Executive Housekeeping Today - February 2008 - (Page 8) Frugal (continued from previous page) and supervisors. This also overlaps into the area of hiring employees: Make sure that every avenue is exhausted to ensure that you hire the best people possible to staff the operation. Any shortcut in this area will come to haunt you. Take time to interview, screen, and check references of employees. Recruiting the right personnel is time-consuming, and as one respondent indicated, “Recruitment of a new staff will be a challenge in the beginning.” • Training: It is imperative to provide quality training. The training should include in-class training and interactive hands-on training with regular follow-up. The training element should not be minimized; train properly now so that good performance behaviors and habits will be established for tomorrow. Ensure that all new employees tour buildings and custodial closets to ensure that they are familiar with their buildings and worksites. One respondent from Canada indicated, “We didn’t encounter any real challenges; we planned for it, had staff trained and ready to go, and did it.” • Equipment and supplies: Depending on how the outsourced contract was written, you may have to start fresh, with new equipment and supplies. In so doing, there is a significant start-up cost that must be factored into the equation. Inventory all equipment and supply needs and ensure that all are available prior to the startup of in-house cleaning and that people are trained in the use of all equipment and supplies. One respondent suggested a good way to avoid equipment and supply errors when transitioning an operation is to, “have your new recruits take an inventory of janitor’s closets. This will help a first day foul up because you did not think to order the obvious, like trash bags.” • The transition period is Measure the quality of your service through random quality assurance inspections and compare your results with a quality survey of your customers. critical: It is important that the outgoing contract cleaner continues to clean up to acceptable standards so that the new in-house crew can start off with reasonably maintained buildings. One respondent stressed this and stated, “The biggest challenges so far are keeping the outgoing service doing a good job.” One person who has experienced outsourcing and in-sourcing at two mega-organizations indicated that, “Communication is key ” A final review of the various responses seemed to cement an idea in my mind. The organizations that have decided to in-source their custodial operation are doing so because they have learned that the reflection or image of outsourcing was less than perfect. Several of the respondents seemingly fully understood why their organizations had outsourced their operations in the first place, and determined that since they were being given a second chance to manage in-house operations again, they would not repeat the failures of past in-house or outsourced operations. The prudent manager of a newly in-sourced operation will need to keep a close eye on the reflection of their new operation. Is the reflection one that will be acceptable for the future? Keep an eye on key performance indicators of your operation such as: • Quality: Measure the quality of your service through random quality assurance inspections and compare your results with a quality survey of your customers. Make sure that the reflections are accurate and not reversed. Your rating of quality may be good, but if the customers’ perception of quality is poor, you’ll be in trouble. • Efficiency: Monitor overall performance of the staff on a regular basis. Is the staff up and about on the company business? Does the staff look smart, act smart, and look professional? Clean uniforms, appropriate equipment, and effective and efficient supplies are visible elements of a well-run and efficiently operating cleaning organization. • Productivity: This is constantly a thorny issue; however, it is imperative that you be able to clearly demonstrate how productive your operation is. Clearly identify the reasons for the number of employees and document the number of square feet maintained and levels of quality. If you do not measure it, someone eventually will—do you wish for that? • Training: Provide the best 8 Executive Housekeeping Today/February 2008
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