By Wm R. Griffin

Introduction

Is there a rainbow on the horizon? I guess that depends on one's perspective. Some will create unheard of opportunities out of a wasteland and others will starve to death in a field of plenty.
The cleaning industry faces many challenges in the years ahead. We have a shortage of qualified workers in most areas. The accounts may be more plentiful and larger, but the competition is fierce and profit margins are tighter. Customers are demanding moremore quality, more professionalism, more accountability, more work and all for less money.
Depending on one's perspective, these and other challenges can be insurmountable obstacles or wonderful opportunities for future growth. Let's start with what needs to be done to assure that we turn the obstacles we face into opportunities for improvement.
Change relates to all aspects of our industry. The surfaces that we clean are changingwe are moving away from woods and natural materials toward the plastics, surfaces that are easier to clean and actually prevent cleaning related problems.
The products, the equipment and the chemicals that we use are becoming less hazardous and more user friendly. There are fewer environmental/disposal type problems. They are becoming more concentrated and automatic for the customer to use.
Customers' wants and needs are changing, too. We, both institutional cleaners and the self-employed, have to really stay on top of things, to make sure that what we're offering is what the customer needs and wants to buy.
Employees are also changing, and how we relate to them and what their needs and wants are. I'm talking emotional and social support, education and training. Today, there are more women and more minorities involved and that's going to continue to increase in the future. The white male is going to become the minority of the future.
The economy is going to continue to tighten. The way of the future will be to cut costs, trim things down and get more efficient.
We're seeing how what we do and the products and equipment we use impact other people in the building, the quality of the air, the quality of the living environment, how long the surfaces last and what kind of return we get on our investment. There is much more emphasis these days on indoor air quality. The work emphasis is going to change to prevention rather than cleaning and restoration. I wouldn't be surprised if we are faced with government regulation regarding the procedures that we use and the products we bring into buildingsnew standards regarding indoor air quality that will prohibit us from doing things the way we have done them in the past.
Major areas of emphasis are cost control and labor; we're going to be down-sizing. People are cutting costs, they're retrenching, they're eliminating divisions and they're looking at out-sourcing or contracting for services.

Leadership is Needed

Our industry is fragmented. The Building Service Contractors Association International (BSCAI) has 2800 members, the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) has 12,000 certified cleaners, the International Executive Housekeepers Association (IEHA) has 5200 members, the Association of Specialists in Cleaning and Restoration (ASCR) has 1000 members, and the International Society of Cleaning Technicians (ISCT) and other small regional associations have a couple hundred members each. That leaves 35,000 to 60,000 cleaners who are listed in the yellow pages but don't belong to or receive the benefits of membership in any industry trade association. Some would estimate that over 100,000 other illegitimate cleaning businesses operate out of a kitchen drawer without a license or yellow pages listing. Regardless of company size, all are members of the cleaning industry and the actions of one does impact the image of all. The key here lies in finding ways to turn small contractors into partners instead of viewing them as unfair competition.

Training and Certification is Needed

There is no certification program for the people who do the work. There is no upward mobility ladder for entry level workers. In most cases you start as a janitor and you stay a janitor. This may be fine for some, but for most employees this means that to move up you have to move on. In most companies, the only option for a highly motivated individual doing the work is to move on and frequently they move on to their own businesses and become competition instead of partners.
The result is that recruiting, hiring, training, and supervision costs are extremely high. Not to mention the problem of finding qualified workers when it comes time to look for a lead person, supervisor, specialty crew, salesperson or manager. If there is any one area that is critical to the future success of the cleaning industry it is in the area of employee training and development.

Self Cleaning Buildings

The technology already exists. All you need do is tour the manufacturing cleanrooms used in computer and high tech industries and you'll see how the concept works. Even though the technology hasn't been applied to office buildings yet, it is headed in that direction. The first signs are the use of low and no maintenance surfaces. Medical, food processing, pharmaceutical and other critical industries are already exploring the possibilities and in some cases being required by governmental regulation to utilize cleanroom technology.
We all know that over 80% of the soil coming into a building comes in though entrances and exits. If we are able to capture that soil at the doors, it only makes sense that we could substantially reduce the need for and cost of cleaning throughout the building. We are going to see much tighter control of interior environments. Buildings will be tighter; they'll seal out to prevent soil from being tracked in. Areas will be segmented to prevent cross contamination. There will be more emphasis on ongoing maintenance versus restoration. We'll do more cleaning, we'll do more prevention and we'll do more ongoing maintenance rather than restoration, which is very costly, hard on the surfaces, hard on the people and takes more work and money. In the long run, this will be a major benefit to cleaners. It will be safer for us to work, the facilities will be cleaner, the emphasis on what we do will be greater, the recognition for what we do will be better and the money that we make will be better. We will have a better image than we have had in the past. Also, there will be more emphasis on better use of protective gear, gloves, clothing, goggles and respirators.

Less Physical Labor

Some innovative contractors and in-house operations are partnering with their employees, using specialists, team cleaning, new procedures, back pack and wide area vacuums, riding equipment and other preventive cleaning concepts to push the production rate upwards of 10,000 sq. ft. per hour. Manufacturers now offer riding carpet sweepers, auto scrubbers and burnishers that clean in the 30 to 50,000 sq. ft. per hour range with no risk of Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSI), and the surfaces are cleaner than with previously used manual methods. Where possible, robotic cleaning equipment is replacing or supplementing workers to reduce costs and improve the quality of service provided.

