5 ways you can take care of your cleaning teams

As much as you may value your cleaning teams, taking them on a trip to Hawaii right now just isn’t on the cards. Small businesses don’t have the cash flow for large thank you gifts and bonuses, but there are 5 easy ways you can take care of your cleaning teams. All without breaking the bank.

First and foremost, your teams will want to feel valued. Commercial cleaning during the global pandemic can be an anxiety-inducing experience and it’s natural for teams to feel exposed. Extra work or urgent deep cleans can also leave commercial cleaning teams feeling exhausted and undervalued. Before sending an email of thanks or a generic voucher in the post, consider these effective 5 ways to take care of your cleaning teams.

PPE for cleaning staff

Are you expecting your cleaning staff to provide their own masks and sanitiser? If you are asking them to complete a retail cleaning job or sending them off to clean a school make sure each team member is given a PPE kit which is replenished frequently. It is your duty of care to ensure that your employees have everything they need to carry out their job safely.  Sending a kit to their homes where family and household members can also share masks offers a sense of comfort and support too.

Offer Mental Health Support

2020 has been a trying time for all Australians, we had barely had time to digest the tragic bushfire season when we had a global epidemic thrown at us. The underlying stress and anxiety have hit us all at some point. Consider offering free membership to a meditation app such as Calm or Headspace for staff or, for larger teams you may want to provide EAP support such as free counselling. If funds are tight, there are so many free tools you can offer your staff such as links to youtube meditations, and free version meditation and guidance apps.

Send your cleaning team a gift which helps them

Sending a gift voucher in the post is a nice gesture. But, if it means that staff need to head to busy shopping areas, or find time between shifts to redeem it, the voucher doesn’t seem so exciting.  Consider giving a hamper of essential items which will add value and make your teams lives a bit easier. You can create your own for relatively cheap adding items such as:-

  • Pre Paid Opal Card
  • Toilet Paper
  • Rice, Pasta
  • A family-size meal kit
  • Make at home cocktail kit
  • Female sanitary items and nappies
  • Luxury shower or bath cream, hair products

Communicate with your cleaners

Do not underestimate the power of a personal phone call. Most of us are emailing and Zooming more and a phone call is a personal touch. Give each team member a call to ask how they are feeling, and listen to their responses. This is a great way to really make your cleaning team feel engaged and recognised.

Offer additional training

Finally, a great way to look after your cleaning teams is to offer training. If you have staff members who are self-quarantined or furloughed, keep their spirits high and offer a mental health boost by offering training.  This could be internal training with other senior cleaning supervisors or COVID specific cleaning skills. There are also plenty of free options for training which you can share with staff, such as TAFE and Coursera.  Having something to work to and complete can give a real sense of achievement to staff.

There you have it, 5 simple and effective ways to look after your cleaning teams in 2020!

 

 

CONTACT

GET IN TOUCH

    Get a free quote





    We will respond in 60 minutes or less
    Monday to Sunday 8am - 6pm