Lots of small businesses in NSW attempt their cleaning work themselves to save money, but the true cost of this can be much higher than anticipated. There are hidden risks to DIY cleaning: inefficient cleaning, health impacts, liability and lost employee productivity.
For small businesses, professional cleaning is an investment that can save you time and money, and it is important to see it as such. Read on to see how Matthews Cleaning Company could support your business.
Calculating the True Cost: Labour, Supplies, and Equipment Depreciation
There are a number of costs you may not have weighed up in deciding to go down the DIY route with cleaning for your business. The first is the cost of staff time. When staff are diverted to cleaning activities rather than tasks that generate income, it costs more than you might realise. By comparison, hiring professional cleaners will give you greater efficiency and productivity in cleaning your business premises.
The cost of consumables in the cleaning industry is rising, and in DIY cleaning setups, it is likely that employees will use them incorrectly and be unintentionally wasteful. Cleaning products, refuse bags, and cleaning cloths are outwardly simple, but can cost a lot in the long run when used incorrectly.
Cleaning equipment can also be a high cost, especially for small businesses. Vacuums, floor scrubbers and steam cleaners are essential to keeping a business premises clean, but it’s useful to compare the cost of purchasing these items to employing contract cleaners who will bring the equipment with them and take it again when they leave.
Do you have space on your site to store bulky cleaning equipment? This equipment, when owned privately, will depreciate over time and will also present costs for maintaining it.
The Risk of Inadequate Cleaning and Health Impacts (Sick Days)
Poor cleaning, not carried out by cleaning professionals, can lead to increased viral spread. This is especially prevalent in the winter cold and flu season, but it presents an issue year-round. Stomach bugs can be spread on dirty high-touch surfaces, dust build-up can cause respiratory irritation, especially for those with asthma, and improper management can lead to the growth of mould, which has multiple health risks.
There are hidden costs to the health impact of improper cleaning. Staff may require payouts for sick leave more frequently than you would like, and a team that is regularly unwell will suffer from a lack of morale and much lower productivity than a healthy, high-attending team.
Customers will also suffer the impact of an improperly cleaned business. Cleanliness and hygiene have a big impact on client perception: if it doesn’t look and feel good to a customer, they will simply not return.
You may face regulatory issues, too. Food service businesses, clinics and salons must pass audits and meet compliance standards, which are essential for the company to remain open.
Liability and Insurance Gaps with Non-Professional Staff
Non-specialist staff are not trained in Workplace Health and Safety procedures relating to cleaning. As a result, they are at greater risk of injury when directed to complete cleaning tasks. These range from an increased likelihood of slips and falls, harm due to chemical exposure and injuries relating to incorrect wearing of PPE.
Your existing insurance may not cover your employees when undertaking cleaning tasks, as they are untrained, meaning that you may end up financially and legally liable for the results.
It is possible that staff who are not cleaning specialists will inadvertently cause damage to business premises or equipment. Surfaces can be damaged by the use of incorrect cleaning products; equipment can be damaged by inexperienced actions; and electricals may end up saturated with moisture by staff who simply don’t know better.
Professional cleaners carry public liability insurance, whereas your own staff will not if you attempt a DIY cleaning setup. They will also be knowledgeable and experienced in the field, ensuring that your business is cleaned correctly, efficiently and appropriately from the start.
Focus on Core Business: The Opportunity Cost of DIY Cleaning
Time and effort spent in your business should be focused on the product or service that you provide, rather than on cleaning services that are not your specialty. Your financial investment, too, should be in the business itself, not cleaning equipment that your staff don’t know how to use.
The impact on staff morale can be immense when employees are used for tasks outside their remit. When working outside their job description on cleaning tasks, employees are often unmotivated and negative about what they are doing, and this can never lead to peak outcomes. Burnout becomes more common, and your staff’s job satisfaction will gradually decrease, even if most of their time is spent on the job you hired them for.
Outsourcing the task brings a professional level to the cleaning that must be done, improving the public and staff perception of the business. It also creates consistency on a human level – there are no cleaning gaps when your staff are away, because it is managed by the contracted cleaning company. Hiring cleaning staff frees up significant time in the week that can be spent on work that generates revenue and preserves the morale of your employees.
Conclusion
The hidden costs of DIY cleaning setups are numerous and significant. Non-specialist staff frequently clean inefficiently, leading to health risks on the premises. They are also inexperienced in using industrial cleaning products, which can lead to workplace injuries you may be held liable for due to insurance gaps when using your own employees for cleaning work outside their job description. And the revenue lost to cleaning time may have a dramatic impact on your bottom line.
Professional contract cleaning is a strategic decision that you should consider for the benefit of your business. It creates a safer and cleaner workplace with healthier and happier staff, while presenting an excellent image to clients and saving you time and money.
If you are a small business owner, you should consider the costs and benefits of outsourcing your cleaning. Contact Matthews Cleaning Company today to see how we could provide flawless service to your business.