Page 30 - College Planning & Management, June 2018

HOW CLEAN?
WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT. In a 2015 dissertation written at the University of Iowa (“Mutually Beneficial Interactions: Campus Custodian-College Student Relationships”), Jeremy John Reed observes that mutual benefits to both student success
and custodial staff occupational esteem have been identified in custodial staff-student interactions. More specifically, custodial staff members were found to indirectly support student success by formally acknowledged and performed cleaning and maintenance duties of observing, protecting, and promoting the health of college students. Sharing with custodial workers a customer-focused approach that includes appreciation of their role in student success may contribute to improved worker morale.
of fear is developed. No one works well in such situations, especially custodial workers.”
When such an atmosphere exists, Segura suggests allowing workers to come forward—discreetly—to discuss their grievances. In one low-worker-morale situation, he accomplished this by placing a suggestion box in a lunchroom on a set day each week. The cleaning workers were encouraged to leave a note in the sugges- tion box discussing job-related issues and concerns, all of which would later be ad- dressed in a safe, constructive manner.
“Interestingly, what happened over time is that many of the unhappy cleaning work- ers who simply did not like working for
this organization left,” he says. “The others worked out their differences. The result was that morale was lifted, cleaning improved, and cleaning expectations were met.”
Meeting Cleaning Expectations With Machines and Technology In September of 2015, Research and
Markets, an international research organization based in Dublin, Ireland, analyzed the current situation of the U.K. professional cleaning industry. While their report, “The Contract Cleaning Market Report—UK 2015–2019 Analysis,” did focus primarily on the U.K., many of their findings apply to the U.S. as well.
The report discussed several critical issues now facing the professional cleaning industry. As to staying cost competitive and meeting future cleaning expectations, the researchers concluded the industry must take the following steps:
• Use more “powered” cleaning machines, • place a greater focus on improving
cleaning efficiency, and
• increase automation of cleaning
processes.
All three of these trends are intercon- nected. Using “powered” cleaning equip- ment means replacing traditional, manual cleaning methods with machines designed to perform the same work. What we have
Segura. “Cleaning has changed consider- ably in the past decade. It’s essential to have an up-to-date scope.”
For instance, Segura says he works with many schools and universities that still re- quire that floors be stripped and refinished two or more times per year, per their scope of services. With new floor finishes and new floor care procedures, this is no longer necessary. “This costs money, is environ- mentally unfriendly, and takes cleaning workers away from other duties that could help improve cleaning expectations.”
A bigger problem than an outdated scope of services is when there is none at all. The scope of services is necessary for in-house cleaning workers “because it tells them ex- actly what is expected of them,” says Segura. “View it as their job description.”
And when outsourcing cleaning, Segura adds, “the entire request for proposal (RFP) process is based on having an up- to-date scope of services. Without it,
contractors cannot submit a proposal that adequately meets the needs of the school.”
Meeting Cleaning Expectations by Improving Worker Morale
Earlier, Segura mentioned that one function of the scope of services is to
help establish what he calls a “cleaning culture.” Once established, this clean-
ing culture can help ensure that cleaning expectations are met. However, this can be easier said than done.
Sometimes cleaning expectations are not being met due to poor worker morale. Making matters worse, very often adminis- trators are the last to know of the situation, or at least the “inside story,” from the custodial workers’ perspective.
“When worker morale is low,” says Se- gura, “often there is bickering among the cleaning workers, they gossip about other workers and their supervisors, workers become territorial, and an undercurrent
30 COLLEGE PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / JUNE 2018
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