[cj]

Hello

I am thinking of starting up a commercial cleaning business in the Cardiff area and I am currently researching the availability of cleaning staff and wage rates.

Does anyone know where I can find out what the going hourly rate for cleaning staff is? And whether there is a shortage of cleaners or not?

Thank you, any information would be very much appreciated.

Chris

[blacksheep]

hi chris , looks like your my competition the answer to your question is £4.85 at the mo but if your looking for just a cleaner or some one with skills like stripping floors ect pay a bit more, are they working for 2 hours a day or 8 ,2 days a week or 6 days
pay them what you feel their worth and what your budget allows

[cj]

Thanks Blacksheep

As of yet it's only research and probably a year away at least...so I wouldn't worry about the competition!

At least I now have an idea of wages, how about recruitment...are there plenty of cleaners available or are they thin on the ground in Cardiff?

Chris

[blacksheep]

hi chris, yes theres lots who want jobs, i am a cleaning manager for a large company and i just  put it up in the job centre last week and have 2 pages full of people looking for work, and competition is a good thing ,keeps the rest of us on our toes what area of cleaning are you going in to

[Prestige1]

I wish I could atract staff at £4.85! I pay drivers/cleaners £7 and cleaners £6. if I put an add in the local paper (£300) I will be lucky if 6 people resond. make hay while the sun shines if I was you.
regards Phil

[cj]

Retail premises and offices

[Jan K]

I agree with Phil, I can't even get anyone to sniff at my £6.00 an hour offer and that is the top end of cleaner's pay down here.....most of them only get minimum wage.

Anyway my suggestion would be to buy the local paper and see what other ads for cleaners are offering and also contact the Jobcentre (Employers Direct)  and see what they can come up with as regards to other employer's adverts

Good luck!

Jan (Plymouth)

[blacksheep]

hi all,i do get staff but not to sound nasty i am scraping the barrle,i am on a budget and most of my cleaners are local with no transport ,i also get some from remploy their not what you call choice workers, some are forced by perents to get a job or by the dole office. i am awere i would not get my staff for my business for under £6 the type i am looking for anyway

[michelle warren]

I FIND IT A COMPLETE NIGHTMARE GETTING GOOD STAFF. I AM FORTUNATE TO HAVE A GOOD STAFF BASE, WHICH HAVE TAKEN A COUPLE OF YEARS TO ESTABLISH. THEY ARE AGED BETWEEN 40 - 50, ARE UNBELIEVABLY RELIABLE AND DO A REALLY GOOD JOB. THE PROBLEMS START WHEN I TAKE ON NEW STAFF, WHO SEEM INITIALLY ENTHUSIASTIC BUT THEN THEIR STNDARD OF WORK DROPS AFTER A COUPLE OF MONTHS AND THEY DECIDE THAT THEY "CAN'T DO THIS, CAN'T DO THAT". I HAVE A VERY GOOD INDUCTION PROGRAMME AND THINK IT REALLY HELPS TO PREPARE STAFF. THERE IS A REAL SHORTAGE OF GOOD QUALITY, RELIABLE STAFF FOR BOTH DOMESTIC AND COMMERCIAL WORK WHERE I AM BASED. I THINK MY BEST STAFF ARE THE ONES WHO CLEAN BECAUSE THEY ACTUALLY ENJOY THE WORK. I'VE ALSO LEARNT TO TAILOR THE STAFF TO THE CUSTOMER, WHICH HAS PROVED TO BE REALLY BENEFICIAL. I PAY MY STAFF £5.00 PER HOUR WHICH IS AN AVERAGE WAGE WHERE I AM BASED. I ADVERTISE FOR STAFF IN THE JOBCENTRE AND THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE. WHILST I DON'T PAY TO ADVERTISE IN THE LOCAL PAPER, IT'S WORTH CHECKING THEIR WANTED SECTION, I'VE FOUND 2 VERY GOOD LONG TERM STAFF MEMBERS THAT WAY. GOOD LUCK WITH THE RECRUITMENT. MICHELLE

[dustdees]

I WOULD BE INTERESTED TO HEAR I BIT MORE ABOUT YOUR INDUCTION PROGRAMME,THIS SOUNDS VERY INTERESTING.

