The job of a janitor was a much more straightforward affair than it is today. Of course it has never been easy, but in the world before COVID, the pressure that we see weighing on the entire commercial cleaning industry today, was nowhere to be seen.
As COVID continues to spread through America, many businesses have to evaluate the risk vs rewards of opening their doors to the public, and though they may be capable of opening, they may not sustainably have the resources to keep their employees or even customers safe. This presents some serious ethical decisions to business owners, and though most will make the most conscious/ethical choice that will either help the most (or at least harm the least), there will always be those that take unnecessary risks in order to improve their bottom line.
And ultimately, a poor decision to bypass recommended safety procedures can’t be placed solely on any one person, or any one company in the janitorial industry. After All, everyone is doing the best they can, with the resources they have, to get through this chaos, and hopefully, to keep the rest of us safe, and the dangerous pathogen at bay.
However, when cleaning companies are being hired by large corporate entities that aren’t as willing to spend the extra dollars needed to ensure proper CDC and FDA guidelines are followed…
Janitorial companies face the stressful decision of taking the job and doing their best with what they have (and staying afloat in this financially strapped time) or passing on the job, knowing full well the “next guy” will cut even more corners in order to survive.
This brings us to an excellent article posted by the New York Times, where they dive deep into exactly what many companies are demanding of the janitorial industry, and the ethical dilemmas faced by cleaners and cleaning company owners every day.
We know the world isn’t black and white, and we know hard decisions get made at all levels of business, every day that can have lasting impacts on people, places, and public health.
We also know the good hearts and heroism we’ve witnessed in the janitorial industry since the very start of this pandemic, and we have faith in their ability to rise above adversity and continue to keep the world safer for everyone.
And luckily for cleaning companies, getting the right supplies just got a little easier, with government assisted financing of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and COVID related cleaning supplies, making it easier to make the best decisions for your clients and employees!
Our best advice? Know the new rules and guidelines presented by your government, know the best methods of putting them into action, and know that now more than ever, the world appreciates the position of janitors as our first line of defense against further contagions and health hazards.
For more information, and if you want all the grim-yet-hopeful details of what is going on in today’s commercial cleaning businesses, check out the New York Times Deep-dive HERE, and be sure to keep your eyes on Swept’s blog for all recent news related to the janitorial industry.
Swept helps empower the owners and operators of commercial cleaning companies with the information they need to run a successful cleaning company. Having started as a commercial cleaning company ourselves, our hearts go well beyond the janitorial software we offer. Want more info and tips on the janitorial bidding process? We’ve got you covered HERE, and HERE! Learn more about Swept’s cleaning company software HERE. And to keep up on all future updates, as well as trends in the janitorial services industry, subscribe to our blog!