Toilet paper is essential to your business.
Think about it: if there’s no toilet paper in your facility, your team members will eventually find a job where they can, you know, use the bathroom.
Now, the toilet paper shortage may not be your fault. Maybe you gave your current cleaning company the 30-day termination notice their contract calls for, but they bailed immediately instead.
Now you have no cleaners … and no toilet paper in the restrooms. Plus, trash is piling up. Floors are dirty. People aren’t happy. Your business is affected.
It may not be your fault, but it’s now your problem, so you ask your new cleaning company to start early. But can they actually do that?
Maybe.
Before we answer that fully, it’s helpful to understand what goes on behind the scenes when a commercial cleaning company like us is hired to service a new facility. Here are the three major things we must do before we can start cleaning your facility.
Before We Start
1. Hire the right team
A janitorial company is not a staffing agency. We don’t have a large pool of team members waiting to start once we sign a contract with a new customer. Instead, we must consider the needs of the new account and then find the right people for the job. For example, how many full- and part-time people does the job require? What shifts are we asking people to work? Does this facility require any specialists? What other unique needs do we have to accommodate?
2. Create a detailed work plan
Every facility is different, so for us to work effectively and efficiently requires a custom work plan that provides very specific details about how and when the scope of work will be accomplished. For example, the plan should include a cleaning sequence for each team member, checklists, and proper procedures. This doesn’t materialize out of thin air – it takes time and on-site visits to develop.
3. Train our team properly
The tough thing about janitorial work is that most people think they know how to clean. Spoiler alert: most do not. It’s important that each team member knows how to use equipment properly, what types of chemicals can be used on specific surfaces, how to sweep/mop/dust effectively, and how to work safely – all of which takes time to train.
So … When Can You Start?
Given these requirements, we’re usually looking at a 3-4 week timeline to find and train a new team and develop a custom work plan.
Okay, great … but we still don’t have any toilet paper!!!
Yep, all that is well and good, but we know you still need toilet paper. Here are a few potential solutions:
- Ask your existing company to reconsider honoring their contract with you.
- Ask your new cleaning company if they have a “floater” team member who can provide minimal coverage – stocking the all-important toilet paper, emptying trash, cleaning restrooms, etc. – until the full contract starts.
- If you use a staffing agency for other needs, ask if they can provide a short-term cleaner to cover these essential items for a few weeks.
Ideally, you won’t ever have to think about the toilet paper in your building.
But if you do, now you can roll with the challenges you’re facing.
If you would like to never worry about toilet paper again, contact us for a free estimate to clean your facility!
