Valuing the under-valued

The cleaning industry employs 5 per cent of the overall UK workforce, or 1.6 million people. And each year, the incredible work these people do daily contributes ￡54.5 billion to economy. To put that in context, it’s nearly double the contribution made by food and drink and agriculture combined.

In more recent months, the value of our nation’s cleaners has gone above and beyond finances – they have been instrumental in keeping us safe from harm. Every day for the past 14 months, cleaners have stepped up, putting their lives on the line, to ensure that the loss of life from COVID-19 is greatly reduced, and that our businesses and our livelihoods can continue despite the crisis.

Despite the amazing influence cleaners have had, and continue to have, they are so often overlooked. Take the story of Julie Cousin, cleaner for banking giant HSBC, who – after 35 years of loyal service – stepped down from her role after being treated cruelly and aggressively by her employer.

Unfortunately, this attitude isn’t uncommon. While I could sit here all day and reel off statistics about how much of an impact cleaners make to:

·      the reputation of a business; 92 per cent of customers consider cleanliness an important factor in becoming a repeat customer;

·      the happiness of its staff; 92 per cent say a hygienic office gives peace of mind, and;

·      overall profitability; cleanliness reduces absenteeism, saving companies billions per year;

the key message I want to get across is that a business’ cleaners are human. They are incredibly skilled, hard-working and determined individuals and they deserve our respect.

This year, we celebrated our cleaners through our inaugural Top of the Mops awards. We wanted to find a fun and unique way to recognise and reward our team’s incredible grit and determination over the past year, celebrating their success as well as their unmovable loyalty to their clients.

As the pandemic subsides, I hope all businesses remember the strength and perseverance their cleaning teams have shown over the past 14 months and the unwavering support they have provided. And as we move towards the path of recovery, please don’t dismiss your cleaners like they are spare parts, without them, your company would not be where it is today.

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