating your best custodial workers for industry-wide recognition programs.
• Keep the lines of communication open between workers and management to solicit constructive feedback. Have safe ways for employees to share comments and concerns to improve your company’s culture, employee performance, and customer service.

“Cleaning professionals have been at the forefront of keeping the public safe and healthy during the pandemic, and often go unrecognized for their efforts,” said Carlos Albir, ABCO president. “Employee Appreciation Day is just one occasion for organizations to give back to staff. An employee-centric culture can improve recruitment and retention, which in turn, yields more consistent cleaning results and enhances customer satisfaction.”