Take Your Training To The Next Level the most bang for the buck,” points out Heitner, who believes that cleaning compa-nies that arm their crews with training have a distinct edge over those that don’t. “Everyone has a better return on the train-ing investment when overall customer satis-faction is strong due to strong training,” adds Heitner. that are safer and more effective. Putting staff through a training program not only teaches proper technique, but also cre-ates a standard that can be applied through-out entire organizations. “A training program taught by qualified instructors demonstrates the importance management has placed on cleaning prac-tices relating to health and safety,” notes Gordon Snell, residence manager at the University of Saskatchewan. Snell emphasizes that a training program can identify and address poor work practices and help to implement a standard practice that is both safe and effective. Properly training and educating you staff not only results in a cleaner, healthier, easier-to-maintain facility, but also can be the tool your staff needs to do their jobs properly and, most importantly, safely. Training can even provide staff with a sense of camaraderie and increased morale. “Elevating the cleaning staff to the earned status of ‘professional’ has immediate and long-lasting benefits to morale,” says Snell. Custodial professionals need training to safely and effectively do their jobs. With oftentimes unforeseen hazards, not giving your staff the keys to success can be a recipe for disaster. While training may not be required, there are many benefits for having a well-trained janitorial staff. Many assume that a janitor’s work is com-monsense, since it consists of what most would call “basic cleaning duties,” but this isn’t necessarily true. Janitors often work with hazardous chemi-cal cleaners and work around a host of bac-teria and pathogens that aren’t found in the average home. If you want to keep your staff on the job and not at home racking up the sick days, it is important that your staff knows how to effectively combat germs while keeping themselves safe in the cleaning process. “Knowledge is power,” says Heitner. “Having the confidence to do one’s job suc-cessfully is worth every bit of the time and money investment that goes into proper train-ing. Improper training can cause a cleaning crew to simply ruin the customer’s property, leading to loss of contracts or, even worse, lawsuits for damage.” Today’s cleaning professional not only commands respect, but also requires a high degree of knowledge and skill. With the different types of cleaning require-ments, rules and regulations that go along with a building being certified green — the goal of most facilities — the custodian has become vastly more important to the efficien-cy of an organization and a healthy environ-ment. Modern buildings made of modern materi-als require modern equipment, chemicals and techniques in order to keep them sani-tary, safe and in proper operating condition. By educating those in the JanSan industry on the newest, most efficient processes and management best practices, we can collec-tively add to the professionalism of our indus-try while delivering superior results with fewer resources. Breaking The Habit While the idea of on-the-job, hands-on train-ing would seem to be what every employer and employee is looking for, think about how many different cleaning situations your veter-an employees may have already been in by they time they are cleaning the facility in which they are currently working. The odds are good that they’ve picked up some habits that might not be to your liking. Old habits die hard and you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. These are just two clichés that may, in fact, be the mindset of any seasoned cleaning staff you have in your employment. In a way, this is true: A habit, once formed, is much harder to break. If your staff has picked up a habit over the years that they deem makes their job easier or quicker, the odds are favorable that they aren’t going to want to give up this practice at the drop of a hat. But, what is easy for the worker is not always going to be what is best for the facility. However, if you put your employees through a structured training program, it is entirely possible to train a new employee from scratch and to retrain a veteran in ways An Industry Leader The Cleaning Management Institute (CMI) was established in 1964 for the education and professional development of front-line custodial and maintenance professionals, managers, supervisors and executives. CMI offers on-site training, video training materials and a plethora of educational literature through its online bookstore. CMI’s Custodial Technician Training Program was originally devel-oped in the early 1980s by Marion Ivey, then-director of vocational education for the State of Oregon Department of Corrections and cur-rent CMI director of training. CMI is the only front-line custodial training and third-party certifying program in the country that meets the training requirements set forth by the ISSA’s Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS). A Who’s Who Of Clients Over the years, CMI has trained and certified individuals everywhere from government-run facilities to mom-and-pop janitorial companies. A few headliners CMI has worked with include the Nike Corporation, the Smithsonian Institution, Vanderbilt University, the Brooklyn Public Library and many more. CMI’s flagship course, the Custodial Technician Training Program, which comes in both a Basic and Advanced level, covers the chem-istry of cleaning, above floor cleaning, hard and carpeted floor clean-ing and restroom care. The Basic course deals with your everyday, routine cleaning while the Advanced course covers project work and restorative tasks such as stripping and waxing. For more information about how CMI can assist in your training and education needs, contact Matt Moberg at [email protected] or visit www.cminstitute.net. CM 18 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • February 2011
CMM – Archives Feb 2011: 18
