As more and more businesses are putting in measures to re-open, you need to make sure that security measures don’t slip through the net as you focus on creating safe places for staff and customers.
If you’ve been closed, the chances are that you haven’t needed the services of your commercial cleaning contractor; but if it’s business as usual it’s well worth reviewing the security measures you have in place with this contractor.
The chances are that you will want your cleaning regime to start back out of normal operating hours. So, as with any contractor who requires access to your business premises when you’re not there, you need to ensure that they have measures in place to protect you (the client) and themselves (the cleaning company).
Building Trust Upon Evidence
Commercial cleaning employees will either have keys to virtually the whole building or access via an alarm system. So, there has to be a huge trust factor if you are going to allow them into your premises at night. And this trust needs to be built on evidence. Just as you wouldn’t allow your children to be looked after by someone for whom you did not have evidence that was trustworthy, you shouldn’t trust your building and livelihood to an individual or commercial cleaning company without a proven, demonstrable record of trustworthiness.
How can your commercial cleaning company demonstrate their trustworthiness and help you feel secure about who is in your building at night? Well, since trust comes from evidence of best practices, we have identified some simple steps to help assure that you can sleep at night whilst your building is being cleaned.
Background Checks of All Commercial Cleaning Employees
As we do at JDK Cleaning, make sure that your Commercial Cleaning company runs background checks on all cleaners. You don't want convicted criminals entrusted with the keys to your building while freely roaming your facility when no one else is there. It is not unreasonable to request that your Commercial Cleaning company provides you with a copy of background checks before new personnel are allowed in your building.
It’s also worth checking that all cleaners are employed directly by the cleaning company and not sub-contracted or self-employed cleaners. This way, the cleaning company has full responsibility should anything go wrong and not an individual who may be difficult to track down.
You should also determine whether your commercial cleaning company carries out spot checks of the cleaners’ work and standards on a regular basis. After all, if the managers don’t care enough to check, there’s a risk that the cleaners will let standards drop.
Insurances and References
Just in case something does go wrong, make sure that your Commercial Cleaning company is fully insured. A professional and trustworthy cleaning company will be able to produce three key insurance policies:
Public liability insurance
Professional indemnity insurance
Employers’ liability insurance.
Another way of identifying the trustworthiness of a commercial cleaning contractor is to ask for references. Don’t accept a link to testimonials on their website as these could very easily have been written by themselves. Ask for the contact details of existing customers, preferably in the same industry sector that you operate in, and follow up on at least three of these.
Key Holders & Tracking Software
You must determine up front what the commercial cleaning company’s policy is on key holding. The keys to your premises (or alarm access) should be by one person only and not passed among the different members of the team. Ask for the name of the key holder and ensure that the company has a means of verifying that only they have direct access to the building.
Most quality and professional commercial cleaning companies will have invested in specialist software to track when their cleaners arrive and leave a job. This not only gives the owner of the cleaning company reassurances that the cleaners are turning up on time and completed the work within the agreed time limits; but also means that you get a clear picture that your cleaning contract is being carried out as determined in the contract.
For example at JDK Cleaning, we have invested in Ezitracker software – get more details here.
Summary
Trust is earned but even where deserved, sometimes can be broken. There is no way to make sure there is never an issue, but taking these measures gives you evidence of best practices which in turn gives you reason to trust your commercial cleaning company, provided they make the grade. Beyond these fail-safes, the best protection is good common sense and openly communicating with your commercial cleaning service. If there is something that doesn't seem right, it should be brought to the company’s attention and immediately resolved. If you keep asking for information and they keep stalling on or are unwilling to provide the information you need, that is a red flag.
A sound and experienced commercial cleaning company will work closely with you so you feel confident that the people in your building at night are trustworthy and caring for your facilities the way you would. If you are not getting that attention or evidence of best practices, it may be time to start looking for a commercial cleaning service that understands how critical trust is.
So, if you’re looking for a professional commercial cleaning company, with track-record of being trustworthy, reliable and standards driven, call JDK cleaning today on the number below for a free quote:
