[Cinders]

Hi guys...

Would be grateful for you advice....

I am at the stage where work is coming in thick and fast and I need to start taking staff on.

Im really nervous about this and finding it hard to trust other people do the job to the same standard I would but needs must....

I have placed an advert in the job centre and hav been getting loads of calls so have been taking down details....what now?

I would be grateful if you could share your techniques of hiring trustworthy loyal staff!

Thanks

 

[Robert Parry]

Hi Cinders, Firstly may I say that you have to be very careful in everything you do from this point on!
You should keep detailed records showing the reasons why you have/have not taken them on as staff, as there are more than a few who will try to take you to a tribunal on grounds of race, religeon, sex etc. You need to follow up all references and ensure that these are the real thing. You also need to comply with various legislation to ensure that anybody you do take on is legally entitled to work here, if you want I can e-mail an application form that will ensure that you are complying with the latest regs.
We actually use an aptitude test, as part of our recruitment, and we only take on about 5% of all applicants, be straight with your applicants explaining that you pay good wages and in return you expect quality work and them to be able to think for themselves, the last thing you want is someone who behaves like a robot, try to gauge how enthusiastic they are, that is generally a good start, one other tip is if they can be bothered to fill in the application form properly they are worthy of your consideration, even more so if the enclose a cover letter, hope you find this useful!

[*Chris Browne]

We have just started a  database/forum on our site www.scsf.co.uk purely for cleaning staff looking for work and for small companies to advertise vacancies they may have


chris

[need a cleaner]

Hi Robert,would be much to ask for a copy of bout application and test :

[Cinders]

Hi Robert

That is excellent advise thank you.  The majority of applicants i have had from the job centre advert have been polish and i have been recording down whether they have a NI number or not but I vaguely recall from my previous employment that applicants outside of the UK have to have a letter from the home office too within 30 days of employment? (or something like that will need to research it a bit more)
At the moment im telling the candidates that I will keep hold of their details until another position comes up but the sooner I have an application form in the place the better so I would be very grateful if you could email this to me thank you

info@yourcleaningfairies.co.uk

 

[Karl Wheeler]

Hi Cinders
Work going well and the websites paying off?
Karl

[need a cleaner]

but I vaguely recall from my previous employment that applicants outside of the UK have to have a letter from the home office too within 30 days of employment? (or something like that will need to research it a bit more)

Hi Cinders,as far as im aware if the worker is from the EU he does not need a letter since they have the same obrigations and rights of a british citizen.

[pdl]

They do have to get a home office certificate under the "Workers Registration Scheme".  Basically you as an employer are their sponsor for the first 12 months they are in the country, You or they can get the forms from, blimey, can't remember now but will look it up on Monday and get back to those that are interested in this thread..  I also employ Polish workers, been there and done all the form filling out.

[Robert Parry]

Sent forms for you both, hope yopu find them useful, regarding the aptitude test, sorry no can do, the licence agreement will not allow this.
Regarding EU workers, need a cleaner is perfectly correct, but with one provisio, they must have entered the countrry legally, in my experience Poles are very hard working, but you should be aware that some client's staff have an intense dislike of them, because of the little englander syndrome!
You must also remember that you have little or no access to information about EU Nationals, very difficult to obtain info/references about criminal record, honesty etc, they could have left their country of origin for many reasons, not all of them good.

[Cinders]

Hi robert,

I do not seem to have received the application form....my e-mail address is info@yourcleaningfairies.co.uk

Cheers

 

[Tim Downer]

Hi Cinders

Regarding the point you made about trusting people to work to your standards, this was one of the hardest lessons i had to learn......as too has everyone else, no doubt.

You will work to a very high standard, because you have brought in the contract, you have done the hard work to get that contract, and worked there for a while. Your standard is way high at the moment - Yes?? Unfortunately, unless you get a freeky miracle, your staff will not work to that high level of yours.....even after showing them and training them yourself.

What you will have to learn, is that although they will never work to that high standard, as long as the client has no complaints, you will have to let that high bar down a notch or two for your staff.......otherwise you will be pulling your hair out and end up doing all the work yourself. As i said, as long as the client has no complaints, you will have to do this.

I would like to point out that i am not suggesting that the cleaning standards would have to come down, because they shouldn't. But the staff will not be cleaning to your way of cleaning. They are there for the money then they want to go home. You will have a lot more pride in your work.

