Staff Shortage Solutions

It seems today that more and more places are facing the issues that come with being short staffed. Higher turnover rates, labor costs, and general absences from workers are all contributing factors that frighten employers. Will we be able to continue with our quality of work? Are my current employees the next to leave? Are we keeping everyone healthy and safe? All valid concerns that arise with unexpected staff shortages happen. Nichols is here to help with a few ways to keep your head up and your facility clean.

One way to try and combat labor shortages is to retain the workers you have now. Encourage open and honest communication between coworkers and higher-ups, is everyone satisfied with the quality of their job, their wages, their hours? Talk to them! Find out what steps need to be taken to ensure you keep the good workers you have on hand. On top of communicating with them, let them know they are valued in the workplace, too.

Are the cleaning tasks that need to be done simply getting to be too much for the available staff you have? It may be time to look into the world of robotics within the janitorial industry. The thought of bringing robots in to work can be scary and threatening, but they don’t need to be seen as a replacement! These robots can be set to clean down long hallways while the actual people focus on the quality of cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing public facing surfaces. It’s necessary to prioritize which tasks need to be taken care of most often, though all are important.

Maybe big, floor sweeping robots aren’t your thing, that’s fine! There are other ways to ease the stress on your workers. Stay ahead of the curve by keeping your equipment up to date! That includes everything from your cleaning products to dispensers. Investing in eco-friendly chemicals can reduce the intake of harsh fumes while cleaning, and a trash bin with wheels can alleviate back pains that come with heavy lifting. These are small adjustments you can make. There are more extravagant options like an electronic dispenser system that alerts you when your soap and paper towels are low. However you want to tackle it, any effort you make towards helping your employees feel heard and respected will encourage them to stick around.