Training cleaning staff is critical for building a strong team. It can be challenging to train soft skills like emotional intelligence and general “people skills,” but ensuring your team is sensitive to customer needs will help ensure repeat business.
Start by setting clear expectations for your cleaning staff. Then, keep the process simple and ongoing to foster a strong team.
Start Early
Training can be tedious for new cleaners, so it’s important to keep sessions short. Longer sessions may cause them to become bored and restless, which in turn decreases training effectiveness.
It’s also critical to start your training program on a good note with an effective onboarding process. During this time, you’ll lay out the foundations for what is expected of your cleaning staff from day one. This will set the tone for how well they’ll perform on the job and give them a good idea of what to expect from the company as a whole.
After the initial onboarding period, training should continue regularly to ensure your team members are up to speed on all your processes. This will save you money by ensuring your clients receive high-quality work. It will also help your employees feel motivated and happy, which may lead to better customer service and retention.
Use a variety of training methods to help your cleaning staff understand the importance of each step in the process. Use training videos that can demonstrate cleaning tools and equipment to make it easier for your cleaners to grasp concepts. You can also incorporate role playing and simulations into your training sessions to help them learn the correct cleaning methods in a controlled environment.
Ensure your cleaning staff is aware of any safety procedures they need to follow and has access to PPE (personal protective equipment) like gloves and eye protection. It’s also important to provide first aid kits and fire extinguishers for your cleaning teams to have on hand in the event of an emergency.
Create a Binder
Your cleaning staff members will need to be able to follow procedures and instructions from the start. A training binder can help keep all of the necessary information in one place. This will allow your cleaners to focus on their tasks and avoid distractions while they learn the ropes.
A training binder is essentially a manual that covers all of your cleaning company’s processes, systems, and policies. It includes important safety protocols, like how to properly clean floors and other surfaces without causing damage or injury. It also explains how to use equipment, such as vacuum cleaners and mops. It can even include your cleaning schedule, cleaning hacks and tips, and client-specific checklists.
Creating this training resource can be difficult if your team is scattered around the country or world. You can create training videos with your smartphone and upload them for your employees to view. You can also add training checklists that are easily accessible online so you can track their progress and ensure they’ve mastered all of your processes.
Hiring and training cleaning employees is a lengthy but important process for your business to succeed. Your clients are trusting you to bring in strangers into their homes and facilities, and you need to be able to rely on your cleaning crew to be trustworthy, efficient, and dedicated. If you have a good training program and an employee management system that provides the resources and tools your employees need to thrive, you can expect high-quality results from your cleaning team.
Demonstrate
Training for janitorial staff is often overlooked because it’s perceived as too costly or inefficient. But a lack of training leads to poor performance and higher rates of errors, ultimately costing the company more in lost revenue. Properly trained custodial workers also make better customer experiences, which in turn leads to more repeat business. In addition. teaching your children to clean can make household chores easier and fun for everyone.
The best way to train your cleaning staff is through an effective onboarding process that covers all the essentials of your company’s operations, expectations, and procedures. Then, you should use forms to collect feedback and track their progress over time so you can keep them up to speed on all the things they need to do their jobs well.
Gone are the days of long, in-person training sessions – they’re expensive, ineffective, and difficult to schedule. Instead, you should use an employee onboarding app that provides all the necessary information in short, bite-sized pieces. This way, new hires can learn at their own pace and you can track how far along they are with each module.
During the training process, walk them through the processes they will need to follow at their first job and be sure they are fully grasping the concepts you’re teaching them. Then, hold annual or semi-annual training sessions to ensure they are still following the processes you taught them.
Another important part of training your janitorial staff is to encourage soft skills, or interpersonal traits that help them build relationships with clients and deliver excellent customer service. This includes listening attentively to clients’ needs, returning calls and emails promptly, and making the client feel comfortable by being friendly and accommodating. These are the types of traits that can make your team stand out from the competition and increase your company’s reputation.
Give Feedback
Cleaners who feel like their employer cares about them tend to be more invested in their work, so a regular schedule of positive and negative feedback is essential. However, some cleaning business owners have a hard time discussing the less-than-stellar performance of their staff, and avoid addressing issues until the problem is out of control.
During the training process, give your cleaning crew members a chance to ask questions about what they need to do their job well. It is also important to regularly check-in with them to ensure that they are following the processes you have outlined. Doing this can help them to avoid getting complacent and taking shortcuts, which will result in a lower quality of cleaning.
In addition to technical skills, your cleaning team should be trained in soft skills as well. Because they will interact with clients and visitors, it is important that they can communicate effectively, listen attentively, and resolve any problems quickly and politely.
You can do this in a variety of ways, such as by sending client feedback surveys after each cleaning or using mystery shoppers to assess your cleaners’ work. It’s also a good idea to have a discussion with each cleaner after each job to give them direct and constructive feedback. During this conversation, be sure to provide examples of the issues you are concerned with, such as if they have been cutting corners in mopping or neglecting to clean certain areas. Afterwards, encourage them to respond to your feedback, so they can understand what you’re concerned about and how they can improve. Hopefully, they will take your feedback positively and be motivated to make changes.
Encourage Questions
It’s likely your cleaning staff will encounter a situation or question they’re not familiar with on the job, and in those cases, it’s important they know how to reach out to you for assistance. This can help avoid confusion, miscommunication, and other issues that could cause a client to leave a negative experience.
During training sessions, encourage your cleaning staff to ask questions and provide feedback. This can help them learn, grow, and retain knowledge more effectively. Keeping training sessions fun and light with an icebreaker activity or contest can also help boost morale.
It’s also important to regularly update your employee handbook, which should include information such as expectations, code of conduct, etc. This can help ensure that they’re always up to date on the latest best practices and safety resources. This way, they’ll be able to deliver top-notch service to your clients.