This was the advise given to me by my cleaning mentor and cleaning supplier.....and although i found this to be hard lesson to learn, in the end i gave up and let the staff clean to the high standard given in my cleaning specs.......but not to my personal high standard and finish.

But the client was happy.....and i ended up being happy because of that.

Hope that helps you a little, and all the best in the minefield of employing people. Do it with the right mindset from the begining, and you will not stress over it as much as you think you will.

Kind Regards

Tim

[Cinders]

Great advice, thanks tim.

I suppose that is it though...if my clients are happy and stick with me then that should be enough for me, essentially...job done!

I have had a small experience with a friend who I give hours to, a one off client said the bathroom was not very good and she could have done the job better herself, yet another regular client she does said the bathroom has never been so clean and she is really impressed!  so the flip side to is it that we all have different standards of what is 'clean' and worth paying for.  Its early days for me and i have lots to learn...thank god i found this site!!

 

[Robert Parry]

Sent it again using different address, hope it helps Cinders, sorry about delay.

[whispers]

i understand were you are coming from cinders because i am just the same, but if the work is done to a standard and all areas covered then we as the boss should be happy, (good advice tim) just to make you laugh, my mum and i had a big job on yesterday and this morning and my mum came upstairs to see how i was getting along with the grubby bathrooms, she found me on my hands and knees rubbing the floor tiles with a clean duster! she asked me why i was doing this and i said " i always rub the floor with a duster two hours after i washed it"! she just smiled and walked away and it made me think that i can be a bit to anal at times lol

[dustdees]

Hi all

You will work to a very high standard, because you have brought in the contract, you have done the hard work to get that contract, and worked there for a while. Your standard is way high at the moment - Yes?? Unfortunately, unless you get a freeky miracle, your staff will not work to that high level of yours.....even after showing them and training them yourself.

What you will have to learn, is that although they will never work to that high standard, as long as the client has no complaints, you will have to let that high bar down a notch or two for your staff.......otherwise you will be pulling your hair out and end up doing all the work yourself. As i said, as long as the client has no complaints, you will have to do this.

With regard to the above quote, I don't believe everything that has been said on this subject. Yes it is worrying when you take on staff, and have made all the mistakes (and more!!) than Tim has said, but your judgement when interviewing does get better. I take into consideration, how they present themselves, their home, ALWAYS check referances!!!

My girls are fantastic, their standards are outstanding, they are commited, with some of them you would think that they own the business, they work so hard!!!

Treat them well, and they will pull out the stops for you!!!!

But again remember, yes you will make mistakes, but learn from them.

Good Luck,

Denise

[Cinders]

Hi dustees,

How did you find your cleaners?  job centre? other advertising?

Thanks

 

[the red carpet]

I to want to hire someone, but am scared

I dont like the idea of sick pay and holiday pay.

I have to pay someone even if they are not at work : but if im not there for any reason i dont earn a penny
seems unfair to me i dont mind paying a decent wage for a decent days work but am scared of someone taking advantage, as being a small buisness having to pay a wage to someone who is not there for a couple of weeks or more could easily finish me.

Is there a way round this, do new employes get all these benifits? or do they have to be with you for so long before there entitled to them?

[Tim Downer]

Red Carpet.....

Do you not allow for holiday pay in your sums? There have been many discussions on this point on the search button. But as with all tenders, whether for office cleaning or domestic cleaning and the like etc etc, you really should allow for items such as holiday pay etc in the sums. Do a search and you will find it discussed in a topic from the begining of the year....or there abouts.

Not too sure about the sick pay, as i never had to come accross this, but even though you have to pay this.....do you not claim it back from the government? Someone who has experienced this can put us on the right track with that thought.

The local Tax Office do day courses for people who are about the enter Employing people.....and all these can be discussed then with the right people.

Of course, hiring someone self employed would solve this problem, as if they are not in they get no money.....However, the Laws on doing this are getting tighter and tighter making it harder to do so.......Oh well, only trying to make a living.

Have a chat with those who have employed others.......see what they say.

All the best

Tim

[dustdees]

Hi Cinders,

I have done various advertising ways, local paper, shop windows, my other girls refering friends etc, I have sign on the back of my car. Job Centre ok, but not worth mentioning really.