Office Cleaning

Office janitorial services

Finding a janitor or office cleaning services for your business can be a challenge. Beyond identifying what the services you want performed and the price you're willing to pay for them, here are some tips and suggestions to help you get started.

Hiring a Janitor

If your office is small, hiring a single janitor might be your most cost-effective solution. You may know someone looking for work, or someone who already cleans offices and is willing to add you as a client. A freelance janitor (i.e., an independent contractor) will usually prove to be your least expensive option. Because you won't pay any overhead costs when you hire an independent contractor, the janitor will earn good money and, hopefully, be motivated to keep you as a client by doing a good job.

An independent janitor will not usually require a contract, though you may want to have one anyway. One important consideration to make is that most self-employed independent contractors don't carry insurance and, if the worker is injured on the job, he or she may try to sue you for damages.

Also, unless you know the janitor personally, gained a referral from someone you know or check the janitor's references, you will have no way to determine whether or not a particular individual is trustworthy and dependable. Since the janitor will have keys to your office and access to everything inside, good references from reputable sources are absolutely necessary.

Another drawback is that, unless your janitor brings cleaning supplies and cleaning tools, you will have to provide them. Also, an independent janitor will generally have no back-up if he or she is unable to work.

Contract Janitorial Services

You can choose either franchised or privately-owned office cleaning services. Both options generally require that you sign a service contract before any work can be performed. Because this can lock you into a bad situation is the service is poor, find out how long the company has been in business, check their reputation with the Better Business Bureau and ask for references from satisfied former clients.

A contract office cleaning business will usually perform background checks on the janitors before hiring them. With a contract service you generally get bonded, licensed and insured janitors, so if they steal, vandalize or get hurt, the company can cover your losses. Be sure to ask how much insurance they carry. All contract service janitors will bring their own supplies and, if a given janitor quits, the company will have a back-up worker ready to go.

Franchise janitorial services can be the most expensive and, because their employees are poorly paid, may have high turnover. By contrast, privately-owned office cleaning services might cost you less and pay their employees more, motivating them to work harder. Some other services these businesses may offer include junk removal and site maintenance.

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