Is it Time to Hire a New Cleaning Service Provider?

Hire cleaning professional
How do you know if you’re working with a professional?

Maintaining the cleanliness of your office can impact your business in more ways than one. Your workspace is a reflection of the kind of company that you run. If you want to impress potential clientele and make a good impression, making sure that all surfaces are neat and clean is ideal.

Office maintenance also has a hand in employee productivity and overall morale. As a worker, it is a challenge to be productive in an area that is filthy and reeks of dirt.   More than output, an unkempt office is a testament to how much value a manager assigns to his or her employees. If a business owner doesn’t care enough about his space, he probably doesn’t care enough about the health and safety of the people he or she employs. 

Happy employees are productive employees. 

Hiring a professional cleaning company is an investment in the future of your business. Unfortunately, not all cleaning companies are created equal. While others are earnest in providing their customers with good service, there are a few that offer nothing more than mediocrity.

In a perfect world, everything falls into place. The first cleaning company you interview and hire is the right fit! The company provides you what they promised and more. However, we don’t live in a perfect world. Often, mistakes are made and there are tough decisions that need to be addressed. If you are thinking twice about the current cleaning company that you have, below are some of the signs that it might be time to reconsider the contract and vet new commercial cleaning services:

Your Employees Are Complaining About Office Maintenance

Hiring a cleaning company should make your life less stressful. After all, you no longer have to endeavor on managing a maintenance team nor do you have to anticipate complaints from your employees. The premise is a professional cleaning team has expert training on office maintenance. 

Unfortunately, when complaints from your employees regarding cleanliness pour in, you have to take heed. After all, your workers are deep in the trenches every single day. They know and experience the cleaning lapses first hand. While one or two issues should be expected, especially when a third party cleaning company is still learning the ropes, hearing the same complaints over and over again should be a cause for concern. 

Simple Cleaning Tasks Are Overlooked

Again, there is a bit of a learning curve for cleaning office spaces. Different companies require different things. While specific requirements are often discussed during initial meetings, you should expect to train the cleaning crew that is sent to you – at least at the onset. 

However, there are tasks that should be a no-brainer for all cleaning companies. For instance, floors should be dry, clean office chairs should be free from debris, and the bathrooms should always be stocked with enough toilet paper – basic! These are the things that should come with hiring professionals. After all, it doesn’t take an expert to realize that wet floors are a safety hazard.

With that said, if simple cleaning jobs are overlooked, then you could expect lapses in more complicated assignments like office deep cleaning. You shouldn’t leave these problems unaddressed. While you should give the cleaning company a leeway at the onset, one or two reminders should be enough. If the same problems persist, you should reconsider their contracts. 

Supplies Are Often Low 

Most cleaning companies have a nightly task checklist that they provide to their crew. Every single thing on the list should be checked off before the assigned person leaves for the day. The list ensures that no task is left undone. More often than not, restocking supplies like toilet paper and hand soap should be part of the evening cleaning routine. You don’t want your early birds to feel like it is their responsibility to ask for the basic supplies. 

If you notice that supplies are often low, even during the start of the workday, then you might have a problem in your hands. This means that the cleaning company that you opted for isn’t considerate of your needs. You have to consider what other lapses they are making. 

You Have to Train New People Often

A good cleaning company makes it a point to assign the same cleaning crew to a specific office space. This way owners do not have to train new maintenance people every single time. They already know the preferences that you may have. 

More than training, it is simply not in the best interest of a business to have random individuals on their premises. Especially if your company is working on confidential tasks, a new cleaning crew every week runs the risk of information leaking out. 

They Have Become a Legal Liability 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA imposes a set of sanitation standards to business operators across all sectors. These guidelines are in place to ensure the wellness and safety of workers and employees.

A professional cleaning company should be well aware and well-trained on OSHA regulations. If you notice that the company you hired skirts through these rules, then it is time to consider breaking their contract. The last thing you want is to incur a fine and a have record from a governing body. 

They Have Become Unreliable and Unprofessional 

In as much as you expect professionalism and reliability from your full-time employees, you should be able to get the same level of work ethic from the cleaning company that you hire. Their cleaning crew should be at your premises at the agreed-upon time and they should conduct themselves in a professional and work-appropriate manner. 

The moment that they make your employees uncomfortable, then it is time to consider a new cleaning company. Again, happy employees are productive employees. You don’t want to alienate the people that work for you because of the cleaning company that you choose.

Opting to employ the help of professional cleaning services should take a load off of your shoulders. While a few mistakes here and there should be met with grace and consideration, you and your employees shouldn’t have to suffer from repeated offenses. Choosing to break a contract is a tough conversation to make but it is a conversation that is necessary. 

Take heed from the signs above, trust your gut, and good luck!