Recruiting for the cleaning industry has always been more challenging than for most other industries for reasons we all know well including low wages, unsociable hours, lone working and the image the industry has to name but a few and with the uncertainty that Brexit has caused and is still continuing to cause and the weakness of the pound, it is now more challenging than ever.
Historically, a huge percentage of the cleaning staff here in the UK has been filled by EU candidates and if the government proposals for points or salary based immigration control came into effect, with or without a deal the flow of EU staff looking for lower paid work in the UK could well come to an end.
The British perception of working within the cleaning sector is not a good one and we need to change this if we are not to find ourselves in a recruitment crisis.
Cleaning is perceived to be a low skilled job carried out at unsociable hours but the reality is that the same could be said for positions in call centres, retail and hospitality too.
It’s time as an industry and as a country that we start to value the work cleaners do and appreciate the positive impact a clean and hygienic environment can have on a business.
Clients need to offer the same welfare facilities to outsourced cleaning staff and include them in facilities meetings and we as an industry need to be investing more in training and development, ensure we are paying above minimum wage and recognise and reward dedication and hard work and so on.
Here at USS, we are proud to say that we already do this and work with a number of clients who also appreciate the importance of cleaning and the people that carry out this work.
Cleaners are rarely noticed but contribute so much and there is no better time than the present to start changing perceptions and start seeing their true value, your business would not be successful without them.
