Respect comes in all guises

Saying you care about our communities and our environment is more often than not greeted with an eyeroll. We’ve all become cynical about the ulterior motives of corporates and politicians who ‘play the care card’. Which is a shame. It’s ruined it for those of us who genuinely are concerned and do care about what’s happening around us. 

Thank Your Cleaner Day is one of those initiatives I hold dear. There are tens of thousands of Australians and New Zealanders who are employed to clean up after us and who are invisible to the bulk of us due to the unsociable hours they work. 

These are the cleaners who work in our airports, childcare centres, hospitals and healthcare facilities, schools, government departments, shopping malls and offices. They play an important role in keeping our public and private spaces clean and hygienic. 

In the main, they’re hardworking and honest – ‘handing in’ found items, ignoring left wallets and change on desks, and even we’ve been told, writing notes of encouragement on school whiteboards.  

This Wednesday, 16 October, OCS, along with thousands of other businesses will be supporting TYCD. Support is as simple as stopping to say ‘thanks’ to the cleaner you see at the mall, leaving a thank you card or small gift for your office cleaner – or going a step further and hosting a morning or afternoon tea.

For the 62,000 Australians and 40,000 New Zealanders who are cleaners it’s important we show we value their contribution and appreciate what they do – we respect them individually and cleaning as a profession. 

As an industry, cleaning is worth $4 billion annually to the Australian economy alone. That’s not small change. It also provides opportunities for people who want to take advantage of flexible working hours – the ‘after hours’ nature of much of their work suits many people’s work-life balance. 

Staff go on to advance their careers in the industry, progressing to supervisory and management roles. Some are even applauded for using innovative solutions to complex problems – don’t be a sceptic. Ever tried to clean an organic certified winery so that it meets health and safety regulations and supports environmental sustainability? 

So, my call to action is this. Stand up and say thanks. Whether that’s a simple handshake, a card or a party in an airplane hangar (true story), stop for a moment and show you care about those unsung heroes who make our days just a little better without us even knowing it.