It is common knowledge that a clean, sanitized workplace is essential for providing a healthy, inviting work environment and creating a positive first impression with potential customers and clients. However, many facility managers that we speak with often wonder if it is better to hire their own janitorial team or outsource the job to a company specializing in cleaning and disinfecting commercial spaces.
While hiring a janitorial employee may work for some companies, most businesses will benefit from contracting an experienced cleaning and disinfecting company. Here’s what you should know about the pros and cons of hiring a janitorial staff versus a professional cleaning company.
Pros of Hiring Your Own Janitorial Staff
An advantage of hiring in-house janitorial staff is that you ensure your company always has someone on-site who can care for spills and other messes. In addition, you can control your janitorial staff’s schedules, and communicate how you want your business cleaned. Suppose there are certain products or cleaning methods you prefer. In that case, you’re able to have your staff follow those guidelines and you’ll also know who’s responsible for cleaning and disinfecting your business at specific times.
If you employ your cleaning staff and they aren’t meeting your expectations, you’ll have the opportunity to counsel them personally about how you would prefer they conduct their cleaning tasks.
Cons of Hiring Your Own Janitorial Staff
One of the most significant disadvantages of hiring your janitorial employees is the costs associated with recruiting, training, and managing an additional employee (or employees). You may need to spend time and money finding, screening, and interviewing potential candidates. You’ll also most likely need to hire a few employees for your janitorial staff to recreate the efficiency of a pro commercial cleaning service.
Once you find the ideal candidate, you’ll be required to spend even more time and money training and educating them about your preferred cleaning procedures and your company’s rules. Then, you have to pay their regular wages and cover the costs of employing them, like the company’s portion of their benefits and employment taxes.
You’ll also need to purchase cleaning equipment and cleaning supplies. The average company spends between $200 to $300 a month on supplies, depending on the cost of your building and whether you have specialized cleaning needs.
Aside from expenses, you will also need to consider the logistics of maintaining those supplies. Everything from ordering and storing to safe disposal of chemicals and equipment maintenance will add to the overhead of effort for your staff.
Over time, cleaning equipment like vacuums and floor cleaners will require repairs or even replacements. This means that you’ll have to monitor the condition of your cleaning equipment, adding yet another task to your to-do list.
Pros of Hiring a Professional Cleaning and Disinfecting Company
One of the many benefits of hiring a professional cleaning and disinfecting company is that you don’t have to spend the time and money associated with increasing the size of your business’s permanent staff. This includes the investment you make in labor, equipment, or cleaning supplies, and you don’t need to pay ongoing salary and benefits for any additional employees.
The cleaning company is responsible for training and supervising the team who handles your cleaning. They’ll ensure the crew has the necessary experience, training, and equipment needed to clean your business efficiently. Once you communicate what items you want to be completed and any special requests for how they’re done, the cleaning company will train their staff on your preferred procedures.
You can also request that your crew work during the day or at night so that you begin the next day with a disinfected and healthy workspace.
You may not know that professional cleaning companies offer “Porter” services. Porter services are an affordable alternative to hiring your janitorial staff, and they allow you to dictate how long you want a cleaning person on-site. Your “Porter” will dress according to your company’s specifications and adhere to your expectations for employee behavior and activities. The goal is for the “Porter” to feel and look like one of your company’s employees.
When you hire a cleaning company, you get to personalize the services that your company receives. This means that you can decide how frequently an area is cleaned, and you’ll have access to cleaning experts who know how to clean or disinfect any surface or space properly.
Finally, an additional benefit to outsourcing a professional cleaning company is that they are insured and can protect their clients if something is broken or damaged while providing their services. Your in-house cleaning staff will need to use your company’s insurance or possibly dip into your bank account to cover employee mishaps.
Cons of Hiring a Professional Cleaning and Disinfecting Company
A con of outsourcing your company’s cleaning and disinfecting is that you won’t have on-site janitorial staff. However, professional cleaning companies are on-call if you need an unanticipated cleaning or disinfecting service.
You’ll also need to devote some time to vetting an experienced cleaning company that’s right for your business’s needs. Stick with an established, reputable company that values customer satisfaction and has experience serving clients who have similar cleaning needs.
Look No Further for a Professional Cleaning Company
For most companies, it’s more advantageous to hire a professional company that specializes in cleaning and disinfecting than hiring your janitorial staff.
If you need access to cleaning experts who specialize in cleaning a variety of commercial settings, contact Imperial Cleaning online or call 1-877-WE-CLEAN (1-877-932-5326) to schedule a walkthrough.
