Times sure have changed
Labour shortage hits the cleaning industry
By Colin Butterfield, Group B Services 

Remember the good old days? Not so long ago, a few years but not many, unemployment was higher and the job market was quite different. Public sector vacancies for well paying unionized employment resulted in dozens, sometimes over one hundred applications for a single position. Employers had the pick of many qualified experienced applicants and could select from those with positive attitudes and potential. Existing employees and their unions were generally more concerned about layoffs rather than higher wages and turnover was generally low. 

Even in the private sector, turnover was lower than today and a pool of labour often consisting of newly arrived immigrants looking for a start in their new country provided for a relatively stable work force. 

Switch to 2006: the economy in BC is expanding, construction is booming, the population is aging and the labour shortage is here, at least for the foreseeable future. All industries and businesses are affected and competition for the available labour is real. Even public sector custodial positions are becoming difficult to fill. Where managers once had a list of prospects looking for work, they now have to actively look for labour and often are reporting that the quality of those that do apply for the higher paying full-time unionized positions isn’t what they hoped for. Part-time positions are even harder to fill, with fewer qualified applicants being prepared to take less than full time work. 

This has been a wake up call for our industry, the better managed private cleaning organizations saw this problem coming earlier and have reacted accordingly but there are still too many cleaning services, both public and private that operate as “Mom and Pop” businesses, dealing with day to day issues without a clear strategy for the future. The cleaning industry is a multi billion dollar business; our neighbours to the south have realized this for some time now and have been operating on the same premise as other major industries. Planning, recruiting, selecting, training, investing in better equipment, adopting innovative cleaning methods and generally treating the cleaning business as a mature and significant part of the North American economy. While there are progressive, forward looking cleaning businesses in Canada there is still a majority of operators, both public and private who are carrying on as they’ve always done and blaming the labour shortage for their problems. 

It’s clearly time for some drastic changes in attitude if our BC and Canadian cleaning service operators are to stay competitive with US corporations.  Public and private cleaning services will have to deal with the labour shortage and maintain or preferably improve their operating efficiency at the same time. Recruitment, retention, training and better management are crucial to any successful operation and for facility managers and cleaning contractors, now is the time to start if they haven’t already done so. 

Recruitment: It’s no longer good enough to wait for job applicants to knock on the door. A recruiting program is needed to get the kind of employee needed, not just a warm body, but someone who will contribute to the operation and isn’t likely to leave for greener pastures anytime soon. Developing a recruiting program isn’t a simple task: the manager needs to determine exactly what type of person is being sought, where they are most likely to be found and what will be required to persuade them to accept employment with the operation. This will involve some research on the part of the business and may require the assistance of a consultant. It also involves looking at the operation from the point of view of a prospective employee. What kind of an operation is being shown to the new employee, the operators should ask themselves “would I want to work here? If not, why not? After the rosy glow of a new job fades, is there a good reason for a new recruit to stay with the organization?  Money alone doesn’t keep employees satisfied in their jobs, it takes a combination of recognition and positive change. One example is continuous training opportunities combined with recognition in the form of both monetary and status enhancements. 

Another difficulty that employers are facing is where to find employees. Most larger organizations post continuous ads in the “help wanted” section of local newspapers. Referrals from current staff and from social agencies are another source of prospective employees. Web based job search services can produce some results but in the end it is what differentiates one organization from another that can make the difference between successful recruiting and failure. What attracts employees will usually be what keeps them with the organization. One source of employees for basic tasks are organizations that support the developmentally challenged or teachable mentally handicapped individuals in our communities. These groups will often provide mentoring of work teams and transportation to the worksite where standard routine work can be scheduled. Once trained, the reliability and commitment of many of these individuals is excellent with lower absence rates and closer attention to work standards than many “able” employees can deliver. 

Retention: One way to minimize the problem of the current labour shortage is to make sure that turnover is as low as possible. Every time a trained employee leaves an organization that represents a significant investment in time and money going out of the business. By providing more reasons to stay than to go, a business or organization can keep those valuable human assets. Exit interviews show that employees leave their current jobs for several reasons but highest among those reasons are: lack of recognition, lack of opportunity to advance, lack of training and a general lack of job satisfaction. Money is often quoted but is rarely the real reason for the loss. People will stay with an employer when they feel that they are recognized as being important to the business and are kept informed and up to date on procedures, materials and problems and are asked to contribute suggestions to help solve operational issues. Comparing the costs of recognition to the cost of recruitment and training of new staff shows that recognition programs are an excellent investment. 

Training: Management style and attitude to employees makes a big difference to whether or not employees stay with an organization or “move on”. Surprisingly those that move on are often looking for more challenge rather than more money. An organization that invests in a program of continuous training of employees will provide that challenge and in doing so will develop employees to the point that they can be promoted to more responsible positions, offering more challenges and the prospect of more recognition. As an alternative to recruiting new staff this is much more desirable and the experience of existing employees will help the organization to succeed. 

Given Canada’s aging population and in particular British Columbia’s larger than average number of older people it is likely that the shortage of labour will continue for some time. Cleaning organizations will need to be more organized and prepared to deal with this situation by adopting a more professional approach to the human capital on which their livelihood depends.