[Cleaning Resource]

One day training your staff,,,,,,,,,,,

  would that be a whole day

[Cleaning Resource]

sorry dg, what my boss meant was that you start of doing something as a favor for your client and then if you stop doing it they moan like it was part of the original job

I spend in total at least 100 hrs training each staff member, but then they are full time employees, I have a very strict method of working and expect everybody to work using the same system and therefore I keep on at them until they do.

[newbroom]

Gleam in response to your postit matters not that you don't like the contents of my posts i have opinions and will express them. The reason you empathise with Vix is because as you stated you started your business in the same manner behind your employers back and all because you never got the company car you wanted ah diddums.

Secondly you make alot of sweeping statements about training and how cleaners are treated by their employers provide evidence so to put it mildy shut up or put up.

I did not call you a parasite that comment was reserved for Vix what i would suggest is you are naive, to suggest you  would give contracts to any of your cleaners if they were starting up. You also make far too many assumptions about how others run their business especially regarding training.You even have the following statement on your website

"Gleam Services conception was not for greed or power, but to be responsible for revolutionising a much failing industry."

I would suggest your knowledge is not extensive enough to make such a grand statement.

Perhaps you and Vix could go into business together call yourselves Watch your back cleaners ltd.

I'm done with this subject because unlike yourself and Vix i look at myself in the mirror and know i not done the dirty on someone.

[Cleaning Resource]

I find interviewing people in their own home helps sometimes to give you a pretty good idea of what they are like in respect to what they consider to be clean.

I`ve come to realize that most cleaners that are not very good, are so because they just do not see the dirt, not because they are lazy or deliberately miss things.

This is why I say such along time is needed for training to get them noticing the dirt
I train them to work in the same routine for every job which basically consists of them doing everything working in circles doing one job at a time ie, the bins, dusting, polishing, borrowed lights, kitchen, toilets, vacuuming, mopping.

I still spend alot of time cleaning myself cos I can`t let go, especially to my first two contracts after all I wouldn`t have a business if it wasn`t for them giving me a chance, but it`s coming up 4 years soon so i`m gonna have to soon.............

[Cleaning Resource]

if you seriously believe that the cleaning industry is not a failing industry then you are infact the naive one.

When I say failing I don`t mean  in the prosperous sense, quite the opposite the industry is booming but where it is failing is in its reputation of quality of service delivered.

If you speak to pretty much any one who uses contract cleaners they will tell you that they have changed cleaners so many times that now they have settled with what they got all be it not the service they would like, why do you think so many now just go for the cheapest, because they believe they are all gonna be cr@p no matter what.
either that or they take to employing their own cleaners, after all they may aswell cos 9 times out of 10 they end up managing the cleaner anyway........

If the industry is not failing then why has the government just started a massive drive offering free level2 city and guilds training, I`ll tell you why because the cleaning industry is one of, if not the most under qualified industries in this country.

[J. Deans]

This topic has certainly stirred some passions.
I see two distinct for and against opinions and a few posts that just want to offer advice.
Look at your own posts and decide which category you fall into.

Those posts that are dead against Vix taking over her employers contract seem to be defensive and aggressive, to the point of being rude to other peoples' opinions.

Those that are all for it and wishing her luck seem to be very nice, helpfull people, to the point of being (quote) "naive" (end quote)

Then there are those that simply offer advice about the cleaning business in general.

I think I may fall into the 2nd category - naive!
And if you look at my previous posts in this forum, I like to think I am also in the third category too.
And I am certainly not naive! - just glad I am not in the first category!

Why do I say that?
The obvious reason is that I have not had an employee 'nick' one of my contracts. This seems to make otherwise sensible people - very bitter.
I would not be happy if it happened (touch wood) but I hope I wouldn't resort to venting my spleen on a forum and generally parading around in my bosses uniform trying to humble people that do the actual cleaning for a pretty poor living! (and that are simply wanting to better themselves - we all started somewhere)

Mention has been made of cleaners lacking qualifications. I, for one, am a qualified electrician. But now I co-run a cleaning business and work on building sites for more money than the electricians I see every day! I am also a trained ex-Health & Safety Representitive for MFI UK. I have numerous other qualifications and training, but the point I want to make is this: At the end of the day, no matter how many qualifications you make a cleaner study and train for - they are still just cleaners. Now, that's not to put cleaners or the cleaning trade down in any way, but to go the opposite way - trying to make it something it is not - is worse in my opinion.

I am all for 'necessary' training. I am all for the new H&S legislation that makes the workplace, a safer place, for all of us, but the cleaning industry will always be considered to be at the bottom of the heap. You can't demand respect so get over it.