REGARDS

DENISE

[Prestige1]

Hi Michelle
Yes do tell me more about your induction programme. I try to put one together but as you probably know in this business its so fluid I always seem to be fire fighting as aposed to preventing the fire starting! I agree with your statement 100% about new staff start off well and I seem to kill them off! I feel its a real fine line when it comes to motivating this type of work force if you push them to hard there will simply walk away, my opinion is that because of benifits from social and the numorous cleaning jobs available they do have you by the short an curlies.
Kind regards Phil

[blacksheep]

hi.pristine, would love to here about your induction, ours is mainly h & s along with other things based in store.but your lucky if mine stay 2 weeks,then i think oh i may have a stayer here" lol  they mainly drop off after 3 days but i got to say anyone over 40years is always a good bet, they enjoy and seem to take pride in their work which is very rare now

[Jan K]

I agree with the view that the best cleaners are the ones who enjoy cleaning........I have a base of 4 who have been with me for up to a year, they all work various hours from 6 - 20 odd and I don't have too many problems, only when they have problems at home wih their partners or kids.....some of them haven't worked out where their priorities are with regards to child care and not letting their blokes push them around if you see what I mean......that can cause a few stresses for me from time to time, but they are ALL excellent cleaners and I am tempted to let the little rough times ride themselves out for the best part of the good times! 

Jan

[dustycorner]

Hi all,

I think we operate in an industry which traditionally has high turnover of staff, also we seem to get a people who because they have wafted a duster around their home think they are qualified cleaners. Michelle is spot on about having an induction programme i also monitor my staff regularly to make sure they doing exactly what it says on the tin.

Cheers Mark.

[selectservices]

Just for info the going rate at the job centre appears to be from around £5.00 PER HOUR TO £8.50 PER HOUR,  this will obviously take into account training / expertise, knowledge of the industry, weekend and unsociable hours.

In some areas the high cost of accomadation and living can mean that there is a shortage of labour at that end of the market and positive unemployment, in others there are higher unemployment and an oversupply of untrained labour.

Hope this helps.


Cherie

[Tim Downer]

Hi all
I too would like to hear about your induction programme, as i have a 60 - 70 page information document pack with the usual health and safety info, cleaning proceedures and work instructions, risk assessments etc etc etc
Staff just read through it all, and afterwards i have an informal chat about the info in there.....then they go out onto site.
I do not always have the time to physically go out and train them on site.....although if i did have the time, i would rather do this, however my girls are very good and look after the newbees and show them the ropes.
I did think about having a mock room built on our premises and dirty it up to train them there.....but that is probably a bit far fetched.....unless anyone out there does this??
Any way, i do hope that prestine cleaning sees all our plees for their induction programme and responds soon.

All the best to you guys out there

Tim

[Jan K]

Hey Tim

Why don't you get them to come along to your house and get them to clean it.....saves your wide doing it and frees you both up to spend more tim,e oing the things you enjoy! 

[Tim Downer]

Jan!!!!
What are you doing to me??
The wife was looking at the computer because i chuckled at your comment.....but she feels it would be a waste of time as the house is always clean!!!
Besides, she is one of my cleaners, and if the house was grubby......!?!?!

Tim

[Jan K]

Oops sorry Tim and Tim's wife (not wide....bad spelling at mo)!

Can you ask her if she would like to come to sunny Plymouth and work as aprt of my team....can't get good cleaners for love nor money down ere!!

Jan

[Jan K]

Actually Tim, she could come down and clean MY house as it is a tip! Partner working nights at mo, so can't get any cleaning done! Besides which I HATE cleaning my own house, so its always a tip!!! 

You know what they say, the best hairdressers have the worst hair, the best builders lives on a building site, the best cleaners live in s s**t tip lol!!!!!

Jan