ADVICE & OPINION COMMENT CLEANING FOR ALL TO SEE 6 FEBRUARY 2016 CLEANING HYGIENE TODAY QAC is a residential college for people with visual impairment and other disabilities. The college has 55 residential students and clients, more than 160 day students and 200- plus teaching and other staff. Based in Harborne, Birmingham, it provides students with life and community skills through academic and vocational training. CHT investigated how cleaning requirements are met in such a unique environment at least once a term, and supervisor Karen meets with them more often. “It’s an opportunity to thank people,” said Holmes, who likes to bring along a cake as a gesture to show his appreciation. Reacting quickly to issues is another important gesture. A broken hoover can really impact on people’s ability to do their work. Holmes makes a point of trying to fix a broken item himself, or replace it, as soon as possible. It’s also about being an approachable boss who can listen and be sympathetic towards people’s situations outside of work. If an individual has family problems, and is struggling to deal with that, it’s about trying to understand the situation and be flexible and not penalise someone. My team know that it’s give and take.” As a result of working to build a great relationship and a great team spirit, Holmes enjoys a very low staff turnover. He hasn’t had to recruit in the last three years. Another big part of the relationship is trust. Holmes likes to leave cleaners to get on with their job, which they know inside out. “They know the standard that’s expected and they have a good work ethic. They always get the job done.” That being said, it’s important to balance that with not neglecting them, or standards might slip. And, ultimately, staff know that their work is paramount to the contract’s success. Dirty classrooms and accommodation just wouldn’t do. “Students live and breathe here. We’d risk an outbreak if the cleaning wasn’t done right, and staff take that seriously.” If anything does go wrong, the problem is raised with the team as a whole, rather than deemed to be one In 17 years of working at Queen Alexandra College (QAC), cleaning supervisor Karen Wilkes has seen hundreds of students come and go, to realise their potential to live and work independently. Facilities management provider OCS has successfully managed cleaning and catering services at QAC since 1999. A few of the team of 20 staff, such as Karen, have been on the contract from the start, which is unusual given the industry’s notoriously high turnover rate. Their work involves much more than ‘just’ cleaning. OCS staff work alongside college staff to ensure the service to students takes account of their individual support needs. A current student had behavioural issues when he came on board. Recognising that getting extra attention can be helpful, Karen gave him a cleaner’s tabard to wear, at times, to help him concentrate, which has worked wonders. Karen has also supported classroom teaching. As part of a recent work experience week, she was invited into a class to talk about work uniforms. Karen brought in cleaner and chef uniforms, talked about them in a way that the students could understand, and let them try them on. The client was delighted and praised Karen for pitching the information at the right level without treating the students like children, which is a highly developed skill. This year, it’s Karen’s time to move on to pastures new. She’s retiring and off to live in France with her husband. But she leaves behind a team of cleaners ready and willing to carry on her good work, which wouldn’t necessarily happen automatically elsewhere in the industry. A recent piece of research has revealed that being a cleaner is one of the most miserable jobs. Workwear Express surveyed 1,020 adults in work throughout the UK to find out how happy employees really are. The research found that call centre adviser, accountant, bin man and cleaner were the most miserable jobs to work in. OCS cleaners at QAC demonstrate the ‘other side’. Many enjoy and are proud of their work, and are valued by the client and the students at QAC. So what are their secrets to success? Contract manager Mike Holmes reinforces the message that “the OCS team are not just cleaners”. They know the students and staff by name and vice versa, interact with them every day, and go above and beyond to help. They are part of the QAC family. Life at the college can be demanding. Some students have severe learning difficulties and behavioural problems. Tantrums are not uncommon. And toilet accidents occur frequently, which have to be cleaned up. “We don’t quibble about it. We just get on with it,” said Holmes. Students’ health and safety is a top priority and the team is also trained to recognise and report anything out of the ordinary, such as a sink with blood in it, or an empty container with contents that might have been ingested. A big part of getting on with it is knowing what to expect and how to handle challenging situations, as well as the day-to-day work. All new cleaners get an extensive induction, by Holmes if possible. “Understanding people with disabilities is paramount to working here. Our induction helps new staff to understand why a student might be behaving in a certain way and feel more comfortable in responding.” In fact, staff training in general is a priority. Most of the team has been trained to NVQ level 2 or 3. And Holmes does his best to accommodate any requests for career advancement, as long as they’re feasible, cost effective and practical. Cleaners have also completed OCS in-house merit award cleaning module. Being trained to this level ensures the health and safety and welfare of the team, and strengthens OCS’ ability to retain and win business. Even with things ticking over nicely, Holmes meets with the whole team person’s fault. “When things go wrong, it’s how we deal with it that counts. It doesn’t hurt to notify everyone that a problem has occurred and what the nature of it is. It reiterates what the expectation is.” And when things go well, it’s about communicating that too and giving praise and thanks where it’s due. For Holmes, it’s also about thanking the team by reward and giving people opportunities, such as a disabled gentleman in his 50s, on a back to work scheme, who is now a brilliant kitchen porter; instilling a collective can-do attitude; and building a strong relationship, of mutual resect and understanding, with the client. Another aspect of the contract, on the catering side, involves putting on theme days in the dining room. Chinese New Year, an indoor BBQ to celebrate the leap year, back to school dinner day, national vegetarian week and America breakfast day have all been the menu. OCS also puts on an end-of-year offsite buffet for 600 students, families and friends. The cleaning team is always invited to come along and join in the celebrations. Being part of life at QAC, and working with people with disabilities, gives many of the cleaning staff an added sense of purpose. For others, it’s just about coming to work to do a job where they know exactly what is expected of them. “I have always been very clear about what their goal is,” said Holmes; namely to get a great end result no matter what. “It boils down to looking after your people and making them feel like part of something. Then you really get the best out of people.”
CHT February 2016
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