Last month, a story hit the headlines about an Italian cleaner who had accidentally thrown away contemporary art worth thousands. Defending their employee, who believed the artwork to be rubbish, the cleaning company was left to pick up a 10,000 euro bill to cover the mistake.
Whilst, admittedly, a very unfortunate incident, the story is a cautionary tale for commercial cleaning companies who work in environments containing confidential and high importance documents. When servicing a block of offices, a cleaner needs to be fully clued-up on what they should and should not be doing.
Confidence starts with a strong relationship from day one. A good contract cleaning company knows the important questions to ask their client before they begin their service. Key parameters for the job and any risks should be established ahead of time, so everyone is aware of what is expected.
Once everything is laid out, cleaning staff can be clearly briefed on the tasks that they need to complete and encouraged to ask questions if unsure. Whilst enthusiasm is to be expected from staff members, they need to be made clear on when they may be overstepping their role or risking the loss of vital documents.
Regular client contact is key once you have entered into an ongoing contract. It is the responsibility of company owners and managers to make sure that all is well and that any initial hiccups or concerns are identified and immediately rectified.
Of course, mistakes can happen, but there are many ways to make as sure as possible that they don’t.