"Reputations can be tarnished on
social media, where
organisations can be shamed if they don’t meet expectations.”
Time to show your workforce some love
Joanne Gilliard, CEO of Jangro, discusses how taking good care of your employees adds positivity and boosts performance.
February, the month of love and Valentine’s Day, has come around again. While some dismiss it as a marketing opportunity, bringing big business for florists, restaurateurs, and retailers, for others it’s the most romantic time of the year. A time to show someone special they are loved.
Yet Valentine’s Day isn’t just for couples – or even something only to be celebrated in our personal lives. The concept of care and appreciation should also translate into the business world, and moreover, should exist all year round.
In the cleaning industry, now more than ever we need to show our workforce just how much they’re valued. They have been at the forefront of the pandemic, working hard to keep spaces clean, hygienic, and safe for others to use – and public perception is changing for the better.
In fact, last year’s research report by the British Cleaning Council testifies to this change in attitude. It reported that the pandemic had brought widespread recognition for the vital work of the sector’s previously ‘invisible’ workforce, and that the public recognises and values this contribution.
We need to do more to show our workers how much they’re really appreciated. Gestures like the Thursday night applause at the height of the pandemic were nice, but won’t pay the bills. The fact is, many are still subject to minimum wage salaries and ‘zero hours’ contracts.
Businesses should be demonstrating their commitment to, and appreciation of, their employees by providing contracts with guaranteed hours and, importantly, reward them with a fair pay that reflects the real cost of living. At Jangro, we’re proud to be an accredited Living Wage Employer and urge other companies in our industry to join us and reward employees fairly for their hard work and the value they bring.
We also believe that training is key; it places value on the work undertaken and demonstrates to the employee that they are worthy of investment. Jangro’s award-winning e-learning platform, the Learning Management Solution (LMS), offers a flexible and contactless approach to training.
28 | REGULAR
Highly accessible, it’s optimised for all devices and has also been accredited by the CPD Certification Service. Available to all of our customers and their staff, it covers a wide range of topics, with varying course lengths, and users are able to train remotely at times that suit them.
Taking such steps to invest in employees will help to ensure their mental (and physical) wellbeing, creating a more positive working environment, but investing in staff is not completely altruistic – it brings with it a multitude of business benefits too.
Firstly, it helps maintain a strong, motivated team, who repay employers with greater loyalty and productivity. High morale amongst the workforce also helps reduce staff turnover, which in turn saves time and money in recruitment. Recruiting and retaining good staff has always been tricky, so it pays to create a happy working culture, especially in difficult times.
Secondly, it boosts performance. Well-trained employees work efficiently, cost-effectively, and to a high standard, resulting in an excellent clean every time. At a time when consumers are still being much more selective about where they spend their time and money, often basing decisions on hygiene levels, this has never been more important.
Unsanitary facilities and unclean spaces can damage the image of a business, potentially leading to a loss of revenue from customers. Reputations can be tarnished further on social media, where organisations can be shamed if they don’t meet expectations.
Investing in your staff is a win-win situation. If you take care of them, they will not only help nurture your business, but be happier and healthier people too. Ultimately, looking after your staff is morally the right thing to do, and, speaking from experience, when you have a strong, dedicated, and positive team working with you, life is so much more rewarding.
www.jangro.net
https://britishcleaningcouncil.org/2021/05/27/cleaning-hygiene-and-waste-industry-remains-in-the-uk-top-ten-says-new-research/ twitter.com/TomoCleaning
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78
