Workloading Gains In Popularity Businesses are increasingly focusing on cleaning methods to improve efficiency and reduce costs. By: Chris Rowe L Chris Rowe is the direc-tor of sales for facility solutions for Cincinnati, Ohio-based xpedx, a busi-ness of International Paper and one of the largest and premier distribution com-panies in North America. Rowe has 23 years of sales and marketing experience in the facility solutions and health care distribu-tion industries. He can be reached by e-mail at chris. [email protected]. for more info Visit www.cmmonline.com and type in search keyword: Management . For more information on related products, visit www.cmmonline.com , select SUPPLIER SEARCH from the main navigation bar, and enter keyword: Workloading Software . Long accustomed to wringing every last bit of productivity and efficiency out of their operations, for-profit companies and non-profit organizations alike are increasingly turning attention to the cleaning of their facilities with the same intent: Improve the bottom line. One way that is gaining popularity is work-loading — a process-improvement activity that involves applying task performance time stan-dards to the activities of cleaning staff to drive maximum productivity, cost reduction and profit-ability for the organization. The process produces detailed and practical assessments of how facilities are being main-tained with the use of industry benchmarks and time standards for the various cleaning tasks commonly performed in a facility. In the past, an efficiency expert viewed the daily work habits of employees for months and made final recommendations to management on staffing levels, reorganizations and the like. Now, workloading incorporates new technol-ogy to quickly and efficiently improve the cleaning process. Using workloading software tools, a consultant can quickly identify the most efficient way each task should be done to achieve the best outcome. With these sophisticated computer tools at your disposal, you can quickly generate accurate solutions — and have the ability to make adjust-ments faster. Modern workloading for cleaning tasks repre-sents a higher level of time standard refinement. From small businesses to large manufacturing organizations, managers share similar economic drivers: Increasing operating efficiency to get the most amount of work done in the least amount of time. Regardless of company size, management must ensure that housekeeping or environmental ser-vices staffs work in accordance with time stan-dards based on the type of task being done, just like it does in the manufacturing of products or delivering goods to market. Successful managers in both realms also rely on procedures to measure and benchmark them-selves and their performance to achieve an effec-tive, quality outcome. With the assistance of workloading software, a cleaning consultant can help you precisely detail when and where workers are needed. 34 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • June 2011 Image courtesy of xpedx
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