Oh what to do.

[Maverick]

A couple of weeks ago the BM sent a whole staff email out to explain the cleaning is no longer the Site Managers responsibility and any issue were to be written in a log held in the Staff Room. So this morning I photographed filthy tables and then did exactly that. Wrote it in the log.

If it doesn't improve then all I can do is email the BM with photographic proof.

[ElGuapo]

Result mate! I wish that would happen at my school.

Can't see the your BM keeping that up for long though when she starts getting all the hassle.

[TheTakerofCare]

A couple of weeks ago the BM sent a whole staff email out to explain the cleaning is no longer the Site Managers responsibility and any issue were to be written in a log held in the Staff Room. So this morning I photographed filthy tables and then did exactly that. Wrote it in the log.

So, the answer to your question, was actually answered before you asked it?

[Swatch]

.............
We floated the idea of outsourcing for cleaning completely, but unfortunately, the BM that wanted it left quite quickly so it never got resolved. Any stories, good or bad would be appreciated. The main point of interest is sickness cover and how reliable their system is or have been, I know every company would be different but it would just be good to hear.

I've worked in a few schools with different cleaning set ups but no set up is perfect. Here are my experiences:

"In house cleaners" seem to be more committed to the job as they know they will be there next week / month if they wish but that can bring with it complacency in some people who know they are not going to be fired over a few mins or a dip in standards here and there. In house cleaners usually treat the place with greater pride and do a better job as they feel they have a stake in it. Problem here is what to do if someone is off sick. If you have multiple cleaners someone will be able to cover it but if you only have 1 or 2 what are you going to do? Same if someone leaves. Also disciplinary action will be schools job and can be unpleasant but the best and happiest cleaners I've see are in house cleaners. Not a cheap option.

Contract cleaners, I've seen a few, been through 3 companies and about 8 cleaners in 2 years at my last school and we only had 1 cleaner! Usually the companies don't give a damn about their staff, don't support them, hell they don't even pay them on time sometimes and it's usually a chore even to get cleaning products delivered from them. The result is unmotivated cleaners who seem to have more time off with 'family issues' or illness. The upside for you is that if one is off sick the company 'should' provide cover and usually do. They always have issues recruiting (more so now than ever) so they will basically take anyone who presents vertically. They will promise everything (monthly monitoring and visits) and you'll never see them again once the contract is signed. To be fair, if my boss actively didn't care about me I wouldn't be hugely motivated while earning minimum wage. These companies are not going to employ spare cleaners so any cover you do get will be someone who's rushed off another job, working beyond their hours or in some cases they have to send the area or regional manager who is then just as happy as their cleaners! I'm sure there must be good cleaning companies out there but when your business model relies on being the cheapest its clear you're going to get a service based on price at the expense of quality. I always felt uncomfortable knowing the pay and standards these cleaners were faced with but school budgets....

Local authority cleaners. If this is an option for you this is a very good compromise. Usually competent cleaners who are relatively happy with their job, not on min wage, well trained and usually at the same locations long term so like having your own in house cleaner but someone else has to deal with absence / disciplinary, recruitment etc. Obviously more expensive then contract cleaners but you're paying a price for peace of mind, quality and the knowledge that these folks are getting treated at least half decently.

[Nigel]

I've worked in a few schools with different cleaning set ups but no set up is perfect. Here are my experiences:

"In house cleaners" seem to be more committed to the job as they know they will be there next week / month if they wish but that can bring with it complacency in some people who know they are not going to be fired over a few mins or a dip in standards here and there. In house cleaners usually treat the place with greater pride and do a better job as they feel they have a stake in it. Problem here is what to do if someone is off sick. If you have multiple cleaners someone will be able to cover it but if you only have 1 or 2 what are you going to do? Same if someone leaves. Also disciplinary action will be schools job and can be unpleasant but the best and happiest cleaners I've see are in house cleaners. Not a cheap option.

Contract cleaners, I've seen a few, been through 3 companies and about 8 cleaners in 2 years at my last school and we only had 1 cleaner! Usually the companies don't give a damn about their staff, don't support them, hell they don't even pay them on time sometimes and it's usually a chore even to get cleaning products delivered from them. The result is unmotivated cleaners who seem to have more time off with 'family issues' or illness. The upside for you is that if one is off sick the company 'should' provide cover and usually do. They always have issues recruiting (more so now than ever) so they will basically take anyone who presents vertically. They will promise everything (monthly monitoring and visits) and you'll never see them again once the contract is signed. To be fair, if my boss actively didn't care about me I wouldn't be hugely motivated while earning minimum wage. These companies are not going to employ spare cleaners so any cover you do get will be someone who's rushed off another job, working beyond their hours or in some cases they have to send the area or regional manager who is then just as happy as their cleaners! I'm sure there must be good cleaning companies out there but when your business model relies on being the cheapest its clear you're going to get a service based on price at the expense of quality. I always felt uncomfortable knowing the pay and standards these cleaners were faced with but school budgets....

Local authority cleaners. If this is an option for you this is a very good compromise. Usually competent cleaners who are relatively happy with their job, not on min wage, well trained and usually at the same locations long term so like having your own in house cleaner but someone else has to deal with absence / disciplinary, recruitment etc. Obviously more expensive then contract cleaners but you're paying a price for peace of mind, quality and the knowledge that these folks are getting treated at least half decently.

