Anyone offer janitorial services?

[SRI Cleaning]

We offer janitorial services to apartment complexes that we deal with. We are having such a hard tim finding and keeping reliable employees. Anyone who also offers this service? i can use any advice i can get on hiring, training, and retaining good people. Another issue we have is quality control. We have been brainstorming how to make our people accountable for the quality of their work. Any ideas?

 

[BillC]

I've owned and operated a janitorial business for 13 years and let me tell you, its very hard finding people to do a great job every time they clean. I have found that the most reliable and trustworthy people that you can hire to clean are Jehovah's Witnesses. Since a lot of them are already in the cleaning business or have cleaned for other people they usually are experienced.

 

[SRI Cleaning]

Hmm, any idea how i go about finding them?

 

[Larry B]

If you hire Jehovah's Witnesses you can bet your bottom that they will try to take your work. Alot of them churches are funded with stuff like janitorial work and why work for you when they can bid it away from you.

We run a janitorial service that covers a 60 mile area every night and once the Jehovah's Witnesses work crews notice a small building that hires out cleaning they will try to get it. I am not down talking them people its just the way the world works. The Jehovah's Witnesses support their church by doing janitorial and thats all there is too it.


As far as getting good help you have to do alot of hiring and firing and just find the people you want and get rid of the rest. Make sure you pay your good employees a fair wage so they know you want them around.

We have over 600 rental units and 43 commercial buildings we take care of and if we send a crew out to clean, paint or mow and the owner calls back then the crew that done the work goes back for free and takes care of it. If a person goes for 1 month without any call backs then they get a bonus.

Its like any service business you start it takes along time to get good crews in place and as soon as you think you have it made they will find another job..

 

[Brian R]

Hmm, any idea how i go about finding them?

Sit in your living room wearing just your underwear...it never fails.

 

[Larry B]

[quote="SRI Cleaning":fymezeru]Hmm, any idea how i go about finding them?

Sit in your living room wearing just your underwear...it never fails.[/quote:fymezeru]


Isnt that about the truth..LOL

 

[BillC]

If you hire Jehovah's Witnesses you can bet your bottom that they will try to take your work. Alot of them churches are funded with stuff like janitorial work and why work for you when they can bid it away from you.

We run a janitorial service that covers a 60 mile area every night and once the Jehovah's Witnesses work crews notice a small building that hires out cleaning they will try to get it. I am not down talking them people its just the way the world works. The Jehovah's Witnesses support their church by doing janitorial and thats all there is too it.


As far as getting good help you have to do alot of hiring and firing and just find the people you want and get rid of the rest. Make sure you pay your good employees a fair wage so they know you want them around.

We have over 600 rental units and 43 commercial buildings we take care of and if we send a crew out to clean, paint or mow and the owner calls back then the crew that done the work goes back for free and takes care of it. If a person goes for 1 month without any call backs then they get a bonus.

Its like any service business you start it takes along time to get good crews in place and as soon as you think you have it made they will find another job..

How are they are no different then any other cleaner? Any cleaning service that see's a office or building that hires out the cleaning will talk to the people, give them a bid and try to get the job. I look at it this way, if you do a great job, your trustworthy and you have a good relationship with the people you clean for then who cares who bids on the job..

Anyways,, I have hired plenty of them to help with cleaning/tile floor jobs and they never let me down.

 

[Scott S.]

pay higher than normal wages, and train them youself for a while then let them do it on their own with the occasional "i'm coming with you" ride. they will typically keep things cleaner if the figure that you could show up or stop in any time.

 

[Brian R]

Contract out to a local guy who gives shit.
Yea I know, I know...he will steel jobs. Whhaaa!

 

[Out of Character - 0]

This may not be your problem but it was mine.

Don't hire the applicants you like. I used to hire based on appearance, speech, and my connection with the person. I never maintained a staff that was better than 75% in regards to consistency, obedience, and respect toward our company. Since we stopped hiring people we like our turnover has gone from about 75% to 10% or less, and my job has gotten equally easier.

I'd like to elaborate but don't have time.