The janitorial field and necessary training

Photo from TC Services

Originally Posted On: https://tcsvcs.com/the-janitorial-field-and-training-south-carolina-north-carolina/

Once upon a time in the janitorial field the necessary training was not available, it may have been enough for a company to show up on time, provide simple cleaning services, and collect payment. That’s not the case any longer.

Perhaps you once thought of a janitorial service as just a small team of people responsible to tidy, vacuum, and dust buildings like schools, medical practices, hospitals, office buildings, or urgent care centers. My, how things have changed!

Not only are cleaning standards much higher now than they used to be, but using the exact products, procedures, and proper equipment is now critical to delivering a consistent level of health and safety which the public has grown to expect. Expert cleaning service in public places is a necessity no one is likely to argue about.

When you make the decision to hire a highly-trained professional cleaning company to care for your facility, it sends a clear message to your employees and clients that they’re being provided with reliable services to keep them shielded from harm.

Perhaps you’re in the midst of investigating which cleaning services to use for your particular facility. One pivotal criterion that might not be obvious to you at first is the importance of finding a company that provides ongoing, intensive training for both their management and their employees.

It’s not simply a matter of having the right equipment and specific cleaning products necessary for the maintenance of health and safety. In addition to the obvious, it’s essential as never before to consistently implement many finer specifics of professional cleaning. These best practices will maintain the well-being not just of your own staff, but the ongoing safety of your customers or patients who visit the facility.

Take a moment to consider just some of the broad range of operations in which a professional janitorial company should be trained:

• Chemical usage, storage, and disposal
• Which products to use where — and why they are used that way— to eliminate the temptation to use shortcuts or come up with your own technique
• Proper techniques of application and removal of products
• An understanding of surfaces and what’s best to use to prevent damage
• The correct timing and sequence of product use
• Efficient and appropriate cleaning of horizontal and vertical surfaces
• Personal protective equipment like masks, gloves, face shields, uniforms, footwear, and more, and the proper ways to use and remove them
• Prevention of health hazards to themselves or others
• Pathogens and how to prevent transmission of them
• Cleaning up spills and leaks
• Disposal of biohazardous materials
• Infectious disease cleanup
• Ventilation and control of odors and fumes
• Equipment handling and procedures
• The differences between cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting, and decontamination
• The growing trend to use “green cleaning” products and techniques
• Ongoing significant changes in the industry due to COVID-19 or other viruses, and the latest regulations
• Keeping a steady supply of products on hand, so you’re never caught short
• Any number of other challenging topics as they arise

You can see that this responsibility is definitely not a simple assignment! Inadequate cleaning or poor techniques may even do more harm than good. And it’s a given that the cleaning industry itself continues to evolve, so ongoing training is always going to be an indispensable component.

Methodical training implemented in a janitorial service company will result in a service with integrity, whose goal is a long term relationship with many satisfied customers.

No doubt you can see that it’s no longer enough to merely know the “how-tos” of general cleaning. You can agree that training is paramount. But what exactly is the optimal way to locate a cleaning service which allocates the correct priorities in janitorial field and training — for both their employees and management?

Two areas of training should stand out as you’re looking into companies whose specialty is in the janitorial field:

First, look for an emphasis on supervisor and management training since this solid approach will pay out in outstanding oversight and effective janitorial service.

Owners, managers, and supervisors of a reputable training will produce the ability to meet or exceed the company’s predetermined goals.

Quality supervisors will provide positive reinforcement

Quality supervisors will provide positive reinforcement and constructive feedback for those who are under their charge, and they’ll encourage employees to ask plenty of questions.

These supervisors know that they must not only demonstrate the various tasks that need to be done, but also regularly communicate with employees and review finished work regularly to make sure the employees are proficient. They’ll recognize the value of investing in their employees. Confident employees are more efficient, want to please their supervisors, and will perform their tasks far better.

At TC Services, managers play a prominent role. You’ll find certified managers who have successfully passed RBSM testing in personnel and general management. This designation of “Registered Building Service Manager” demonstrates a recognized proficiency in the cleaning industry. Those with this designation are considered an elite group of building service professionals.

Not only do they have to thoroughly understand and be able to instruct on multiple topics related to cleaning, but these managers must also be familiar with security, insurance and legal issues, unions, quality control, communications, customer relations, and more.

Second, look for a cleaning service that implements a high level of Carpet and Rug institute (CRI) as gold level, approved extractors. Our carpet training for all their employees, not just for the managerial staff. You can confirm if they have superior standards when they make a point of displaying certifications that

the company has earned due to training programs.

TC Services, for example, has earned the industry-recognized CIMS Certification. CIMS stands for Cleaning Industry Management Standards. You can be assured that the company had to undergo a high level of scrutiny before receiving this values designation. In addition to the rigors necessary to initially earning the certification, certified companies are only able to keep the certification if they maintain the required standards on an ongoing basis.

With CIMS certification, regular and systematic audits are conducted by a third party: an outside regulatory body. That’s a safeguard for you that will give you extra confidence that the cleaning service meets high standards of quality and safety.

If you come across a cleaning company that does not have to meet compliance standards like these, then those companies probably aren’t accountable to anyone but themselves. Obtaining reliable cleaning services from cleaning services that don’t look for accountability could be a hit-or-miss experience. Customer complaints are more likely to be common.

TC Services management is committed to keeping their cleaning standards high at all times. We pride ourselves on our hands-on approach to training each employee. TCS employees are continuously monitored to ensure that their work is being done with expertise, and the result is a group of dedicated employees.

An expectation that’s placed on all of our TCS employees is the practice of filling out routine training surveys to review what’s been accomplished on the job. Requiring this step lends itself to fruitful ongoing evaluation and accountability. It helps to motivate employees to freshly consider all aspects of their job and their recent personal performance.

The management team at TCS is conscientious in taking this survey approach to provide training and oversight. A goal of the surveys is to ensure that all of their employees remain strong in certain specific areas:

• Each worker possessing sufficient information and details, prior to starting the current job assignment
• That they have clear a clear understanding of which chemicals are to be used, and how to apply, remove, and store them
• They have viewed demonstrations of, and received training on, all equipment that is necessary for the job
• They know which of various cleaning processes is needed and the amount of time each task requires
• Regular invitations to ascertain whether they need review training or want/need additional training
• That they are versed in all important aspects of safety training for themselves and the public
• and other areas as needed

After learning more about the areas we have covered in this analysis, you can hopefully recognize the many weighty responsibilities associated with these jobs. The safety of your staff, the guests or patients in your facilities, and the public in general are affected by the services and decisions made in the janitorial field and training.

There are increasingly stringent regulations that need to be followed, and a growing expectation from the public, not just for cleanliness and attractive surroundings in these facilities, but genuine protection and security.

Well-trained janitorial personnel like the professionals at TC Services will aspire to be meticulously careful in their work, confident in their ability to meet their responsibilities with excellence, and courteous to all those who cross their path.

Top priority is always given to clients’ preferences and concerns when you choose to work with TC Services. You can rest assured that our company will make it a goal to fulfill your expectations, and even go beyond them to make you a satisfied customer. Please contact us today to learn more about how we can assist you in your particular requirements.