Back to blog 02/17/2022

Workforce Sustainability through Cross-Training Janitorial Employees

Outsourced Cleaning Services for Manufacturing Facilities

Contributed by Ed Turbeville, National Sales Executive

Industrial manufacturing facilities expect high levels of employee training from their outsourced janitorial partners. Trained on-ground janitorial staff possess the right skills, knowledge, values, and abilities. Simultaneously, relevant and consistent training also leads to high productivity, better morale, increased engagement, and consistent results. While a trained team of experts are crucial for success for a janitorial program, it is even more significant for managing the stringent cleaning demands of a manufacturing site.

The janitorial functions required to meet the specifications of an industrial customer are perhaps some of the challenging jobs for service providers, mainly due to the tremendous variety of tasks to be performed and their direct impact on the plant’s productivity. Maintaining a clean manufacturing facility is essential for its operations in several ways. An inadequately cleaned plant, for instance, can put its workers’ health and safety at risk by having an environment where germs can spread as well as possible infectious diseases. Dirty plant floors can also have spilled grease, oil, or other chemicals that are a hazard for slips and falls. Overall, a clean manufacturing facility makes a safe place to work that also promotes high productivity. With such a huge impact on day-to-day operations of the facility, the janitorial service provider must ensure the cleaning schedule is implemented without any delays or missed days. In order to ensure undisrupted performance, it is important that the janitorial service provider not only trains the on-ground staff, but also has a cross-training program designed to train employees to take on job roles in addition to their own assigned responsibilities.

By cross-training their employees, janitorial service providers better manage employee absenteeism. It is an effective strategy for ensuring that the janitorial services are delivered without a hitch, even during unprecedented employee unavailability. Similarly, employee turnover can also be addressed with flexible work order management as there are always other employees available who have been trained to take on versatile job roles with the same or even higher level of responsibility than their own duties.

Diversified Maintenance has a comprehensive range of classroom and on-site training modules for both, new and existing employees. At the same time, cross-training programs are also implemented that maintain the Company’s service delivery, quality standards, seamless workflow and operations for all customer sites. Numerous manufacturing businesses have a trusted partnership with the Company as the on-ground employees have the skills and knowledge to work with a full understanding of the scope of work as well as the additional capabilities to proactively fulfil tasks other than their own assigned responsibilities when needed. To learn more about the impact of a janitorial cross-training program on your manufacturing facility, send me a note at: Ed Turbeville eturbeville@diversifiedm.com.