[Mrs Nicholls]

Hi

Just wondered if any one used any methods for tracking staff who work on their own, be it in a customers house with the customer there or not, or an office out of hours.

i have been toying with the idea that cleaners call the office from customers phone and just doing a '2 ringer dodgy', so i know when they have arrived, and when they have left and that they are ok.

Its this time of year, cleaners tend to be on thier own a lot and with it being darker earlier and some customers in rural locations or late in the evening working at the offices, i worry about the cleaners safety.

I dont want to be be cheeky and ask customers if we can use their phone, although this would solve the problem.

Are there any other ways around this?  and how would i word a letter to ask about this to customers without sounding too cheeky.

Thanks
Lisa

[Art]

Ask them to call you from there mobiles

[Mrs Nicholls]

what happens when they have no credit? smarty arty pants 

[Art]

what happens when they have no credit? smarty arty pants 

Buy them a top up card 

[mick hay]

Get one of those GPS thingys fitted to the van, you can spot where they are at anytime!!!!!!

[Bluesilk]

Hi,

I think staffs should carry a bit of responsibility too as this is their business, gaving credit is not too much to ask foe.

[Bertie Boo]

what happens when they have no credit? smarty arty pants 

Lisa

From what you've written in the past your staff are mature adults and not children and as such i would hope they'd have the common sense to always have some credit on their mobile fones. If they dont have credit then thats their look out. I wouldn't encourage using clients telephones although of course there have been occasions where it has been neccesary
for me to do so (like when i'm in an area with no mobile signal).

Stephen

[cml]

You will be surprised at how many staff do not have credit or tell us they do not have credit on their phones.
We then started topping up phones as an incentive but this was abused as they still had no credit but was not due to calling us so we withdrew it.  Now we insist that they keep their phones on whilst at work so we may check on their safety whilst at work.  In some cases supervisors are on site to post check works.  Where we are aware that lone working may be a problem we put another members of staff on site and knock the job out in half the time.

H&S is obviously a concern when lone working but agree some responsibility should be put on staff to follow adequate reporting procedures.

[Mrs Nicholls]

Hi

Yes one or two are under 20, but the others are 25+, i do have on cleaner who i have to check on a bit because what is written or not written in some cases on her timesheet is not the actual times in and out of a property, and it doesnt add up with the other cleaner/s who have been cleaning with her on the job, doesnt always happen but, i notice it now and again.
I have had reports back that she has left jobs early and turned up late and has decided that certain jobs look ok so she wont do them, for example she was at one job with a newer cleaner, (office type job) and she was holding the keys, she went into each room to clean looked at the carpets said they were ok, and locked the doors back up, and then didnt even say to the newer cleaner that she was going home and just left her in the building not knowing what jobs had been done and what was left, and she didnt have the keys to go in to vacuum. Obviously newer cleaner was put in an akward position because she came back and told me what happened and that the carpet did need a clean as specified for that day.
This job was done during the day then, during the lunchtime shutdown.

So i am suspicious as to what she does when working alone at peoples houses. We are carrying out her 6months review this coming week, which will include practical, and written test, and a chat about her work so far. See how it goes.

Thanks
Lisa

[heritagecleaning]

But if they use the customer's phone then 'caller display' will prove they are at the property. If they use a mobile they could be calling from anywhere.

[Bertie Boo]

But if they use the customer's phone then 'caller display' will prove they are at the property. If they use a mobile they could be calling from anywhere.

That will depend whether or not the client has their home number witheld (or not).

Stephen