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Over the last year, the number of Michigan-based in-house janitors to receive their walking papers has drastically increased. The reason is a growing trend towards outsourcing of jan/san departments within public schools. In light of deep budget cuts, school board members are tasked with making the difficult...
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It was the cleaner, in the kitchen with the waste receptacle. Mystery solved! Or is it? Recently there have been items from our break room that have gone missing. First, it was half of someone’s lunch, then a full lunch and a container of sugar. The latest item to go M.I.A. was half a dozen packets...
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The economy. I don’t think I need to say anything else for you to get the picture. But despite financial turmoil, is there a silver lining for building service contractors? Whether it’s a depression or a recession, people still need clean buildings. And BSCs will need to staff those accounts...
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Everyone is talking about how the economic downturn is the worse it has been since the Great Depression. Republicans and democrats are still arguing over whether or not to pass the bailout bill. Talk about depressing, but through this economic downturn, many are asking how it will affect them. Well,...
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Think fast: How do you say “flat-head screwdriver” in Spanish? When a cleaner is strapped for time, the last thing they need is to differentiate between a “destornillador” with a “cabeza plana” or a “cabeza Phillips.” With that in mind, two University of...
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Building service contractors have to deal with internal turnover on a consistent basis and the task of filling the vacated position. The departure of an upper-level employee can leave the hiring manager at a loss. And some managers will bring in a person from outside the company who shares a similar...
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I recently read about a retail company that requires a four-week training period that compensates new employees with their full salary. Once the training period is over, the company presents the freshly trained group with something called The Offer: “If you quit today, we will pay you for the amount...
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When one decides to start their own company, the gamble of venturing into the business world is overshadowed by the potential to earn large amounts of money. Speaking in regards to building service contractors, the thrill of earning that first contract is only matched by earning additional contracts...
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As Baby Boomers creep closer to retirement age, many industries are feeling the pinch when it comes to replacing these seasoned veterans. Statistics indicate that in the next 5-7 years, a significant part of senior management (about 30 percent) will retire, leaving leadership positions void. Although...
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Just like any other position, cleaning managers will eventually leave their job. Whether it is to retire, change careers or just move on, the time will come when you leave your post. It is then that you will be judged on your management skills and whether or not you had a successful succession plan in...
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Last week in our blogs, Housekeeping Solutions editor Corinne Zudonyi wrote about how the four-day workweek would help employees manage the rising gas prices. Well, there’s another reason employers may want to consider changing from the typical five day, 9-5 to a more flexible shift: employee satisfaction...
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Last week, gas prices peeked at a national average of $4 a gallon. The stress that transportation has had on the working community has been immense and workers are looking for any way to reduce its impact. In my office, carpooling is more common than it ever was and reports from other industries indicate...
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A couple weeks ago Northeastern University student organization, Progressive Student Alliance (PSA), supported their school janitors by taking to the streets of Boston to protest low wages and poor working conditions. Some students also took their message to the stage at the commencement ceremony, before...
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At the request of a younger relative, I joined the 21st Century by signing up on Facebook. For those of you who have never heard of it, Facebook is an online community that allows you to have a personal page on the Internet to exchange likes, dislikes, hobbies, gossip, pictures, play games or talk shop...
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This time of year, I am bombarded with e-mails stressing the importance of spring cleaning. But, this yearly reminder not only results in a cleaner home or office, it offers the opportunity for the cleaner to truly stand out as the expert within the facility. The month of April could easily be renamed...