Patrick Dunnigan is the Executive Director of the Cleaning Coalition of America – and is active in helping the industry find the next great trends. Below, Patrick offers perspective as the world collectively moves into the post-pandemic stage; managing expectations, keeping positive outlooks and much more. 

As the nation moves from a pandemic to an endemic, how is the Cleaning Coalition of America serving as an educational resource for facility managers and business leaders alike?

The Cleaning Coalition of America was originally founded at the onset of the pandemic to be a voice for the cleaning industry and building service providers. Our workers were consistently on the front lines and Americans looked to them to understand the latest information on how to keep the spaces they inhabit safe.

While we might be moving toward an endemic state, the need to adopt proper cleaning practices remains. The Cleaning Coalition of America has recently released a series of educational one-pagers – spanning how to conduct a facility risk assessment to emerging technologies – to share the Coalition’s collective knowledge with our industry peers. We have also been tracking the general public’s expectations through various surveys – one focused on employees’ return-to-work priorities and another on how C-suite level executives view the post-COVID workplace.

Additionally, the Coalition continues to work closely with policymakers to share the industry’s priorities and to champion the best interests of building service contractors and cleaners working to keep public spaces clean, safe, and healthy.

What will the Coalition’s focus be in 2023? Are there certain issue areas the group will be championing?

Pursuant to our desire to be the "Authority on Clean," we will continue to develop and distribute information about proper cleaning techniques, highlighting the latest technology related to surface disinfection and indoor air quality, as well as providing best practices for how to conduct a facility assessments and institute a green cleaning and waste management program.

This year, we are focusing our advocacy efforts on tackling a problem that directly affects our industry – attracting new talent and building our labor pool. Our industry is particularly affected by barriers to employment, be it administrative (work authorization) or related to personal lives (childcare, transportation, etc.). We want to ensure that those who are interested in joining our industry can not only find a job, but also build a long-term career. As large employers committed to doing right by our employees, clients, and the public, we also want to ensure that all companies follow applicable rules and regulations when attracting new talent.

Put on your future goggles: What are three trends that the industry will be talking about in 2025?

I anticipate that we will continue to see rapid adoption of technology into our ongoing operations. Clients are looking for tools that can supplement traditional cleaning and disinfecting practices and create a more cost effective, sustainable, and efficient cleaning process. Using tools like on-site sensors can help to identify where and when a space needs cleaning so our cleaners can be more thoughtful about where to invest their time and energy to keep spaces clean and people safe.

Also, I foresee an increased focus on "green" cleaning products and methods. While people might define that term differently, the Cleaning Coalition and its official partners will be focused on evaluating both the disinfecting efficacy and environmental impact of the products that our members develop and ultimately use as professional cleaners. We will continue to rely on the scientific expertise of our Expert Advisory Council as well as organizations like the CDC as perspectives evolve on how to best clean and disinfect spaces sustainably.

Finally, I think there will be a growth in the general public’s understanding of professional cleaners as "essential" or "critical infrastructure." We already know from our surveys that most business leaders in New York City cite cleaning as the number one incentive offered to return to the office, and that almost 40% of employees nationwide would consider changing their jobs if the workplace was not cleaned frequently.

With cleanliness expectations higher than ever, I think people will increasingly recognize professional cleaners as essential to our collective health and wellness in the workplace.