FOCUS CLEANING
ASFM providers, we expect our
clients to pay a fair contract
price, which o en includes multiple
services, overheads and a management
fee in return for providing a clean, safe
environment for building users. When
cleaning forms part of that core service
delivery, our focus is on making sure
we deliver for our clients – but are we
doing right by the sta who actually do
the work?
Many cleaning sta within our industry
work multiple jobs across di erent sites,
o en having to travel distances between
each shi . It is not unknown to have an
operative begin their day at around 4am
in order to make their 6am shi to clean
before the typical working day begins,
then move on to another day job, followed
by evening work, o en stretching the
boundaries of working time.
This is what some sta go through each
working day in order to provide a quality
service for our clients and their building
users, as well as allowing us to charge a
competitive contract price. And it’s why
employers of cleaning sta should not take
their loyalty, hard work, daily stress and
skills for granted.
In 2001, a er recognising that the
government minimum wage was not
enough to live on, the Living Wage
Foundation started to recommend a
minimum London wage as a ‘guide’ for
fairness. This was calculated as an hourly
wage to reflect the cost of living in London.
Fast forward to 2019, and according
to the London Living Wage Foundation,
this voluntary living wage is now paid by
over 4,700 UK businesses, and takes into
account real living costs to provide a fair
wage for all. However, the real living wage,
which is currently at £10.55 per hour in
London (updated each autumn), is still
a voluntary rate which employers can
40 MARCH 2019
CLEANING UP
OUR ACT
Aaron Sagar, Account Manager at
Anabas, makes the case for
rewarding cleaning staff
fairly for their eff orts
choose to pay but are not obliged to.
So while the new living wage rates have
provided a boost for thousands of workers
throughout the UK, is it enough? Not only
is paying the London living wage fair, it
is also about being ethical, and adopting
it comes with multiple benefits for
businesses. It can boost morale and output
and improve motivation and retention
rates. But is this really just the first step
towards creating a happy workforce who
feel valued for the work they deliver?
Is it really logical and ethical to expect
hard-working cleaning sta to turn up
during unsociable hours for a less than
acceptable rate of pay and no opportunity
to progress or develop their skill sets? If we
value our working space, and believe it has
a bearing on the success of our businesses,
then we need to value the teams that help
to create this type of working environment
for building users. Likewise, the increased
cost of living for lower-wage earners is a
drain; in some cases, the travel fares alone
can account for more than 35 per cent of
the value of a two-hour shi . So employers
need to be fair and rational.
Fair pay is, however, just the tip of the
iceberg – there are other factors at play.
Having access to continuous training, for
example, is a key motivator. Training can
instil feelings of self-worth and pride, and
helping to secure loyalty.
IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING
It is essential to train sta , no matter what
their skill level is. The FM industry does
not stand still, and there are new methods
and behaviours around new products
and methodology that need to be taught
all the time. Within cleaning specifically,
it is important to strike the right balance
between functional and skill-based
training, such as how to use a certain
machine, behavioural training (customer
7he Eeneƛ ts to emSloyers
include imSroved morale
leading to fulƛ lled and haSSy
staff who are more likely to
go the etra mileƌ
service or time
management),
and vocational or life
skills (managing finances,
communicating to di erent audiences).
It’s the added-value training such as
life skills that can help our sta in their
day-to-day lives, and let them know that,
as employers, we are invested in their
wellness. This requires a centralised
commitment and overhead allocation, but
given that some sta spend more time at
work than with their loved ones, isn’t it a
good and right investment to make?
The benefits to employers include:
improved morale, leading to fulfilled and
happy sta who are more likely to go
the extra mile; sta retention, because a
happy workforce who enjoy their work
and feel valued are more likely to stay;
and increased productivity, as sta trained
in new methods of cleaning with new
products, led by data-driven analytics, can
lead to leaner ways of working. Consistent
service delivery will also lead to positive
feedback from clients.
Conversely, ignoring the true value
of what cleaning sta can deliver can
negatively impact an operation, with
higher recruitments costs leading to higher
training costs, and loss of goodwill from
client and sta .
Cleaning can be a repetitive, stressful
and draining job, and employers need to
find the will and commitment to pay what
is right to make people feel valued and
give them a sense of worth. Following this
up with a genuine training programme
that takes account of people’s needs and
aspirations will demonstrate that as an
industry, we are invested in all our people.