Adjusting to the “New Normal”
It’s been a turbulent time for most businesses during this pandemic and no more so for the contract cleaning sector. With Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement at the end of June, many building occupiers vacated their work space overnight. Business hub’s such as Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Leeds were turned into empty shells collectively heeding the government message of “Stay at home, Save Lives”
As we now gradually emerge from our own shells to reoccupy the workplace, we are all having to adjust to the “new normal” and for the cleaning sector this means adopting an even more flexible approach to the delivery of cleaning and associated services under a re energised appreciation in the importance of our being. Our key worker cleaning personnel, the front line staff working each day upon our client’s premises, have always been appreciated, but the service as a whole may at times have been seen as a necessary overhead – but not anymore!
Whilst many buildings are still nowhere near full occupation we are continuing to support our clients in a variety of ways and our profile has immeasurably increased from simple cleaning service provider to trusted advisor. In addition to the expected adjustments made to cleaning frequencies – cleaning of touch points, hygiene areas and other higher risk areas such as meetings rooms, clients are seeking our counsel - with over 150 years combined experience - on the establishment of circulatory routes around occupied spaces and redrafting of RAMS in order to present a uniformed hygienically clean approach as well as co originating desk occupation to fully ensure limited use areas are systematically cleaned between each occupation.
During these unprecedented times Time-Out’s standard approach to customer service, when asked can we – “yes” is always the response, will give us the resilience to emerge from this fitter and stronger than before. As an example to reduce footfall within a clients premises, particularly in common space such as kitchen areas, we are now delivering at desk hot drinks services, further reducing cross contamination risk for building occupiers.
As we always say, this business is all about people and it’s our people on the ground together with operational managers supporting them that constantly flex to accommodate our clients changing needs. Thankfully with the continued quality cleaning delivered through hard work and commitment at all levels within Time-Out Cleaning Services, the “New Normal” whilst challenging, provides us with an opportunity each and every day to deliver increasingly valued cleaning and associated services to our customers.