FAQ's
Q. I am not happy with the current cleaners, will you have to re-employ them if I award you the contract?
A. In accordance with TUPE Transfer of Undertakings (protection of employment) Regulations 1981, the existing staff whether employed directly or through a third party transfer under their existing terms and conditions of employment. CL will consult with the transferring staff to ensure the handover is seamless with minimal client input.
All staff will be re-trained, supported and evaluated prior to any assessment being made of whether they are suitable to carry out the position efficiently and effectively.
There are many mitigating circumstances where staff have been let down by factors such as: lack of management support, lack of or unsuitable/ineffective cleaning materials, poor training or no training, miscommunication.
It is also possible to change the terms and conditions of contract given the applicable notice, which may include a change of hours worked, the timing of the service provided and methods of operation.
CL will always replace staff who produce substandard work having been given the training and tools to provide an excellent standard of work, our duty is to our client and to the other members of the team who perform.
Q. The cleaners are always running out of cleaning materials, how will CL ensure this doesn't happen?
A. CL have a dedicated member of the office based team taking and processing orders for cleaning materials and janitorial supplies. Materials can be ordered by fax, email and over the phone for mostly next day delivery and therefore no site should run out of materials. We do not set budgets as they are essential to a contract running efficiently. Local service managers monitor ordering and stock levels providing advice and training as required.
Q. How often will I see my local service manager? We have been let down by other contract cleaners, not seeing managers for months at a time!
A. As CL have a high ratio of managers to contracts, currently 1 for every 20 contracts, therefore they have more time than most of our competitors to spend on site. They also manage small geographical areas to reduce travelling time as most contracts are cleaned either early morning or evening.
Local service manager visits are as frequent as each customer requires (typically monthly minimum dependent upon contract size) and are backed by visits from the Operations Director who also monitors the frequency of visits and auditing of sites.
Q. What formal procedures are set up to ensure a pro-active management service and efficient communication between the cleaners and the client?
A. CL conform to ISO9001, cleaners have a site manual on each site with telephone numbers for both their local service manager and the regional office. Clients have cards with email, mobile and office numbers for local service managers and the operations director. All staff have induction training and ongoing training programmes, records are signed by staff and kept at our offices. Signing in books and comments books have contact details enabling both staff, management and clients to contact each other at any time.
Q. What vetting procedure do you provide to screen staff?
A. All staff are reference checked, work permits are checked against passports where applicable, Criminal Records Bureau checks are carried out where required. Other on site security measures include restricted area access, coats and bags to be left at reception, client informed of staff changes/cover.
Q. Are staff uniformed?
A. All staff are uniformed, we provide tabards, polo shirts, t shirts, trousers, skirts, safety boots, high visibility vests/jackets, hard hats, protective glasses etc as required for each site. Uniforms carry the company logo and photographic ID badges are issued where required.
Q. How does CL cope with absenteeism, what back up is there in place?
A. CL runs a high ratio of managers to contracts and therefore our local service managers are able to be more hands on than many competitors with more time to find additional resources if required.
Scheduled absences such as holidays are covered by other staff working at the same site where applicable (flexibility of cleaning times), cleaning staff from other local customers also help provide cover, in the event of them being unavailable relief cleaners are organised through our cleaner database or the service manager covers the cleaning themselves. Holidays are pre-booked to avoid multiple clashes giving site managers and off-site managers time to plan cover. Unscheduled absences are covered in the same way where notification has been given, otherwise a credit is raised.
Q. We have a language barrier which is causing communication problems with our cleaning team.
A. CL are an equal opportunities employer, employing many differing nationalities from all over the world. Some staff have some difficulties with spoken English and are allocated work in team environments without health and safety issues and a local service manager that is multilingual. Health and safety notices are translated as required.