After a challenging 18 months it would seem that the challenges are not over yet with many industries suffering with staff shortages and that includes the cleaning sector.
Pre Brexit, there were concerns across the sector that there would be a shortfall in staff as historically UK Nationals have chosen not to join the sector and that has proven to be the case. The British Cleaning Council believes we will be one of the industries that is hit hardest by problems in the recruitment process and the situation is worsening daily when now more than ever the importance of cleaners should still be at the forefront of all our minds.
Despite the cleaning sector having a presence in Parliament and the hard work being recognised by the PM during the height of the pandemic, changes in our immigration system effectively classes Cleaning Operatives as unskilled workers so how do we go about changing the perception of the cleaning industry and encourage UK Nationals to pursue a career in the sector?
Honestly, few people dream of a cleaning job and most fall into the industry but there is a lot to be said for a job in the sector, it’s not just about the cleaning, it’s about Health & Safety, Quality Management and Social Responsibility plus other skills and knowledge and offers job security too.
Some cleaning companies can find themselves with notoriously high employee turnover but this may be more about the company than the people they recruit. Here at USS the majority of our staff have been with us for many years and we put that down to the training and development opportunities we offer to our staff, the flexibility to work full or part time with hours to suit, recognition of good work and achievements and a higher rate of pay compared to the industry average.
Interested in finding out more about working for USS and the opportunities available, call the office on 020 8669 4377 and a member of the team will be happy to help.