Absolutely spot on

[Vera]

I've worked in a few schools with different cleaning set ups but no set up is perfect. Here are my experiences:

"In house cleaners" seem to be more committed to the job as they know they will be there next week / month if they wish but that can bring with it complacency in some people who know they are not going to be fired over a few mins or a dip in standards here and there. In house cleaners usually treat the place with greater pride and do a better job as they feel they have a stake in it. Problem here is what to do if someone is off sick. If you have multiple cleaners someone will be able to cover it but if you only have 1 or 2 what are you going to do? Same if someone leaves. Also disciplinary action will be schools job and can be unpleasant but the best and happiest cleaners I've see are in house cleaners. Not a cheap option.

Contract cleaners, I've seen a few, been through 3 companies and about 8 cleaners in 2 years at my last school and we only had 1 cleaner! Usually the companies don't give a damn about their staff, don't support them, hell they don't even pay them on time sometimes and it's usually a chore even to get cleaning products delivered from them. The result is unmotivated cleaners who seem to have more time off with 'family issues' or illness. The upside for you is that if one is off sick the company 'should' provide cover and usually do. They always have issues recruiting (more so now than ever) so they will basically take anyone who presents vertically. They will promise everything (monthly monitoring and visits) and you'll never see them again once the contract is signed. To be fair, if my boss actively didn't care about me I wouldn't be hugely motivated while earning minimum wage. These companies are not going to employ spare cleaners so any cover you do get will be someone who's rushed off another job, working beyond their hours or in some cases they have to send the area or regional manager who is then just as happy as their cleaners! I'm sure there must be good cleaning companies out there but when your business model relies on being the cheapest its clear you're going to get a service based on price at the expense of quality. I always felt uncomfortable knowing the pay and standards these cleaners were faced with but school budgets....

Local authority cleaners. If this is an option for you this is a very good compromise. Usually competent cleaners who are relatively happy with their job, not on min wage, well trained and usually at the same locations long term so like having your own in house cleaner but someone else has to deal with absence / disciplinary, recruitment etc. Obviously more expensive then contract cleaners but you're paying a price for peace of mind, quality and the knowledge that these folks are getting treated at least half decently.

This sums it up completely.

We have contract cleaners here and although some of the cleaners are good the company is not. more cleaners leave because of issues with the company than any other reason, Not being paid correctly on time or at al are common problems lack of cleaning materials and a supervisor who is so busy doing cleaning that they cannot deal with any on site issues or even do quality checks. due to lack of management, I often end up organising the cleaners myself. The cleaners have zero training and I have even had to explain to one what a red bucket and mop meant as she was using a red mop bucket and cloth to clean down tables.
I would like to have in house cleaners, But the head seems not to like the idea. Even though I have pointed out that the management of the cleaners is down to me despite paying the cleaning company to do this.
Meanwhile we suffer with very poor cleaning standards and lack of cleaning hours due to staffing issues.

[Dexter]

A good summary Swatch.

Another issue with contractors is unfilled vacancies. It simply means cost saving if the remaining cleaners just cover in the same core hours. I think there is a similar issue with sickness absence.

Another issue I encountered is that if you have one or two good cleaners, with a contract, they are moved to other sites once the contractor knows their time is up. (Prior to TUPE)

[Maverick]

I've worked in a few schools with different cleaning set ups but no set up is perfect. Here are my experiences:

"In house cleaners" seem to be more committed to the job as they know they will be there next week / month if they wish but that can bring with it complacency in some people who know they are not going to be fired over a few mins or a dip in standards here and there. In house cleaners usually treat the place with greater pride and do a better job as they feel they have a stake in it. Problem here is what to do if someone is off sick. If you have multiple cleaners someone will be able to cover it but if you only have 1 or 2 what are you going to do? Same if someone leaves. Also disciplinary action will be schools job and can be unpleasant but the best and happiest cleaners I've see are in house cleaners. Not a cheap option.

Contract cleaners, I've seen a few, been through 3 companies and about 8 cleaners in 2 years at my last school and we only had 1 cleaner! Usually the companies don't give a damn about their staff, don't support them, hell they don't even pay them on time sometimes and it's usually a chore even to get cleaning products delivered from them. The result is unmotivated cleaners who seem to have more time off with 'family issues' or illness. The upside for you is that if one is off sick the company 'should' provide cover and usually do. They always have issues recruiting (more so now than ever) so they will basically take anyone who presents vertically. They will promise everything (monthly monitoring and visits) and you'll never see them again once the contract is signed. To be fair, if my boss actively didn't care about me I wouldn't be hugely motivated while earning minimum wage. These companies are not going to employ spare cleaners so any cover you do get will be someone who's rushed off another job, working beyond their hours or in some cases they have to send the area or regional manager who is then just as happy as their cleaners! I'm sure there must be good cleaning companies out there but when your business model relies on being the cheapest its clear you're going to get a service based on price at the expense of quality. I always felt uncomfortable knowing the pay and standards these cleaners were faced with but school budgets....

Local authority cleaners. If this is an option for you this is a very good compromise. Usually competent cleaners who are relatively happy with their job, not on min wage, well trained and usually at the same locations long term so like having your own in house cleaner but someone else has to deal with absence / disciplinary, recruitment etc. Obviously more expensive then contract cleaners but you're paying a price for peace of mind, quality and the knowledge that these folks are getting treated at least half decently.

Agree totally now I have experienced both in house and contract.

looking at it again I now think we would have been better served employing an additional supervisor who oversees and checks the cleaning is done to the correct standard has some areas to cover but ultimately is able to cover because of absence.

[TheTaker]

Agree totally now I have experienced both in house and contract.

looking at it again I now think we would have been better served employing an additional supervisor who oversees and checks the cleaning is done to the correct standard has some areas to cover but ultimately is able to cover because of absence.

Are yo a primary or secondary school as if secondary they employ the sixth form pupils to do theres around here and from what i here its very succesful kids get some money in there pockets school get people they know well and trust. win win