Properly Training Employees Lowers Employee and Client Turnover.

Over the years I have visited owners of house cleaning businesses in a number of cities and states across America. I had a number of occasions to go out in the field with their cleaning teams to observe how they performed their work. Many of them performed about as effectively and efficiently as you could hope. Unfortunately, the opposite was also true.

The Importance of Teaching Efficiency

In the cleaning business, efficiency is critical in order for both the company and its employees to maximize their income. The quicker the work can be done, the more homes a cleaning team can maintain in a day – or the sooner they can be finished and thereby earn a higher average hourly wage. But this does not mean moving faster on the job; it means learning to use more efficient methods of performing the various tasks involved in cleaning a home. The key is to use efficient time and motion principles, coupled with effective tools and materials, to get the job done quickly without sacrificing the quality of work and without burning out the people doing the work.

Let me give you an example. We adhere to the principles of efficient cleaning as set forth by my good friend Jeff Campbell in his best selling book Speed Cleaning. One of the principles he preaches is, “Move around the room from left to right and never retrace your steps.” This is accomplished by wearing a specially designed apron, much like a carpenter’s apron, in which all the cleaning cloths, small tools and cleaning liquids are kept. By having everything you need around your waist, you avoid wasting time walking back and forth across the room to retrieve something you need. His methods, which we adopted and teach, are full of this kind of efficient cleaning advice.

Problems I Observed In The Field.

This blog is not a discussion on cleaning methods; it’s about the importance of training. On many of my field trips I observed workers not adhering to the principles of efficiency. Oh yes, some of them worked very fast. I saw them scurrying about the house like they were in a race against the clock. They were sweating like O.J. Simpson at his 33-year sentencing yesterday! But upon inspection of their workmanship, it would never pass the muster of a discriminating client. While I did not address any comments directly to the workers, I did raise the issue with the owners of the businesses thereafter.

No Time For Training?

Invariably when I brought my observations to the attention of the business owner, the response I got was, “I have no time for training before I put them in the field. They’ve got to learn on the job.” Or, “I had intended to spend some time with that new employee, but one of my staff didn’t show up for work this morning and I had to fill a slot on the team.” Frankly, these might sound like good reasons, but it is a sure-fire formula for frustrated employees and dissatisfied clients – not to mention major headaches for the owner. Sure to follow are low morale and high turnover of cleaning staff and the loss of thousands of dollars in revenues from clients who terminate the service.

You’ve Got To Make Time For Training.

Initial Orientation: An employee’s first day on the job should be in a classroom environment, during which time she fills in all the paperwork, reviews your Company Policy Handbook, reviews a training CD or video, signs your Confidentiality Non-Compete Agreement, and reviews whatever other training materials you may use. This is also the time to explain the importance of following the mandatory procedures she will be taught, and how doing so will help her increase her income by being more efficient. It can mean either more work and more money every day, or shorter work hours for the same money every day (assuming you use an incentive for performance pay system).

Field Training: On-the-job training is the key to good training. But there are two caveats here: (1) if someone other than you is doing the training, that trainer MUST be following mandated procedures for effective and efficient cleaning herself; and (2) the new trainee should be an observer for the first few days in order to learn techniques by osmosis before being asked to go off on her own. And when the new hire is ready to participate in the actual work, she needs to be closely supervised to ensure that she is following procedures and to be corrected when she’s not. Furthermore, your new trainee should become proficient in one area before moving her on to other tasks. For example, she should not be cross-trained from cleaning bathrooms to cleaning kitchens until she is totally proficient at the first job.

Performance Reviews: Employees like to know how they’re doing at their new job and, of course, so should you. As she completes various stages of her training, it’s important to analyze her progress by using a measurable instrument, such as the Training Review Report provided on CD 3 of your House Cleaning Biz 101 program. The results of this review should be discussed in detail with the employee and her supervisor (such as the team leader). She should be praised for those areas where she has done well and gently counseled in those areas where improvement is necessary. A copy of this review should be placed in the employee’s file for future review and comparisons made against ongoing training review reports.

Training Is Not A One-Time Event.

The fact is, training is a never-ending process. Repetition is important to keep your employees on track and to prevent bad habits from creeping into their work. And rest assured, you’ll have employees who suddenly feel empowered to “create a better way of doing something.” It will take some time for them to get into the habit of putting on their apron upon arriving at every client’s home. It does seem awkward at first. But it must become a habit like fastening the seat belt is when they climb into their cars.

Remember, too, that on average it takes about 90 days for a new employee to become efficient and cross trained for every job. Some employees may learn more quickly, some others may take longer. This is another good reason for your periodic training reviews to determine the progress and potential for success on the job for each employee.