Signs Your Cleaning Company Isn’t Training Their Staff Well

Posted by Glenn Cleaning, November 03, 2021

Fact: the training your cleaning operatives receive behind the scenes has a whole lot to do with the quality of the cleaning service you receive – more than you likely realise. 

So you as a client shouldn’t see thorough cleaner training as a “nice to have” for your cleaning company, but an integral part of a professional cleaning service.

That’s why today we’ll take a closer look at some of the reasons training is so important and some of the signs your cleaning services provider is cutting corners in this area. Without any further ado, let’s get right into it.

Why training matters

A lack of proper training can lead to your contract cleaning operatives simply moving dirt and germs around rather than properly removing them, which is an obvious health risk, as are things like not colour-coding cleaning cloths or properly storing chemicals.

Meanwhile, poor communication and shifting blame takes unnecessary time out of your day to deal with, when the whole reason why you have hired a cleaning company to care for your facilities is to save time and ease things on your end.

So as you can see, training (or lack thereof), directly impacts what kind of a cleaning service you receive. Not only that, the level of training your cleaning crew receives speaks to the professionalism of your commercial cleaning company as a whole. After all, you obviously want your cleaning company to be a legitimate operation you can trust.

1. High staff turnover

Providing great training for cleaning operatives takes time and money for your cleaning company – it’s a sign they’re dedicated to their people and recognise them as their most important asset. 

A commitment to training should form a part of great company culture for cleaners – one where they feel valued and are paid fairly for their work. When your cleaners feel happy and appreciated for their work, they’re more dedicated to their career, provide better results and are more likely to stay longer with their employer.

In the absence of this, it’s likely that your cleaning company will suffer from a high staff turnover. 

This could lead to inconsistent cleaning results – which we’ll touch on next – as well as potential health and safety concerns for you if new cleaning staff have to forego comprehensive training and necessary background checks before starting work on your premises.

2. Bad/inconsistent cleaning results

This is the most obvious sign that your cleaning crew hasn’t received proper training. Whether it’s cutting corners like not vacuuming under furniture or not removing all the dirt and germs when cleaning surfaces, a bad cleaning results speaks volumes to the way your cleaning company operates behind the scene.

As we’ve handled our fair share of TUPE transfers, we’ve found that the fault for this lies more with poor management and their inability to provide proper guidance than the cleaners themselves. After all, the onus is on the cleaning company to provide their cleaners with all the specialist know-how they need to complete their work properly.

3. Communication is poor

Part of good training is establishing a clear chain of command and proper communication methods. There’s a strong chance that this hasn’t been established through a thorough training programme if your communication with your existing cleaning company is commonly marked by:

• shifting blame to others (lack of accountability)
• not knowing the answers to your questions, or
• not getting replies to your calls and emails in a timely manner

4. Disorganised cleaning closet

Your facility’s cleaning closet will tell a lot about the level of expertise your cleaning crew have. A disorganised closet with poor-quality supplies and no colour-coding shows off that your cleaning company isn’t dedicated to providing you with an industry-leading cleaning crew.

Not colour-coding cleaning cloths could lead to infections quickly making the rounds amongst your staff, as can things like wet, dirty mops. Meanwhile, improperly storing chemicals could lead to its own health and safety risks, too.

A comprehensive cleaning training programme will include details of how to properly store dangerous items and make sure that their tools don’t just spread germs instead of removing them.

What if I’m not happy with my cleaning service?

Every office cleaning company will tell you that they train their staff, but they should be able to provide you with information on how this training is delivered, what’s included in it and if they have any form of a certification process in place. 

If they can’t provide you with sufficient answers here and you suffer from some of the things mentioned in this article, it may just be time to look into changing cleaning companies.

Cleaning operative training at Glenn

At Glenn Cleaning & Support Services, we recognise that our people are our most important asset, and this means we invest in them heavily. We know that with proper training, our cleaning operatives feel more engaged with the work they do and take more pride in it.

As a certified training institute for the British Institute of Cleaning Science, we work towards all of our cleaning operatives gaining certification with the BICSc to safeguard the reputation we’ve built as a premier cleaning company in the South of England. 

All our cleaners receive training covering things like confidentiality, health and safety, customer care and accident reporting among other things on top of continuous education on how to deliver a comprehensive cleaning service. This way, we’re able to provide you with the best possible customer service.

Interested in finding out more? Have a look at how we do what we do here.