Ask These Questions Before You Hand Your Keys to the Janitor
When it comes time to hire someone to keep your office clean, there are many things to consider.
Don't let just anyone come into your business.
It is important to hire an office cleaning company that has the appropriate systems in place so you know just who you are trusting with your company's work space.
Does the cleaning service carry general liability insurance and workman compensation? Since Texas does not legally require employers to carry a workman compensation policy, many cleaning services try to save money and do not.
This puts the liability on your shoulders.
Additionally, limits on coverage should be at least $500,000 and preferably 1 million for both policies.
The general liability policy should also have a "non-owned company vehicle" rider since most cleaning staff will drive their own vehicle to the customer's location to clean it.
If the cleaning company carries a surety bond this is okay, but a little know fact is that it only pays out upon conviction of a crime, which is rarely seen.
Who will be doing the actual cleaning your building? Will the staff cleaning your building actually be employees of the janitorial company, or will they be under sub-contractor status? Using sub-contractors is a very common scenario with cleaning services locally as they attempt to reduce costs by avoiding payroll taxes on employees.
Both the IRS and the Texas Workforce Commission are clear on this point: anyone cleaning for your company should be an employee.
Additionally, the general liability insurance and workman comp policies will not cover those individuals classified as sub-contractors.
Which additional services will you use from the cleaning company? Avoid lumping additional services like floor care and additional products like toilet tissue, hand towels, etc.
in with the monthly cleaning price.
Instead, ask for separate pricing on floor care, carpet cleaning and other services on an "as needed" basis.
This puts you in control of your budget and keeps your monthly cost lower.
Often, it looks like a better deal up front but many cleaning services will simply neglect to perform all the add-on services during the course of the year when no one is noticing.
As for hand soap, trash can liners, toilet tissue etc, buy your own.
The janitorial company is simply going to add 20% or more to the cost for the convenience of handling it for you.
How does the office cleaning company deal with inspections? Do they even do them? Are they done on a routine schedule? Make it clear you will be looking for a visit from the supervisor each and every month to discuss the results of an onsite inspection.
Most companies do not do them and of those who advertise they do, many do not consistently show up to do them.
Inspections should not be optional and if your janitor service is not doing them, you will likely end up needing to find a new service eventually because you will end up dissatisfied with their work.
Finally, what is the pay scale of their cleaning staff? We all know what minimum wage help will bring us.
It is said that "you get what you pay for" and often minimum wage workers will provide lack of quality cleaning and massive turnover.
Neither of which will result in your satisfaction.
Also inquire as to whether the cleaning company provides healthcare benefits to their full time staff.
Most don't but doing so indicates a stronger commitment level to both low employee turnover and your satisfaction.
Taking the time to ask a few simple questions can prevent the possibility of dissatisfaction in the long run and prevent you from putting you at risk of major legal consequences.
Don't let just anyone come into your business.
It is important to hire an office cleaning company that has the appropriate systems in place so you know just who you are trusting with your company's work space.
Does the cleaning service carry general liability insurance and workman compensation? Since Texas does not legally require employers to carry a workman compensation policy, many cleaning services try to save money and do not.
This puts the liability on your shoulders.
Additionally, limits on coverage should be at least $500,000 and preferably 1 million for both policies.
The general liability policy should also have a "non-owned company vehicle" rider since most cleaning staff will drive their own vehicle to the customer's location to clean it.
If the cleaning company carries a surety bond this is okay, but a little know fact is that it only pays out upon conviction of a crime, which is rarely seen.
Who will be doing the actual cleaning your building? Will the staff cleaning your building actually be employees of the janitorial company, or will they be under sub-contractor status? Using sub-contractors is a very common scenario with cleaning services locally as they attempt to reduce costs by avoiding payroll taxes on employees.
Both the IRS and the Texas Workforce Commission are clear on this point: anyone cleaning for your company should be an employee.
Additionally, the general liability insurance and workman comp policies will not cover those individuals classified as sub-contractors.
Which additional services will you use from the cleaning company? Avoid lumping additional services like floor care and additional products like toilet tissue, hand towels, etc.
in with the monthly cleaning price.
Instead, ask for separate pricing on floor care, carpet cleaning and other services on an "as needed" basis.
This puts you in control of your budget and keeps your monthly cost lower.
Often, it looks like a better deal up front but many cleaning services will simply neglect to perform all the add-on services during the course of the year when no one is noticing.
As for hand soap, trash can liners, toilet tissue etc, buy your own.
The janitorial company is simply going to add 20% or more to the cost for the convenience of handling it for you.
How does the office cleaning company deal with inspections? Do they even do them? Are they done on a routine schedule? Make it clear you will be looking for a visit from the supervisor each and every month to discuss the results of an onsite inspection.
Most companies do not do them and of those who advertise they do, many do not consistently show up to do them.
Inspections should not be optional and if your janitor service is not doing them, you will likely end up needing to find a new service eventually because you will end up dissatisfied with their work.
Finally, what is the pay scale of their cleaning staff? We all know what minimum wage help will bring us.
It is said that "you get what you pay for" and often minimum wage workers will provide lack of quality cleaning and massive turnover.
Neither of which will result in your satisfaction.
Also inquire as to whether the cleaning company provides healthcare benefits to their full time staff.
Most don't but doing so indicates a stronger commitment level to both low employee turnover and your satisfaction.
Taking the time to ask a few simple questions can prevent the possibility of dissatisfaction in the long run and prevent you from putting you at risk of major legal consequences.
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