A reader asks: “I read about figuring productivity but still am confused. What is the formula and what do I include?”

In a prior article we reviewed the formula with a 100,000 SF facility that has total direct labor hours expended. The formula for figuring productivity is Total Square Feet being cleaned divided by Total Direct Labor Hours expended per day that is relevant to the cleaning process or SF/DLH. Our example was 45 direct labor hours and gave us a productivity rate of 2,222 SF/Hour. Upon closer inspection we noted that it is a basic office building and compared to other accounts in the area, it is not very productive. We then looked at the following areas and made recommendations:

1. The first thing to stand out was the irregular checking in/out of crew members. Workers came and went from 5:00 PM to 9:30 PM with no sense of organization. They signed in and went to their assigned areas. Some brought lunches and ate their meals after signing in but before starting work. We also noted that some people only worked a few days per week and other workers covered their runs on those nights. Recommendation is to review the workloading so that all assignments are balanced.

2. Since the facility is composed of approximately 80 percent carpet with 10 percent VCT (Vinyl Composite Tile) and 10 percent ceramic tile (in rest rooms and small break rooms), we looked at the vacuuming system first. Workers have their own zones and are assigned basic upright vacuum cleaners with beater bars, belts and dump out bags. Some of the units were not being maintained correctly.

We will continue this analysis in a future article.

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 4/7/2015