Paul Ridden, CEO of SmartTask, discusses how workforce management software can support cleaning companies to manage HR processes, from hiring through to managing an employee’s working lifetime with the company.
For cleaning companies, like many in the service industries, managing staff well is critical to success. The business is all about its people, ensuring they are safe and doing a good job at the client’s premises.
Keeping up with HR compliance
Whether it’s the business owner, operations manager or in-house HR if fortunate enough to have one, managing people is a big task. Looking after a distributed workforce, providing training and monitoring working conditions and regulations, all while maintaining a high level of service, requires a constant watch. Cleaning companies are also noted for a high turnover of staff, which often means ongoing recruitment.
HR compliance requires a considerable amount of admin. From providing written terms and conditions of employment, tracking paid holidays and sick pay, integrating with payroll to ensure employees are paid correctly, to managing working hours, adequate rest breaks and safe and healthy working conditions for all staff.
Workforce management software can support companies with all of these HR processes. From the start of employment, through managing an employee’s lifetime with the company. It can help to streamline operations, save time on admin and increase employee satisfaction and loyalty – ultimately helping to provide a better customer service.
- Hiring the right people
You want to be confident in every hire - that they are punctual and carry out any job to required client standards. Getting the right, qualified staff from the start can help to avoid the costs and risks associated with failed screening processes and of replacing and training staff.
An onboarding and vetting module as part of a workforce management system can provide a consistent process to follow for recruiting. It helps you to comply with DBS checks, right to work or GDPR to meet client contractual expectations.
It can help verify that employees have the relevant skills and right training and storing details electronically is more secure and reduces the risk of lost paperwork.
- Training new employees
The faster staff are trained, the sooner you can confidently have them working on customer sites. With a workforce management system you can provide them with access to the employee handbook for processes and procedures. They can review your health and safety policy, review documents and checklists, and sign to validate completion. Automating these steps in this way can bring new hires up to speed faster.
- Monitoring safety and welfare
It can be challenging to keep up with health and safety regulations, but it's crucial. An easy-to-use dashboard can help monitor ongoing staff training needs, prompting managers to check in regularly. It can flag meeting dates to confirm staff have the correct equipment and uniforms or up to date training. It helps managers with due diligence and ensures employee wellbeing.
- Ensuring staff work/life balance
Shifts need to meet the requirements of the business while also supporting an employee’s personal situation, particularly if part-time hours or certain days are requested. Automated, intelligent rostering can ensure the most appropriate employee is scheduled, while also factoring in rest breaks and holidays. Easy to use tech, such as an app on their smartphone, makes life easy for staff to check in and out and book holidays.
Welfare checks can also be easily carried out, ensuring lone worker safety and meeting duty of care responsibilities. Having attendance data at your fingertips can help ensure a prompt and efficient customer service.
If HR compliance is on your to-do list, it’s time to look more closely at workforce management software.