Battling Budget Pressures In this whitepaper, ISSA addresses a num-ber of ways that cleaning and maintenance managers and contractors can help facilities save money through effective practices. Specifically, the download addresses: ■ Absenteeism and productivity ■ Asset preservation ■ Energy savings ■ Image enhancement. Here, each facet is more than just a busi-ness buzzword; these are all applicable ways that having professional cleaners can save a facility or business money on their bottom line. cent, there are multiple areas where the in-vestment can pay off. Insero estimates an operation that in-creases training spending can see cost re-ductions of: ■ 10 to 15 percent on equipment main-tenance ■ 50 percent on labor ■ 2 to 5 percent on workers compensa-tion claims. “These can be dramatic reductions, and these are long-term cost savings,” Insero states. Griffin includes other benefits as well: ■ Lower employee turnover ■ Higher production rates ■ Improved quality inspections ■ Increased sales for contractors. To this end, managers and contractors who invest in employee training should track, validate and document the return on investment that training offers. “That, in my opinion, is one of the prob-lems we have in the industry, attracting and keeping staff,” Griffin says. “We don’t offer any kind of an upward mobility.” Employees that do not see any kind of a formalized development programs feel there is no real opportunity in the cleaning industry. “As soon as they can get a few cents an hour more, they’re gone down the road to that other opportunity,” Griffin states. “And I think it’s a major problem.” Frequent employee turnover can be a huge cost for cleaning operations. Insero explains the industry guideline: Hir-ing someone new can cost nearly a year’s salary for one employee. Between recruiting costs, background checks, learning curves, new equipment purchasing, etc., it is easier and more af-fordable to retain employees. Today, many cleaning organizations have recognized this fact, and they are imple-menting a career path of success for their teams that includes training, according to Insero. For these operations, employees are fur-ther motivated by the sense that they can grow with their company, and they put forth a higher amount of effort. “When an operation invests time in train-ing its frontline custodial professionals, there will be a stronger employee commit-ment to help the facility succeed,” Insero continues. Because of this, allowing each employee to receive the highest level of certification training can prove priceless. Training As An Investment Further, valuable professional cleaners gen-erally share a common trait: They have re-ceived thorough training. Though it may seem counterintuitive, in-vesting in employee training that includes proper methodology and hands-on com-ponents can financially benefit any cleaning company. “Training offers benefits that help opera-tions make significant reductions to their bottom line,” Insero says. William (Bill) Griffin, president of Cleaning Consultant Services Inc. and an industry trainer, agrees. “I think the companies that really under-stand training see the value in training,” Grif-fin states. “Without proper training, without proper supervision, you don’t get a good result.” Without this training and documentation, it can be difficult for a cleaning supervisor, manager or customer to validate expecta-tions. Also, a lack of training can lead to em-ployees “over doing” a task or spending too much time and energy in areas that are not as important as other areas, Griffin explains. Insero offers the example of carpet clean-ing — if an employee is taught the proper method to clean a carpet, they will never have to do the same job twice. Equipment Maintenance One training example Insero offers is a com-mon occurrence — cleaning equipment breaks down, but the budget does not in-clude funds for new purchases. Here, a properly-trained employee will have the knowledge of a secondary option. The ability to proactively make the correct decision and handle this situation well will stem from the initial training each employee receives on equipment maintenance, ac-cording to Insero. Moving forward, properly trained employ-ees will be empowered with the instructions to maintain their equipment, and this will re-duce the cost of replacement, which is more expensive. Insero states that training must start before a piece of equipment is ever utilized in the workplace, and when proper training is de-livered, equipment is less likely to be broken. Positive Times Though budget cuts and spending pres-sures are real concerns for this industry, both Griffin and Insero are excited for the cleaning market’s future. “It’s a real exciting time in the cleaning in-dustry, and I think that training plays a key role in our success,” Griffin says. Insero agrees, pointing to a recent case study that showed 20 percent savings for a university the first year after investing in em-ployee training. For five decades, Insero says CMI has provided educational and professional development for cleaning professionals, managers, supervisors and executives across the world. CM Labor And Turnover While improved cleaning processes, lower chemical and equipment costs and in-creased sales are direct budget boosters that result from training, another benefit of-fers indirect monetary savings. The creation of a career path for employ-ees to grow and succeed with an operation can be one of the most valuable benefits that training offers. Tracking Return On Investment Today, most organizations spend 5 percent or less of their budget on employee training, according to Insero. Looking at the big picture, if a facility can raise their training dollars by just a few per-12 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • January 2014
CMM – Archives January 2014: 12
