Professional Janitors Have Appropriate Dress And Working Equipment

This article is a continuation of our discussion on professional behavior of a cleaning provider.

Remember, a reader writes: “I work in an office that has a cleaning service that cleans after hours. Recently, I came back to the office to pick up some paper work and noted that the cleaning crew was watching a ball game in the break room and consuming food from our snacks and refrigerator.”

We addressed some key points in a prior article and now need to consider what is perceived as “professional behavior” for a cleaning service that has access to your office space after hours.

Upon further investigation, it was determined that not only candy dishes had been emptied, drawers had been rifled and the copier machine was emptied of paper and toner, the custodial staff seem to be abusing the trust that has been given. The cleaning staff comes to work in sandals, shorts, cut off shirts and other inappropriate dress simply because they do not have to interact with your staff. I consider such behavior and dress code unacceptable. The custodial management is sending the wrong signal to their staff when they allow this to happen.

We also noted that their mops have a rank odor with hits of mildew and mold. The upright vacuum cleaner has not been dumped in a while and does not seem to be picking up well due to the belt getting stretched and frayed. There were even reports of children being on site after hours.

To make matters worse, the custodial company’s brochure shows uniformed crews with clean, professional looking equipment that came from stock photos and not really representative of the actual service. A professional cleaning service has clear dress codes, ongoing training, quality control inspections and very clear guidance regarding staff behavior in any area they clean.

Your comments and questions are important. 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