A reader writes: “We have a lot of small accounts (under 55,000 square feet) across several states. It is difficult to manage these accounts and we are having difficulties finding local help. Any suggestions?”

Please read the preceding articles (found at www.cleanlink.com/cleanlinkminute) on this subject to understand some of my comments in this one. For those of you facing the same challenge but with much smaller accounts such as a bank branch or other isolated sites that are part of a larger contract, I suggest you be willing to take a smaller profit or break even so long as you keep the customer satisfied with overall service.

The profile for hiring a person for an isolated site is to find someone stable and dependable. Make sure they are trained to your company’s way of cleaning with you providing all the supplies so that they are not tempted to bring in cleaning supplies from home. Make sure they understand that it is a violation of company policy for them to 1) use any products not approved by your company and 2) bring in anyone to assist unless that person has been processed by your company. This is especially important when children or family are involved. In most cases, they will not be covered by workers compensation or liability insurance. As to a child, he/she can actually bring suit against you when they reach majority (usually age 18) regardless of any promises or decisions made by their parent or guardian. Any infraction should be dealt with severely and consistently to avoid claims of discrimination.

Although I am certainly not trying to provide legal advice, I cannot caution you enough about maintaining the same policies and practices as at any other site you manage. Please review any policies regarding such matters with competent legal advice before proceeding.

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


posted on 3/2/2016