Cleaning employees generally fall into three groups. Knowing where your cleaners fit will help you to better manage your cleaning operations. A better managed facility is a cleaner facility.

The first group is the employees that go above and beyond. They are intrinsically motivated. They will do more than is asked of them. Most are excellent employees, but sometime perform tasks without permission, or creating conflict with the other employees because of an attitude of superiority. This group is around 20% of your people.

The second group is the employees that do the bare minimum or less. This group is only motivated by direct supervision or through fear of job loss. Many have attendance and job quality issue. This group causes 80% of the problems but only comprise 20% of your people.

Most of your employees fall into the third group. They will do what they are asked to do. When they are finished with their assignment, they will wait for directions. They are generally good employees when they are directed properly. This group is around 60% of your people.

The most effective way to utilize all of these groups is to STANDARDIZE YOUR CLEANING OPERATIONS. Make sure that everyone in the organization knows what cleaning services are expected and being performed. Everyone includes the customer, the cleaners, and the employees who are supervising the cleaning.

Standardization will give all three employee groups clear directions that will lead to more effective management. When everyone is on the same page, it is easier to move all three groups forward.