One of my cleaners approached me on Friday complaining that they can never mop the floors in the cafeteria because employees were constantly streaming in and out. My reply was to mop when it wasn't break time.
This made the cleaner get quiet and then say, "it's always break time"
After observing the area for awhile I realized the cleaners problem. People from the production floor were constantly sneaking in and out of the cafeteria. The place is to big for the one shift supervisor to maintain close watch on everyone.
This puts our company in a stressful situation.
On one hand, as a dedicated vendor, always looking out for my customers best interest, I should inform upper management of this situation and let them work it out. It would increase their productivity but also put their manager /shift supervisor in the hotseat!
That is the second part of the problem, we need to work closely with the shift supervisor in order to perform our services. If I turn in him to upper management, will I alienate him from the my staff? Will this supervisor make life miserable for my staff because I informed on him and his staff? Will his staff try for some revenge on the cleaners --via making bigger messes, trashing the restrooms more than usual?
This was my Zen problem of the week. I decided that I will approach the shift supervisor myself. Let them know that they have a problem and therefore so do we in performing our duties and ask them to help me work out a solution. If I can fix this without approaching upper manangment it is a win for us and the shift supervisor.
I am sure if this does not reach a happy conclusion I will be back here again with a different version and outcome.
Saturday, November 20, 2004
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Cause and affect of providing a clean workplace
This past Sunday I was yet again, covering for some absentee workers, you know, people who fail to make good on their promise to work for money!
Anyhow, while I was mopping and mopping I slipped into the zen zone.
If you do an adequate job of cleaning, the people you clean for will do an adequate job of trying to keep it clean.
If you do an outstanding, absolutely superior job of cleaning the people you clean for will do an adequate job of trying to keep it clean.
However, when you do special work, such as carpet cleaning or stripping & finishing the floors, the employees of your customer will try to keep it cleaner longer and with a little more effort on their part.
Now, is this because day in and day out they don't notice our cleaning efforts? They just take it for granted when the bathrooms are clean and the trash by their desk is empty? Then when we do something really noticable like the floors or carpet --we are back in the limelight ever so briefly? Enough to warrant some attention to their own conditions for a short period?
That's my zen thought for the week. Email me at ken@lk-clean.com if you have any comments or thoughts on this.
http://www.blogexplosion.com/index.php?ref=KenGalo
Anyhow, while I was mopping and mopping I slipped into the zen zone.
If you do an adequate job of cleaning, the people you clean for will do an adequate job of trying to keep it clean.
If you do an outstanding, absolutely superior job of cleaning the people you clean for will do an adequate job of trying to keep it clean.
However, when you do special work, such as carpet cleaning or stripping & finishing the floors, the employees of your customer will try to keep it cleaner longer and with a little more effort on their part.
Now, is this because day in and day out they don't notice our cleaning efforts? They just take it for granted when the bathrooms are clean and the trash by their desk is empty? Then when we do something really noticable like the floors or carpet --we are back in the limelight ever so briefly? Enough to warrant some attention to their own conditions for a short period?
That's my zen thought for the week. Email me at ken@lk-clean.com if you have any comments or thoughts on this.
http://www.blogexplosion.com/index.php?ref=KenGalo
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Why Are Monday's Different
There I was emptying trashcans in cubicles, row after row after seemingly endless rows when I thougt:
Why are Monday's different in our business?
and zoom! into the Zen of Cleaning
If you stop by company website, www.lk-clean.com , you will see that we have been updating with pictures of before and after cleaning. Paying particular attention to project work.
Obviously because the difference with this type of work is appartent immediately and highly visible. But what about the routine cleaning, you know, dusting, vacuuming, trash, restrooms?
I mean, unless I happen to have the camera with me the day some customer's employees have another popcorn and rubberband fight, I will never really get a good shot of say, vacuuming!
Then I got to thinking some more and I realized that Monday's in our industry are different and I could run off about maybe 6-7 options. But no, instead I am going to post a Poll Question at
www.globalcleaningassoc.com on the Commercial line and see what everyone else thinks first.
I'll come back here with the results in a week or 2. Probably will post some other brain drain items before then, have a really busy cleaning week coming my way.................................:)
Thank God for dirty people!, I would otherwise be unemployed.!
Why are Monday's different in our business?
and zoom! into the Zen of Cleaning
If you stop by company website, www.lk-clean.com , you will see that we have been updating with pictures of before and after cleaning. Paying particular attention to project work.
