Talking Stick - May/June 2008 - (Page 24)

Facilities Resources should also be devoted to adequate stafﬁng. Information about appropriate stafﬁng levels and about frequency cleaning models is available from the government and private industry, but the most commonly used guide in higher education is provided by APPA. Alan S. Bigger, director of facilities at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, and the 2007-08 president of APPA, describes the mutual interdependence of stafﬁng and of cleaning standards that is detailed in these guidelines: “The APPA Custodial Stafﬁng Guidelines seeks to clarify the relationship between levels of cleanliness and productivity. The Guidelines is the deﬁnitive custodial stafﬁng guidelines that can be used by facility managers to determine appropriate stafﬁng levels and to clearly identify the level of cleanliness associated with the stafﬁng levels.” The guidelines use straightforward descriptions of cleaning service levels retirements occur: How will weekend stafﬁng programs be scheduled, and does that mean that weekend staff will not report for some days of the week? Is the academic-year staff sufﬁcient to handle the summer clean-up, or will temporary workers be hired to augment summer needs? How these questions are answered will have an impact on budget and on the level of cleaning on each residence hall ﬂoor. Ultimately, the best custodial programs reﬂect how the front-line custodial staff are viewed. Manos comments on this interrelationship between staff pride and good work: “Time and again we see that the custodians who genuinely care about their students have the cleanest areas in the building.” ts Dave Sagaser is the associate director of facilities management at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. E-mail: dsagaser@admin.fsu.edu. One way to demonstrate a real commitment to custodial staff is to make sure they are provided with reliable and wellmaintained equipment. and provide formulas to determine the staff necessary to reach the chosen level. Facility managers are able to take into account the types of surfaces – for example, carpet or vinyl composition tile – the number of square feet to be maintained, and the type of facility. Other factors that housing and residence life departments need to consider include decisions about the adequacy of stafﬁng to cover facilities when absenteeism, vacations, illness, and http://www.nssinc.com http://www.nssinc.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - May/June 2008

Talking Stick - May/June 2008 Contents Online Now Vision Just In Your ACUHO-I Transitions Res Life Facilities Business Calendar Managing Move-In Madness Strike Up the Brand 44 for the Future There Goes the Neighborhood Academic Communities Conversations First Takes Reporting Out New Members On the Spot

Talking Stick - May/June 2008

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