This might seem like an odd question to some of you but when organising parties and nights out how often do you include the cleaner? Sometimes? Never?
I only ask because it seems to me that the cleaner in many offices is forgotten about. Out of sight and out of mind. Perhaps that’s because they come in to clean your office out of hours and you never see them. You know they’ve been because these plates that were littering your desk are gone and your bin has been emptied plus there’s plenty of loo roll and soap every time you nip to the bathroom. However, do you ever stop and think that they’re playing a valuable role in your company’s business too just like you are?
I was witness some years ago to a cleaner retiring from the large company I worked for. She was an old lady that had worked for the company for some 20 plus years and was one of their longest serving members of staff. On such an occasion you’d have expected a bit of pomp and razzmatazz, cakes, speeches and maybe a clink of a glass or two of the good stuff. Sadly, there was none of that. There was the cleaner, me and my head of department. Nobody bothered to stay on a bit later to see her off. There had been a small whip round but the card and gift voucher inside it couldn’t have been worth any more than £50. She was delighted that they’d thought of her at all whereas I was completely mortified.
When Complete Cleaning Contracts was set up it was set up with people in mind. We wanted to attract the best clients in the market that wanted to be looked after properly by a company that cared for them and we also wanted to be home to the best cleaners in town. We knew that marrying the two together would be a successful formula that would be hard for any of our competitors to replicate unless they worked to the same beliefs and values as we do. It’s okay saying you do on your website but you can’t kid someone on when they can see it and feel it for themselves every day when working with you. We’ve always said that we work best when we can be a part of your team. Being part of your team means being visible from time to time, being praised for our performance the same way you’d praise anyone else for doing a good job and being included in what’s going on.
I know of many of our clients that invited our staff along to their Christmas party nights. Why? Because they’re seen as part of the client’s team and in some cases our cleaners have been working with the client longer than any of their own staff have been. One client that is a strong advocate of including our staff in their events is Sandra Crow, Chief Operating Officer at Dovecot Gallery in Edinburgh. You can read her testimonial on our website. We also have other clients that do the same and I can assure you the cleaners involved are very appreciative of this. They feel valued, respected and part of something much bigger. They feel loved.
So, next time you’re having a night out with the office or are organising a party please consider your cleaner. If it’s somebody’s birthday and there’s cake on the go – why not keep a piece back for the cleaner? Little things like this go a long way to making someone feel appreciated and that their work is of value. Little things like this make people go the extra mile for you and keep happier staff in their jobs for longer which will ultimately be the best thing for your business.
with DWEB DESIGN