Obviously because the difference with this type of work is appartent immediately and highly visible. But what about the routine cleaning, you know, dusting, vacuuming, trash, restrooms?
I mean, unless I happen to have the camera with me the day some customer's employees have another popcorn and rubberband fight, I will never really get a good shot of say, vacuuming!
Then I got to thinking some more and I realized that Monday's in our industry are different and I could run off about maybe 6-7 options. But no, instead I am going to post a Poll Question at
www.globalcleaningassoc.com on the Commercial line and see what everyone else thinks first.
I'll come back here with the results in a week or 2. Probably will post some other brain drain items before then, have a really busy cleaning week coming my way.................................:)
Thank God for dirty people!, I would otherwise be unemployed.!
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Zen of Handling Complaints
I have a customer who has been complaining, minor issues, but complaining none-the-less. We take a dim view of complaints here at www.lk-clean.com
Anyhow, went out to the site after each call and tried to work with the cleaning staff to resolve these issues and set in motion preventive measures to stop future occurences. This resulted in us having to hire new staff for several positions due to employment interruptions. ( Old stafff would not bend to my will, so I interrupted their employment with me)
As my wife and I were training new hires, I set mine up on trashing and dusting and I took the vacuum out into the hallway. Which appears to be 5 miles long at 11pm at night. So I plugged in the back pack and entered the Zen Zone........................
I realized while I was cleaning that my approach to this entire situation was wrong from the start. Instead of apologizing and placating the customer and assuring them that I would correct deficiencies. I should have jumped on this as an opportunity.
The very first night in the building, after the very first call, I should have created a list of everything I saw that was wrong. Everything, not just what we are responsible for but EVERYTHING. Then I should have come back to the customer the next day, pointed out that I corrected the issues they mentioned, then show them the other Cleaning issues that I found and how I was going to correc those as well.
Then with the customer now in a positive mood because I proved myself to be my own policeman, I could sell/pitch the other services that I observed.
I am going to take my list with me tomorrow and go see the customer........ Will post back on how it goes. Questions? Feel free to email me at ken@lk-clean.com
Don't forget to visit Cleaning Peers & Advisors at www.cleanpeers.com
Anyhow, went out to the site after each call and tried to work with the cleaning staff to resolve these issues and set in motion preventive measures to stop future occurences. This resulted in us having to hire new staff for several positions due to employment interruptions. ( Old stafff would not bend to my will, so I interrupted their employment with me)
As my wife and I were training new hires, I set mine up on trashing and dusting and I took the vacuum out into the hallway. Which appears to be 5 miles long at 11pm at night. So I plugged in the back pack and entered the Zen Zone........................
I realized while I was cleaning that my approach to this entire situation was wrong from the start. Instead of apologizing and placating the customer and assuring them that I would correct deficiencies. I should have jumped on this as an opportunity.
The very first night in the building, after the very first call, I should have created a list of everything I saw that was wrong. Everything, not just what we are responsible for but EVERYTHING. Then I should have come back to the customer the next day, pointed out that I corrected the issues they mentioned, then show them the other Cleaning issues that I found and how I was going to correc those as well.
Then with the customer now in a positive mood because I proved myself to be my own policeman, I could sell/pitch the other services that I observed.
I am going to take my list with me tomorrow and go see the customer........ Will post back on how it goes. Questions? Feel free to email me at ken@lk-clean.com
Don't forget to visit Cleaning Peers & Advisors at www.cleanpeers.com
Thursday, October 14, 2004
The Zen of Cleaning
You are not going to find any deep cleaning thoughts here! Well, okay maybe you will.
The Zen of Cleaning occurs when you are in the process of cleaning, be it vacuuming, mopping, dusting, buffing, extracting etc... and while your body is going through the motions your mind is somewhere else. Usually resolving issues, solving problems, writing new sales letters, deciding on what the next marketing program will be and so on....
This is the Zen of Cleaning. I use it effectively almost every night. I will post here periodically my random thoughts and musings that come while mopping/buffing endless hallways and so on.
Hope you all enjoy them.
Ken
The Zen of Cleaning occurs when you are in the process of cleaning, be it vacuuming, mopping, dusting, buffing, extracting etc... and while your body is going through the motions your mind is somewhere else. Usually resolving issues, solving problems, writing new sales letters, deciding on what the next marketing program will be and so on....
This is the Zen of Cleaning. I use it effectively almost every night. I will post here periodically my random thoughts and musings that come while mopping/buffing endless hallways and so on.
Hope you all enjoy them.
Ken
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