Sometimes the most powerful tool we have in communicating with our workforce is silence.  This tool is so powerful that only level-headed managers can use it effectively. This tool is best used with the excuse makers and avoiders. Confident silence in the face of egregious claims tells employees that you are unwilling to justify such arguments and establishes a zero tolerance policy for taking the easy way out.

How silence is misused

As compelling a tool silence can be when dealing with hostile employees and irrational customers it is often used as a method of avoidance, managers too often bite their tongue in light of poor performance. Low scoring quality inspections should always be faced head on so employees can make corrections before service incidents become service problems which impact customer satisfaction.

In the building services industry much time is spent talking about efficiency, methodology and employee turnover as keys to success and while these are very true we often forget to discuss the importance of customer selection. While economic times get tough it is a natural response to take on any new business that presents itself however my 20 years in this industry have shown that this is the worst possible model.

While great employees can equal great success in an account there are some customers that will never be pleased and some contracts that will never make sense. Much as our managers are empowered to assign and dismiss service technicians as necessary abusive customers can also be recommended for contract termination.

Recognizing a “Good” customer

A good customer is not automatically the customer that is willing to pay the most. The ideal customer looks at their contractors as partners rather than “vendors” and is willing to listen to advice regarding the care and service of their facility.

Good Customers;

• Have a clear understanding of what they are looking for
• Provide appropriate lead time before starting a contract
• Ask for suggestions regarding the care of their facility
• Treat service technicians and day porters with respect
• Are willing to pay market value for services received

For building services contractors one of the greatest obstacles that we that we face is overcoming the stigma attached to our industry both when recruiting new employees and even when interacting with prospective customers. When communicating with these two make-or-break groups it is vital that we approach the conversation understanding exactly how important the role of building services contractor is.

While working for a building services contractor is unglamorous and sometimes even thankless the work we accomplish is vital. A well maintained building increases employee satisfaction and can reduce attrition rates and boost employee attendance. Proper building hygiene is a first line of defense against common illnesses, MRSA and even Avian Flu.

If we keep in context the work that we do we are less likely to present ourselves from a position of weakness and are more willing to find the employees and customers that respect what we do and view us as a professional organization.

Go to any corporate website and you’re sure to find the word diversity on at least a few pages. The problem is very few of us take the time to consider what diversity really means for our workforce. In the building services industry there are stereotypes about who is doing the work each night. When most people think of our industry they thing of the negative; the undocumented workers or social misfits but with the right recruiters , ample opportunity for reward & promotion and well maintained employee communication it is possible to build a diverse workforce.

At Horizon diversity means more than just ethnicity. Our employees come from as many educational and socioeconomic backgrounds as they do nations. Having engineers serve as part-time techs and supervisors allows us to gain extra attention to detail, former educators serve as exceptional job mentors and coaches. Individuals with higher levels of education are often overlooked in our industry as being “over qualified” however, nightly cleaning positions make the perfect part-time position for professional and quasi-professional individuals because the bulk of the work is done after hours in empty buildings. While there is some stigma attached to being a “cleaner” cleaning service jobs come without the shame of facing your neighbor at the grocery store as you ring up their filet mignon.

Anybody can clean and any enthusiastic individual with a “can-do” attitude and desire to commit to their work should be considered an outstanding candidate because expertise outside the building services industry can assist in day=to-day problem solving as much as a track record of facility services success would.