Should you employ an office cleaner directly or find a contractor in London
Your office is akin to a second home—but mainly a dedicated space for productivity and focus. It becomes a hub of daily activity, teeming with tasks and responsibilities. However, this bustling environment can quickly become more than just cluttered—it can hinder efficiency and distract from your goals.
While employees are tasked with maintaining cleanliness in their workspaces, the demands of their roles often limit the time they can dedicate to tidying up. This dichotomy forces a trade-off between managing clutter and focusing on their core responsibilities. Ironically, much research has suggested that a disorganized and unclean environment serves as a breeding ground for distractions, impeding productivity and focus. Read this article for an interesting read on the relationship between clutter and productivity.
Apart from human clutter, the general environment can also contribute to the accumulating dirt in a room. In a bustling metropolitan like London, dust can be everywhere. Even in an enclosed space, they will always find a way to enter the air of any indoor space. Dust by itself can be easily ignored and generally harmless; however, when left to accumulate in the dark corners, it can pose some serious health concerns, such as allergies and other respiratory issues.
Maintaining a clean workspace isn’t just about looks—it fosters a safe, collaborative environment. The question for the companies then lies on the next crucial move – should they be employing office cleaners directly or rely on contractors to find the staff for them?
Each approach carries its own set of considerations, including cost, quality of service, flexibility, reliability, adaptability, and environmental impact. Although it may feel like a lot for such a seemingly menial component of the overall operations, meticulous planning is essential to avoid future complications. This guide dives into these factors to help make an informed decision that fits your office’s needs.
Cost-effective analysis
The most important factor for any business operation is its potential costs, and a whole cleanup crew poses a significant budget requirement. When weighing your options, it is crucial to consider your long-term goals and how this entire set of new teams will come into play.
For instance, directly hiring a cleaning team will entail substantial staffing expenses, such as salaries and insurance, as well as appropriate supplies and equipment that comply with the set safety standards. While initial costs may appear lower, long-term expenses can accrue as employees gain benefits and salary increases with their tenure, potential training sessions, and maintenance or replacement expenses of cleaning equipment.
On the other hand, contracting cleaning services offers a fixed fee, potentially resulting in more predictable and manageable costs. The typical daily office cleaning contractors in London will cover most expenses and guarantee professional staff with adequate experience. These contractors also have their own set of equipment that is aligned with the existing safety standards, relieving you of the burden of worrying about liabilities.
Quality of service
Wide-scale cleaning, such as the floor area of offices, requires a meticulous and thorough approach to ensure that no dust is left unwiped and no trash is left anywhere. Thus, it is vital that whatever path you take, you will have peace of mind that the staff are doing their job and that they’re doing it well.
Direct hires are handpicked by the organization themselves, who should already know what they are looking for. These hires may display a higher sense of ownership as they are essentially part of the organizational structure and may pay better attention to details and dedication to maintaining the property’s well-being.
Professional contractors have built their careers in the sanitary management and janitorial industry and have undergone extensive training to be more than equipped on the job. They have access to advanced equipment and follow standardized procedures, ensuring a consistently high standard of cleaning.
Flexibility and control
Shift scheduling is often tricky, even for regular employees, but it is integral to ensuring the cleaning schedule does not hamper the business’ daily operations. A schedule that does not align with the company’s activities may be more than a nuisance but may cause delays in pertinent timelines.
An in-house cleaning staff provides more control over the cleaner’s schedule, tasks, and work standards. They are easily flexible to changes, especially during emergency clean-ups that require urgent completion. Conversely, contracting services might offer less direct control, and requests for schedule changes may be subject to staff availability. Nevertheless, they provide a structured framework and allow room for adjustments within the agreed-upon scope.
Reliability and consistency
Creating an efficient schedule is one thing, but staff keeping to it is another. Much like any other operation, unforeseeable situations often happen, and while this is understandable in most cases, it shouldn’t impede the regular workflow. Reliability is a must in any business transaction, but it is much too often precarious. However, that shouldn’t stop companies from demanding a reliable and consistent clean-up procedure for their workspaces.
Employees directly hired for clean-up duties tend to feel more attached to their workplace. They will likely be more committed to their responsibilities in an ideal work environment, including maintaining a consistent agreed-upon cleaning schedule. Their loyalty to their employer or the organization can foster accountability, increasing reliability and reducing the likelihood of frequent turnovers.
On the other side of the coin, cleaning contractors usually operate with a team of cleaners, providing an advantage in terms of reliability. Since they are hired as an agency, they have more flexibility to deploy alternative staff if the assigned cleaner is absent due to illness, vacation, or any other unforeseen circumstances. This built-in backup ensures continuity of service, minimizing disruptions in the cleaning routine.
Environmental and sustainability practices
In line with the London Plan, companies are striving for more sustainable practices, and the sanitary department can be a viable foundation for this noble venture. When planning for a cleaning crew, it is important to include sustainable strategies in their operations.
Directly employed cleaners develop a closer relationship with the workplace and its specific sustainability objectives. They might be more receptive to adapting more environmentally-friendly practices into their operations that align with the company’s sustainable goals. There’s also more potential for direct hiring and training in using environmentally friendly products and implementing practices that align with the company’s values.
On the other hand, cleaning agencies often already have established protocols and practices that align with the city’s sustainable policies. They may typically have access to a wider range of green cleaning products and equipment due to their industry connections and purchasing power, which allows them to implement more environmentally friendly practices efficiently across various client spaces.
The decision between directly hiring an office cleaner or contracting cleaning services in London hinges on various factors. In a nutshell, direct hires offer greater control and potential loyalty, but contractors provide structured, consistent service and backup support. The choice ultimately depends on the unique requirements and values of each individual business, whether prioritizing control, consistency, adaptability, or sustainability in maintaining a clean office environment.
