How To Retain Quality Business Employees Without Raising Their Salaries

Discover the secret to hiring janitorial staff and keeping those amazing employees for years to come

In today’s podcast Mike speaks with Wes Baker, of Mid Valley Industrial, about hiring janitorial staff and even more importantly, how to retain quality janitorial staff without simply raising their salaries. Mid Valley Industrial serves the Hortonville Wisconsin area and specializes in heavy industrial cleaning services.

Wes wants to know how he can keep workers longer, without spending more money. Mike and Wes discuss why it is important to create a positive work environment, and lists several strategies to creating a unique business culture that will draw in, and keep quality cleaning business employees.

KEY POINT: Don’t Just Throw Money At Them

Retaining quality cleaning business employees is an important part of your business’s success. There’s a better way to keep great workers without just throwing a pay raise at them. Yes, the dollar is powerful, and you need to make sure not to undervalue your workers. However, all cleaning business owners need to watch their bottom line and overhead. You really can’t afford to constantly increase salaries, or keep hiring janitorial staff when they quit!

Many people assume a raise will keep employees in place. If you throw money at the problem two things will happen.

They aren’t any better! You assume quality will rise with pay rate, but that won’t be the case. You will still have the same worker doing the same job.

When you use money as a motivation your employees will leave you for the next guy with a nickel.

To create loyal employees who are motivated to work hard, you will need to create a positive cleaning business culture that they can’t find anywhere else.

KEY POINT: Give them something they can’t get anywhere else

If you really want to retain quality cleaning business employees, you’ll need to create something special. Treating workers like a commodity isn’t going to work. There are an infinite amount of options for workers to simply trade time for money. You need to be the one company that has something else to offer.

Things you can offer employees include a community, a positive work environment, and a core value system. If an employee feels like they are a part of something bigger than themselves, they will be less likely to leave for a competitor. If your employees go to work looking forward to seeing coworkers and managers who are supportive and friendly, you have achieved your goal.

KEY POINT: Build a community through monthly events

A great way to build a community is through monthly events. Have a party every month to celebrate the success of your employees, and to encourage friendships and networking. Invite vendors, employees, spouses, friends and family. When the spouses of employees meet they may become friends. Worker’s children may start to have play dates. Friends might exchange contact information and cultivate lifelong relationships.  Then when it comes time for an employee to decide if he will stay with the company there will be more at stake.

A fun idea is to rent a dunk tank. Put executives in there and let employees take a shot at their superiors! Mike has even rented oversized sumo suits and ridiculous boxing gloves for friendly sparring matches. It’s a great idea to host a carnival like event. Anything that promotes fun and gets everyone involved will work.

Other Great Activity Ideas:

• Football tournaments
• Prizes and awards for silly categories
• Pot Lucks
• Catered Lunches
• Golf Tournaments

KEY POINT: Have Them Come To You

When hiring janitorial staff don’t spend your time putting out generic ads!  For quality cleaning business employees, get those employees come to you. By creating a positive work environment, hosting fun events, and drawing in a community, you will create buzz that will draw in quality inquiries.

If you do feel the need to put out an ad when hiring janitorial staff, make sure to list your core values and mission statement. This way, only applicants who align with your company will apply. They will come to you, pre-educated, predisposed, and prequalified to do business with you.

If you put time and energy into making a great atmosphere, and hosting fun events, the word will spread. For hiring janitorial staff the friends of workers who are invited to your events will realize that they want to work for a company like yours.

Create a space everyone wants to be a part of, and you will have quality cleaning business employees coming to you in droves.

KEY POINT: Designate A Morale Manager

It’s a good idea to designate a morale manager even when hiring janitorial staff. At a large company this could be a full time position, or at a small company it could be a part of an employee’s responsibilities. This person will be able to run with these ideas and work on them specifically. It does take work to plan events and evaluate their response.

The morale manager needs to be someone who loves this type of work. It helps if they are naturally inclined to be involved at the office. Outgoing personalities are a great choice. The manager will help you get the ball rolling and have a system set up.

All of your quality cleaning business employees will want to stay for years just to be a part of the great community you create. Wes brings this fantastic podcast to an end with killing it in the…