Dealing with Cuts: Doing More With Less

Budget cuts are never welcome but can give the custodial staff the opportunity to demonstrate professionalism and leadership during a time of stress. If you lose an office worker, the company will go on. If you lose the custodial crew that keeps the area clean, stocked and operational, there can be devastating results in health, appearance and morale. Yes, what the janitor does and doesn’t do is very important in an era of new, more contagious diseases being discovered on a regular basis.  

Doing more with less during a time of budget cuts in an effective, safe manner can enable to company to recover sooner, retain healthier staff and have a positive impact on morale. Once all the labor, supplies and equipment has been squeezed for waste, the hard decisions will be whether to lay off good workers or cut everyone’s hours to hit the targeted budget reduction.  

Since both approaches have plusses and minuses, the decision will be based on guidance from upper management. New hires may only be brought in part time with limited or no benefits. Supervisors may have to resort to helping with the floor work or utility tasks. Quality Control inspections may need to reflect when work was performed and not the condition on the days between tasks.  

Take a hard look at wording in the contract. Redefining the specifications may be necessary since “uniform glossy appearance” may need to be changed to “clean, matte finish” as the standard. The phrase “strip and wax X times per year” may need to be rewritten “strip/scrub/recoat” with a new maximum and minimum spelled out. Another option is to identify high profile areas and focus more labor hours on the 20% percent while reducing time spent in less visible or important areas.  

Taking deliberate steps in response to budget cuts can go a long ways in bringing the company through difficult times while implementing labor savings that will continue after the crisis is over.  

I hope to hear from you soon.  Until then, keep it clean...

Mickey Crowe has been involved in the industry for over 35 years. He is a trainer, speaker and consultant. You can reach Mickey at 678.314.2171 or CTCG50@comcast.net.