Incidentally, the lowest wage I pay any of our cleaners is £7.30 p/h (part-time or otherwise) I also do the Christmas meal and bonus thing. I even say "thank you" every now and then. Oh! and I also try to help out individual cleaners and cleaning businesses wherever I can - even on forums. Apparently, that all makes me naive!

Going by the continuing silence of Vix, (grammar aside) I can only assume that she wishes she had not posted this topic. That's unfortunate, and frankly shameful for this forum...

[Cleaning Resource]

Firstly I think their should be a prize for creating a thread with the longest replies in it, I think we must all have blisters.

there has been alot of sense spoken (typed) and my lagging faith in this forum has been restored.

I`m off to find some army wives to work for me, they sound like a dream come true
i`ve never heard anything about this marching out stuff but I assume it involves the houses getting inspected when they move out.

[Ian Rochester]

Anyone noticed that VIX is noticeably absent in her replies!

I for one believe that if someone is looking to go on their own, then that's fine, however if they try and take any of my business with them then that is a different matter and I would fight it all the way.

If people are leaving to set up their own business and taking some of your business with them, then you should be asking the questions as to why.  I'm sure that ultimately it will boil down to your poor management of both them and the contract, and price.

Generally a business will not cancel a contract if they are receiving a constantly good level of service at a reasonable price, and an employee will not leave if they are receiving an adequate level of support, respect and salary. 

Always start by looking internally for failures before blaming someone else.

[Fox]

Yes this thread certainly has stirred some people up and I was going to leave the subject as some of the posts were getting a bit ott, however after reading some of yesterdays posts I feel I should reply.

Many people join the cleaning industry as they percieve it an 'easy' business, after all anyone can clean (can't they??).  I can give you many reasons as to why it is certainly not 'easy' however we are talking about employees taking work from employers to start up not the pros and cons of running a cleaning Company.  The employed cleaners see one side of the business, the daily cleaning, they do not necessarily see 'behind the scenes' and the many tasks it takes to run a business and this sometimes drives them to think they can do a 'better' job than their employer.  I would implore anybody starting thier own business to think about it as a whole.

I have found some peoples comments rather interesting, I can certainly understand the attitude that if you as an employer look after your staff and clients then they are not going to go elsewhere or 'steal' contracts.  To a certain extent that is true and I have been in business long enough to know what it's like to have a cleaner do the 'dirty' and a client to go with them, to have clients come to me saying the cleaner has approached them and also the cleaner to come to me saying the client has approached them.  I have infact faced almost every situation of back stabbing and bi**hing there is in business.  However to say that I fall into a catagory of 'denfesive and aggresive' is outrageous if not hilarious! 

No matter what industry you are in or what type of relationship you think you may have, people are fickle and if you think that your relationships hold them loyal to you in business then I'm afraid yes you are slightly naive in terms of the psychology of human beings and business practices.

You will find that Vix hasn't replyed as it looks like she has left the forum, who can blame her with all the controversy this thread has attracted.

Fox

[Cleaning Resource]

Are we all friends again now?

[Cleaning Resource]

 

[Cleaning Resource]

tongues all the way..........

 

[newbroom]

will that mean i will have to wine n dine you Gleam if its tongues

[newbroom]

pmsl

[J. Deans]

Look at your own posts and decide which category you fall into.

However to say that I fall into a catagory of 'denfesive and aggresive' is outrageous if not hilarious! 

 

[dg-cleaning]

Just when u thought it was safe to go in to the water!

[Fox]

Those posts that are dead against Vix taking over her employers contract seem to be defensive and aggressive, to the point of being rude to other peoples' opinions.

It is very obvious that my posts are 'dead against', so I read your post to mean that as I am 'dead against' I must fall into that category.

I didn't take offense I just wanted to show that generalisation about people who post on this forum is not always correct, in my opinion it would have been better to add the word 'some'.

Fox

[Marigold]

Vix
If you want to start up by yourself fine, but don't bite the hand that's currently feeding you.  If the client has a problem then you owe it to your employer (however bad he or she may be) to tell them that the client isn't happy.  If one of my cleaners tried that with me I'd be furious and I agree that business is often not pretty, but we don't have to buy into the dog eat dog culture.  What goes around comes around and lets face it we're all in this business for the same reason: to earn a living.  Treat people the way you want to be treated, find your own clients and show your previous employer how it should be done.  You'll feel a lot happier with yourself.  If you were confident you were doing the right thing, you wouldn't have asked the question.

[dg-cleaning]

ding ding round two

[Cleaning Resource]

and in the red corner we have marigold and fox,

in the blue corner we have an apparently shy vix,