FEAR THE MARCH OF TECHNOLOGY?


How big an impact is technology having on cleaning and hygiene, and will automated


systems ever replace our cleaners? Essity looks at the growing influence of technology on the cleaning industry – and considers how far it is a force for good.


A new era in the history of technology dawned in 2015. It happened quietly in Japan and took the form of a hotel in which 90% of the day-to-day operations were carried out by robots.


Guests of Nagasaki’s new Henn-na Hotel are checked in by velociraptor receptionists and their luggage is taken up to their rooms by robot porters. There to greet them in their rooms are cute, doll-like androids which act as multilingual personal concierges whose role is to provide information on nearby attractions. And many of the hotel’s domestic operations such as window-cleaning and vacuuming tasks are also handled by robots.


Coincidentally, 2015 was also the year when Amazon launched its Alexa service which suddenly enabled us to order groceries, write shopping lists and turn up the central heating via voice control.


And this was just the start. Since then, technology has further pervaded every area of our lives – and has even made an appearance in the washroom. Innovations in public-use toilets range from intelligent mirrors and urinal video screens, to high-tech facilities that heat the seat for us while at the same time monitoring our health.


Meanwhile, the cleaning industry has also seen an increasing number of automated machines entering the market covering a range of functions such as floor cleaning, window cleaning and scrubber drying.


So, are such innovations to be feared by today’s cleaners? Will they replace the human workforce and if so, when is this likely to occur?


Reports on this issue are conflicting. A 2017 survey conducted by Deloitte revealed that 53% of companies had already begun employing machines to perform tasks that had previously been carried out by humans. A similar picture emerged in 2018 when economic think-tank OECD claimed that around 66 million people were at risk of being replaced by machines over the next few years. Those considered to be at greatest risk were employed in the cleaning, food preparation and labouring sectors.


However, a brighter picture emerged more recently. Results of the ‘Humans Wanted: Robots Need You’ study published in January 2019 revealed that 18% of companies are actually intending to hire more people despite recent technological innovations.


16 | TECHNOLOGY


Conducted by the Manpower Group, the project took the form of a survey of 19,000 employers in 44 countries. It revealed that 69% of firms were planning to maintain the size of their workforce despite the rise of automation.


And 24% of those companies planning to invest in automation and digital technologies claimed they intended to add more jobs compared with only 18% of those that were not intending to automate. In fact, only 9% of employers in the survey felt that automation would lead directly to job losses.


This appears to spell good news for workers in many sectors – including the cleaning industry. But if automated solutions are not going to be replacing people, what is the point of them?


The answer is simple: their role will be to take the strain out of everyday operations and make life easier for humans, while also ensuring that the job is more rewarding for employees.


Certainly, our own technological solution bears this out. Several years ago we made the observation that on large, sprawling sites such as amusement parks, zoos and similar venues, cleaners were obliged to walk from washroom to washroom in order to physically monitor the cleaning and dispensing requirements. This was a thankless and exhausting task that had nothing to do with cleaning.


So in 2014 we announced the launch of Tork EasyCube, which enables staff to check the status of washrooms via a smartphone or tablet, freeing up time to allow them to carry out more actual cleaning tasks. And far from replacing cleaners, the software was designed to improve working lives.


Not surprisingly, the system has been received very positively. Reports from Sweden’s Grona Lund theme park reveal that staff feel empowered by the system because it enables them to add value to the visitor’s experience.


At the Welle7 retail and commercial complex in Switzerland’s capital Bern, cleaners’ stress levels have reportedly been reduced because the data collected via Tork EasyCube enables them to know exactly where and when they are needed. And reports from the Apenheul Primate Park in the Netherlands reveal that cleaners find the software fun and are actively checking the status of washrooms even when their shift patterns do not require them to do so.


twitter.com/TomoCleaning


SHOULD CLEANERS


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