Are you thinking of hiring staff for your cleaning business? Read on to learn what you should know before you hire

To grow your cleaning business beyond yourself, you must hire cleaners – but I need to tell you some home truths before you do…

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When you gain more cleaning hours than you can physically do, it’s time to start thinking about when to hire staff to share the workload with you and to grow your client base.

Getting to the stage where you’re looking to hire your first staff member is a big deal, so congratulations, Mama on reaching this milestone! Your cleaning business is growing, which means YOU are doing an excellent job getting your business recommended and recognised as a legitimate cleaning service many people want to use. Bravo, all the claps for you.

Now, the tricky part is that you have to try and find another human being who will represent your cleaning business in the way you represent it. You need to find somebody who will clean the way you would, interact with the clients the way you would, and love your business and brand the way you do. Day in and day out.

The reason I say ‘tricky’ is because, well, it’s nigh on impossible!

Okay… I’m going to try and give this to you gently.

I have been running my cleaning businesses for the last 15 years and have employed many people. In all that time, the only people who eat, sleep, breathe, and love my businesses totally and fully are a huge fan base of one. Me.

** NEWSFLASH **

Your business is not personal to your employees. They do not care how it runs, your business troubles, or how you have fought so hard to get where you are today. They don’t care.

Your cleaning staff will only care mainly about the following 4 things:

1. They have enough hours for what they need for their life

2. They get their paid holiday time

3. Their job is secure

4. They are paid on time

Sorry to burst any bubbles. Before you recruit, it’s vital for you to know this. Staff are with you to earn a living not be part of the fabric of your cleaning business.

Before I put you off, it’s not all doom – you can hire a cleaner and motivate them to represent your cleaning business well and to represent the brand with pride, no problem at all. You can create a great working environment for your cleaners so that they love working for you and your clients, no problem.

You will never get a staff member to love your business like you do. This isn’t a bad thing or something you are doing wrong.

This is your new reality of being ‘the boss’.

When you first employ people, it can be very frustrating when they don’t act, do or say things you wish they would! It can be maddening when a cleaner calls in sick over something you deem workable. Even the best cleaners will have off days and not be to their usual standard. Sometimes, your staff will make you want to pull out your hair!

The trick to dealing with all the frustrations of being an employer is to know not to take employees personally.

Put simply: When someone comes to work for you, it is their job; it is not their personal labour of love.

Think about whenever you have worked for someone else in the past. Did you jump out of bed with the same enthusiasm as you do for your own business? Did you push through at a job when you were not feeling it or were poorly like you would in your own business? Would you take a drop in money from your job to get a project you passionately believed in off the ground?

The answers, I’m guessing, are no, no and hellllllllll no!

So why do you think employees of your business would?

It is naive to think that your cleaning business will be different from any other business and that your employees will always be committed brand ambassadors just because you built it and believe in it.

I have cleaners that have worked for me for 8, 9, 10 years of my 14-year history. I am fortunate (and also have some excellent procedures in place within my business for my cleaners that have been developed over the years, which I’ll share with you another day)

If I were a betting woman, I’d say, in the main, my employees are happy working for me; I have excellent staff retention rates and have created a team of very loyal, committed cleaners.

I always try to be a fair employer and consider my staff in all that I do with my business, BUT if the cleaner’s needs changed and I could not meet them, they would leave me and my business. It would not be personal, and it’s just how it goes: people change jobs.

Cleaners will come and go, but my main concern is my business and how to grow and sustain it. Yours should be, too.

Cleaning business owners be aware…

You were not heart and soul committed to your past employers, and now that you’re the boss, you get to view this situation in a whole new way (and also feel very sorry to your past employers for those non-needed duvet days you took now that you know the pain of absent staff!)

Before You Hire Staff

1. Have a clear list of tasks and duties you want the cleaner to do

2. Have a list of all the features and benefits of working for your business

3. Have a clear set of standards and expectations for your cleaning staff

4. Get a contract of employment to protect you and your business – I can’t stress this enough!

5. Speak to your insurance provider about how taking on a staff member will affect your premiums and get quotes for any additional insurance, like ‘Employers Liability’ insurance

6. Leave your heart and ego at home when dealing with staff members. It’s not personal. It’s always all business, no matter how well you may get on. You can be friendly and caring towards your cleaning staff, of course, but maintain a professional boundary at all times and always, always keep your business goals in your focus.

7. Be legal in your business – treat all employees properly and fairly, subscribe to all government statutory requirements and minimums, have proper contracts and training, and have a support structure for your cleaners – I always try to judge this best by asking if would I be happy to work for me?

Hiring employees is an exciting time. But please know hiring employees will change your business landscape, and it is vital to learn new tactics to protect your heart (and sanity) when dealing with staff.

Don’t worry tho, I’m going to hold your hand and help you through this strange journey of being responsible for people, and I will show you how to build processes around your team to stay legal and in control.

What scares you the most about hiring staff for your cleaning business? What was the biggest shock to you when you first hired a cleaner? In the comments, let me know how you dealt with growing your business beyond yourself. I’d love to hear your experiences.

Thanks for being here, and don’t forget to check out the links below for additional resources.

K x

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