employee engagement concept diagram hand drawing on chalkboard

There’s no secret to how much more expensive it is to onboard a new employee compared to promoting within the company, and the cleaning industry was no exception to widespread employment challenges during the pandemic. Even with things slowly returning to normal, jan/san professionals continue to struggle with hiring new and maintaining existing employees.

From time-loss in the onboarding process to budgeting for job fairs and other recruiting efforts, hiring problems can turn into a perpetual headache; one that Camila Concha, founder and CEO of finch solution company LendingUSA, has been determined to avoid for years. In a recent article he penned for Forbes, Concha discusses the long-term benefits of harnessing in-house talent and the value of strong employee engagement.

For example, even if a manager believes they’ve done an adequate job of laying out expectations, many fall short in assuring that every detail is understood by employees. Simply affirming an open-door approach and asking if there’s any questions along the way can be key to preventing an employee-manager disconnect, helping to improve quality of work and overall morale.

“As a leader, you don’t want to leave your team in the dark when it comes to on-the-job expectations and mentorship. It’s important to be kind, constructive and precise when delivering feedback,” says Concha. “When both sides have clearly defined expectations, both sides thrive. Isn’t that what it’s all about?”

But in the stress of day-to-day responsibilities, even the best-intended managers can create a gap from their direct reports by failing to check in enough. By making it a priority to schedule conversations with employees, Concha says managers can better understand not only any challenges being faced by them, but get a clearer idea of what their strengths and preferences are; which is key in assigning future tasks to the right people.

“When you take the time to nurture your employees and keep them challenged in a mutually beneficial way, they become invested in the company and more interested in their roles,” says Concha. “The best part of all? In my experience, employees stay at companies longer when they feel heard and valued.”

For more management tips, check out Questionmark's white paper on utilizing assessments to retain employees.