Here we have an infographic that we have created highlighting Contract Cleaning or in-House Cleaning.
The debate about whether a business should clean its own premises or outsource this service by employing contract cleaners is not as straightforward as one would imagine.
Cost
- Only 20% of companies with less than 20 employees outsource cleaning.
- 45% of companies that employ 20 – 100 people use correct cleaning services.
This increases to 62% for companies that employ over 100 people.
Reality
The majority of companies cannot afford contract cleaning services and only 1 in 4 companies can actually afford to outsource their cleaning services.
Mistakenly some businesses believe they can save money by outsourcing which leads to disruption as the reality of the situation means they have to take back the cleaning in-house.
Types of Establishment
Sometimes the decision depends on time constraints. Interesting enough licensed premises such as Pubs are disproportionately high in the use of outsourced cleaning services.
85% of public houses use contract cleaners even if they employ 10 people or less.
Pubs often open early and shut late making it difficult for existing staff to clean after they shut which in many cases can be after 1 am. Offices on the other hand lend themselves to evening cleaning.
Level of Cleanliness Required
Some establishments do not have the level of expertise required to carry out the cleaning themselves.
Doctor’s surgeries fall into this category. Over 90% of doctor’s surgeries outsource their cleaning requirements even if they are only small surgeries. Stringent regulatory requirements from The Care Quality Commission means only trained personnel can achieve the level of cleaning required.
Also, for security reasons including access to sensitive patient medical records means cleaners need to pass DBS Checks.
Colour coding COSHH and Risk Assessments mean it’s much easier and simpler for Doctor’s Surgeries to outsource these hassles and get contract cleaners to literally do the dirty work.
Dust Sensitive Establishments
Some laboratories and other such entities fall into this category. Special vacuum cleaners are required which pick up very small dust particles not detected by ordinary vacuum cleaners. Specialist contract cleaners are required to service these establishments.
Lack of In-House Skills
With some cleaning tasks, it’s just not possible to do the following in-house:
- Carpet cleaning
- Rotary floor scrubbing
- Curtain cleaning
- Floor polishing
- Steam cleaning
- Upholstery cleaning
Lack of in-house skills and machinery required mean it’s not practical to carry out these cleaning tasks in-house and inevitably these are outsourced.
Health & Safety
Some cleaning tasks cannot be taken in-house. The most obvious being abseiling to clean high-rise windows from outside.
Control
There is an obvious difference between in-house staff and outsourced cleaning staff in terms of how much influence can be exerted.
Outsources contract cleaning staff work to a predetermined rigid cleaning schedule and will not undertake any tasks outside the schedule. Clearly in-house staff are much more flexible and will perform any cleaning task asked of them.
Absenteeism
In-house staff present a problem when they go on annual leave or are taken ill suddenly. Also emergencies can mean they are not available for work.
Contract cleaners services remove this degree of uncertainty by having suitable cover at all times.