Science Comes to Cleaning

Independent scientific tests are being conducted to determine which methods, equipment and procedures actually remove the most soil and have the least negative impact on surfaces and indoor air quality (IAQ). Independent testing labs are currently conducting scientific tests regarding carpet cleaning, floor machines and vacuum cleaners. In the long run this will give everyone a valid scientific basis that can be used to evaluate marketing claims and the work being performed.
All dusts are becoming a problem. Sawdust has been linked to cancer of the throat and nose. We used to say all the small particles are a problem because they get into the throat, down into the lungs and cause mutations in the lungs, like asbestos. Fumes, volatile organic compounds, things that gas off in interior environments and things that gas off from what we are using to do our cleaning, also are a problem. The spraying of products in the buildings is probably going to disappear. There will be more damp wiping. The chemicals are definitely changing. They are becoming less hazardous to prevent exposure in the buildings. Wet surfaces can grow molds, mildews and fungi. All contaminants have a negative impact if there is enough concentration and they come into contact with living organisms.

Efficient operations

We have to consistently base decisions solely on the facts. You're going to see use of computers, professional management, people with MBA's, accountants running the businesses and professional managers who manage by the bottom line.

Defect reduction

When we do bad cleaning while working in a manufacturing plant, the work and the products that they make are impacted also, there are more defects. We want ultra-high quality, we want zero defects and we want cost reduction.

Effective products and supplies

Products are going to have to be tested, they're going to have to have references, and they're going to have to be proven before you can use them in a building.

Close monitoring and rapid adjustment

We're going to monitor closely with statistics, facts and figures; decisions will be made and that's what will take place. There will be more emphasis on planning, prevention and analysis before we take action.

Environmental concerns

We will face concerns for hazards to the workers, hazards to the surfaces and hazards to the ecosystems that we work with. Concerns for indoor air quality, waste disposal, waste reduction, recycling and bloodborne pathogens are all coming into play. The liability and the costs are too high not to be aware of these issues.

Better testing and monitoring

Many of the cleaning processes we use now actually spread soil. The dust particles and the things that ride on those dust particles go up into the air, we breathe them, they get on the surfaces we are cleaning and we have to pay to clean them again the next day. In the future, we're going to see much more emphasis on prevention and procedures to capture the soil so it doesn't get spread around.
We will change the way we do the work so that we are not so prone to repetitive stress injuries that lead to carpal tunnel, bursitis and other types of injuries to the body, some of which we aren't even aware of and are just now starting to come to our attention. The tools and equipment will be redesigned so that they are ergonomic in nature. Things will be automated, things will be tested and proved or disproved before they are ever put on the market.

Waste reduction

We're not going to generate as much and we're going to waste less. Even what we thought was safe disposal has now come back to haunt us as many other things have in the past. We're going to generate less, we're going to reuse as much as we possibly can, and we're going to recycle it. We will also see more multi-use products; we will use just one or two chemicals to do all the jobs. We're going to see a reduction of both expenses and hazards.

New Ways to Do Business

This may be the most difficult challenge of all–learning to do business in a different way. This includes how we interact with competitors, customers and employees. The future lies in learning to work more effectively with others. Every relationship must be approached from the perspective of creating a win-win situation for everyone involved. This will require that we find new ways to work with our employees that compensates them based on their performance. Workers should be responsible for how much they earn and be able to increase their income based on the quality and quantity of the services they provide. Without this, there is little incentive to continually strive to do a better job.
Customers must also be seen as partners. We must both have the same goals and objectives if we are to arrive at the same destination together. At present, in most cases we both have different agendas; as a contractor we want to make more money, and as a customer they want to pay less. A better approach is to find ways to keep our customers' buildings clean in a way that reduces their costs and increases our profit.
We must also learn to see and work with our competition in a way that enables both of us to grow faster by working together than by working alone. In other much faster paced industries, the winners work together. They are constantly forming alliances, partnerships and joint ventures. They quantum leap to new levels of performance, profit and opportunity by combining their efforts with other companies.

How the changes will affect you

These changes will affect both the person managing and the person who is doing the actual work. There is going to be a lot more partnership and people working together as a team. There will be a greater emphasis on the customers' needs.
Employers will expect, require, demand and they will get better performance from their employees. If they don't, they won't survive. They can only afford to have the cream of the crop working for them. The wages and the benefits are too high not to get the maximum return. Now, they're adding health insurance coverage and other benefits. The government is coming in and demanding these things, but instead of the government providing them, they want the employers to provide them.
You're going to see less hiring and use of employees. Those who are hired will be treated much more carefully. We're only going to keep employees if we have to. If we can automate and eliminate a job, we're going to do that because of the high cost. Anyone who is there is going to have to perform. That performance will have to be statistically proven. However, for those who do stay it will be more like a family environment. There will be social, educational and financial support. It will be more of a long term relationship, there will be more teamwork and more working together. There will be a greater emphasis on employee training and development.
People who do the janitorial work in the future will be certified cleaners. They will be certified in specific technical areas. There will be specialists for carpets, floors, health care facilities, indoor air quality, windows, etc. For all different types of situations, there will be specialists who know all there is to know about doing that one job and they will have to continually prove their abilities and knowledge of technological developments by taking re-certification testing.
There will be other technological advances, as well. There will be no cash; it will be direct deposits and debit cards in the future. The telephone, the computer, the television, the fax machine and the printer will all be combined into a communication center.

Change is the Only Constant

This statement is more true today than ever before. We cannot clean buildings tomorrow with today's outdated procedures and equipment, nor can we operate successful businesses using outdated methods of management and supervision. One cannot stand still while everything is changing around him and expect to compete effectively in a changed market place. It's just not going to happen. Try to bring about a change in processes, products, procedures, expectations, customer requirements and employee requirements. We have to learn to think globally. Local is going to become a disappearing word. We have to think specialties. We have to think cooperation. We have to think teamwork, we have to think partnership and we have to think about other people. We have to think quality, service and customer needs. We have to seek and welcome change, not fear it.