Poll Results: What Employees Really Want

Cleaning is a public health service protecting both people and their environments from infection risks. A growing concern, six-in-10 Americans worry about infectious diseases and outbreaks in public settings. Enter the unsung heroes, frontline staff, who service communities and facilities alike, ensuring healthy and safe spaces.

Although cleaning crews are crucial to commercial cleaning operations, recruiting and retaining qualified staff remains a stressor industry-wide, compromising consistency and stressing already overstretched budgets. To better understand how leadership is addressing labor challenges, CleanLink asked its readers to share their best practices when hiring and managing frontline teams.

The following questions and answer options were addressed in the June monthly poll:

1) How does your company recognize and reward staff members?
Financial incentives
Public praise
Advancement opportunities
Lifestyle rewards

2) What steps does your organization take to ensure employee safety?
Comprehensive initial and ongoing training
Regular safety audits and compliance reviews
Providing innovative technologies and equipment
Using green cleaning products and practices

3) Which benefit is key for labor retention?
Competitive baseline wages
Robust healthcare coverage
Predictable and reliable scheduling
Work-life balance

4) In what ways are staff insights incorporated into standard operations?
Transparent feedback loops
Communication logs
Scheduled surveys
Other (please specify)

Empowering Essential Workers

The top incentive driving staff recognition and reward programs—especially for distributors and building service contractors (BSCs)—is compensation. According to 71 percent of respondents, financial incentives are implemented to boost employee morale and affirm quality work. Although competitive pay is imperative to prospective workers, additional benefits, such as health insurance or retirement savings plans, can influence whether an individual signs on or goes with a better offer.

Compensation models should be equitable. Around 43 percent of respondents say that competitive baseline wages are key to labor retention efforts. Professional cleaning companies should base pay on local market conditions, aligning additional benefits to behavior that sustains a positive, productive work environment. When considering other options, 43 percent of readers shared that public praise, advancement opportunities, and lifestyle rewards are essential elements of their organization’s incentive programs.

To feel a sense of belonging, frontline staff should feel as invested in by their employer as they are in their work. Cleaning can be a burnout job—it is hard work, receives little to no recognition, and is considered menial by society. Yet, cleaning is essential to worldwide well-being and is an increasingly skilled position, especially as autonomous machines transform the industry. Commercial cleaning executives who build robust recognition and retention programs around these ideals can empower their employees.

Company Culture Pillars

A company culture that builds community, provides predictability, and prioritizes the person over the job can foster loyalty, supporting ongoing retention efforts. In fact, 43 percent of surveyed industry members believe work-life balance is a sought-after employee benefit. In a profession where cleaning can take place outside of a typical 9-to-5 work schedule, custodial shift workers already juggling multiple jobs risk fatigue and stress. Quality of life should be the foundation of any cleaning job, and employers wanting to ensure the longevity of their team may prioritize this balance through predictable and reliable scheduling, as agreed upon by 14 percent of respondents.

Healthy communication is another foundational element of a successful company. Building connections and relationships starts at the beginning of employment via accessible feedback opportunities. To establish an effective forum for employee insight, 86 percent of respondents incorporate transparent feedback loops, while 14 percent implement communication logs into their organization's standard operations. Ongoing team input builds trust and leads to constructive conversations that optimize operations and organizational resilience.

Once frontline staff are engaged, commercial cleaning executives are tasked with their welfare. With cleaning being a hazardous occupation—an estimated 2.8 million people in the cleaning industry are exposed to dangerous chemicals daily—keeping staff safe is critical. Nearly three-fourths of respondents say that comprehensive initial and ongoing training, as well as regular safety audits and compliance reviews, can establish employee safety. About 57 percent share green cleaning products and practices maintain worker well-being, also attaining building sustainability initiatives, while 43 percent implement innovative technologies and equipment.