Training New Cleaning Employees: How to Do it the Right Way

Bringing in new employees is always a great sign for your cleaning business. But with this, there are also some questions you will need to answer.

• How can you warmly welcome them to create a positive impression of your cleaning company?
• How can you ensure they follow your guidelines to provide a thorough cleaning job?

The solution to both these problems lies in training new cleaning employees. And that too in a manner that serves your mission well. So first, let’s show you why it is worth the effort.

6 Reasons You Should Train Your New Employees

“Is training my employees really necessary?” If this is the question hanging over your head, look at the 6 benefits it provides:

• Improves the quality of service

  Proper training ensures that your employees know how to clean effectively, use the right equipment, and follow established procedures.

  Thus, a well-trained cleaning staff is more likely to provide high-quality service. This greatly increases customer satisfaction and loyalty.

• Reduces the risk of accidents and injuries

  Safety of employees and client property should be a top priority for any cleaning business. And training employees on safety protocols, equipment usage, and hazard prevention can help reduce the risk of accidents and injuries. 

  As an added benefit, proper training can lower workers’ compensation costs, minimize damage, and improve overall workplace morale.

• Ensures proper use of resources

  Employees, especially inexperienced ones, may not know how to properly use cleaning equipment and products.

  Training them on how to use equipment, store chemicals, and handle spills can help minimize damage and reduce waste.

• Increases efficiency and productivity

  Proper training empowers employees to work more efficiently and effectively by teaching them time-saving tips and organizational strategies. 

  This way, you ensure that your cleaning jobs are completed on time and to the highest standards.

• Fosters a culture of learning and development

  Offering training and development opportunities creates a positive work environment and fosters a culture of continuous learning. 

  So by investing in your employees’ growth and development, you can build a loyal and motivated team.

• Builds a positive reputation for your business

  A well-trained cleaning staff can help build a positive reputation for your business by

  • Providing high-quality service
  • Promoting workplace safety
  • Ensuring customer satisfaction.

  A positive reputation can help attract new clients, retain existing ones, and ultimately grow your business.

Do you see why it is important to train your employees? Then next, let’s set the stage.

Setting the Stage for Training

To train your new cleaning staff effectively, it is critical to set up a perfect stage. This means establishing your company culture and values and setting clear employee expectations and goals.

Establishing company culture and values 

It involves defining the shared beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that guide your business. By teaching them how to behave with each other and customers, you can create a positive work environment that promotes teamwork.

Setting clear expectations and goals

You need to communicate your expectations clearly if you want your employees to match them. How? By yourself, getting clarity on them.

Your employees need to know what is expected of them regarding job duties, performance standards, and customer service.

Set SMART goals for your cleaning staff to understand what they need to accomplish and how they will be evaluated. And just in case you are wondering about the full form of SMART, here it is

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-bound

This creates a solid foundation for training your cleaning staff so that they give their best. Now we will see where your training program should focus.

5 Key Areas of Cleaning Training

Hitting a few key training components right can make all the difference. Focus on them to ensure that your employees are trained for the skills and knowledge they need to excel in their roles.

1. Cleaning procedures and techniques

This involves training your employees on the procedures for cleaning different surfaces and areas, such as floors, windows, and bathrooms. 

This will vary depending on whether you are a commercial or residential cleaning company. But regardless, the results you get will stay the same – consistently high cleaning standards.

Recommended: Professional house cleaning checklist

2. Proper use of equipment and cleaning products

Employees need to know how to use cleaning equipment and products safely and effectively. 

This includes training on how to use machines such as vacuums and floor scrubbers, as well as how to handle chemicals and cleaning solutions.

3. Safety protocols

Safety should be a priority in training your cleaning staff. This means giving employee training on how to handle sharp objects and hazardous waste.

However, this doesn’t include just the employees. The safety of your clients and their property is equally important.

4. Time management and efficiency

More professional cleaning staff are careful about time management and efficiency. Thus, your training process should include this key component as well.

By training your employee on how to organize their tasks and use their time effectively, you can maximize their productivity.

5. Customer service skills 

Your cleaning staff is often the face of your business. So they need to be able to interact with your clients in a friendly and professional manner. 

Train them on customer service skills such as communication, problem-solving, and empathy. This way, your customers will always be satisfied with the service they receive.

Now that you know what to focus on, we will show you the best practices to make your training more effective.

4 Tips for Effective Cleaning Training

You don’t just want to provide training for the sake of training. You want it to make your desired impact on your employees. Thus, here are the best practices for you to follow:

1. Use hands-on training

Make them get their hands dirty, as it is one of the best ways to teach cleaning techniques and procedures. 

By providing your employees with practical experience, they will learn through trial and error and develop their intuition on what to do and what not.

2. Incorporate role-playing and simulations

Role-playing and simulations prepare your staff for real-world scenarios they may encounter on the job. This includes: 

• Practicing customer interactions
• Handling difficult cleaning challenges
• Responding to emergency situations

3. Provide visual aids and demonstrations

You can complement your program with training videos, diagrams, charts, etc. Visual aids and demonstrations reinforce learning and make it easier for employees to understand complex concepts. 

4. Offer ongoing training and development

Training that lasts for only a few initial days for your employees hardly makes any difference. You need to make it regular and ongoing because learning never ends.

Thus, provide continuous training to help your staff improve their skills and stay up-to-date with the latest cleaning techniques and trends.

By following these tips, your training program will be engaging and effective. However, once you invest in training, you must retain your employees long enough to give you an appropriate ROI.

4 Best Practices for Employee Retention

The longer an employee works for you, the better it is for your business. But retaining staff gracefully by creating a win-win situation for both of you is an art. And here is how you do it:

1. Offer competitive pay and benefits

It is hard to leave a well-paying employer. Thus, providing competitive pay and benefits packages attracts and retains top cleaning talent. 

Also, consider offering bonuses, healthcare benefits, and other perks to show your employees you value their hard work.

2. Create a positive work environment

Who doesn’t love a positive work environment? Creating a positive work environment is key to motivating your cleaning staff. For this:

• Encourage open communication
• Recognize and reward good work
• Foster a culture of respect and collaboration

3. Provide ongoing training and development

Again, we would like to emphasize the importance of providing training continuously. Why? Because apart from monetary growth, employees also love growth in their skills as it makes them feel valued and supported.

Thus, offering ongoing training and development opportunities will keep your employees engaged and motivated.

4. Listen to feedback and act on it

Everybody loves to be heard, isn’t it? So listen to your cleaning staff’s feedback and take action to address their concerns. This improves their job satisfaction and shows them that their opinions are valued.

Recommended:

• How to Grow Your Cleaning Business

By implementing these 4 practices, you can create a supportive and engaging work environment that helps to retain your cleaning staff.

Conclusion

Training your employees benefits 3 parties – your client, you, and your employees. Thus, this leaves you with no reason not to do it. So set the stage first and work your way to effectively train your employees using the tips we provided.