MEASURING JANITORIAL PRODUCTIVITY

Measuring Janitorial Productivity Benson Palmer and Cory Paxton Brigham Young University June 1, 2010

MEASURING JANITORIAL PRODUCTIVITY

Abstract There is an uncertainty about the measurement of janitorial productivity. While private entities have their own method for measuring productivity, findings from interviews, scholarly journals, and the Internet show there is no effective industry-wide measure of productivity.

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Problem Statement H0: There is an effective industry-wide measure of productivity. H1: There is no effective industry-wide measure of productivity.

Methodology Researchers searched through several online sources to determine whether a measure of janitorial productivity could easily be located. Further searches were conducted on several organizations' websites, which led to other articles. Key words include: janitorial productivity, contracts and inspections, cleaning checklists and standards, cleaning for health.

Findings The main sites used for the research were www.neahin.org (National Education Association Health Information Network), www.healthycleaning.com, www.osha.gov (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and www.epa.gov (Environmental Protection Agency). Many of these resources had excellent information on custodial safety, but contained no information pertaining to cleanliness standards or measures of janitorial productivity. In addition to online research, an interview was conducted with Dr. Jeffery Campbell, the Facility and Property Management program chair at Brigham Young University. Dr. Campbell has never heard of an industry-wide janitorial productivity standard. An interview with Brian Stewart, a custodian who has worked in healthcare facility management and similar facilities for over twenty years, resulted in the same conclusion. Mr. Stewart discussed what he has used to measure the productivity of the cleaners under his jurisdiction. He creates checklists for each area and its designated cleaning worker. Several

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times a week he goes through an assigned area with the employee and reviews each check point. He rates them according to how well they performed the task. When employees consistently underperform, he reprimands them and possibly terminates their employment if improvement is not seen. Another technique Mr. Stewart uses to measure productivity is the white light cleaning method. He randomly selects surfaces and records dates on them with an invisible marker. After a few days he checks the marks by running a white light over the area. If the date is still there, he knows the area wasn't cleaned to meet expectations. Mr. Stewart pointed out another aspect of productivity not yet considered. One of the major problems that exist in public school systems is funding. Too often janitorial workers are understaffed and underfunded, limiting the school's potential. Due to low funds, cleaning employees are not expected to clean and perform as well as they could and should. Since there is no national cleaning standard, the results of arbitrary cleaning efforts in some locations are inefficient and undesired. Nevertheless, these may be the situations where cleaners are doing a ''decent'' job and possibly exceeding expectations, depending on management. An article found on Brigham Young University's database solidifies this point. Michael Wilson explains when budgets are cut, expectations are lowered. This problem can be fixed by careful allocation of resources under good management and counsel. A third-party group, Managmen, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, audited the facility addressed in the article. With limited resources and employees, the school was able to become more productive and efficient through zone cleaning and implementing ideas from the third party experts (Wilson, 2004). In the interview with Dr. Campbell, variables in productivity were also addressed. The purpose of the interview was to come to a better understanding of the definition of productivity, both in general and as it applies to janitorial work. Variables such as the balance of quality and

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cost, individual versus team cleaning, right equipment, proper training (with assistance from an SOP, or standard operating procedures), right instructions, and inspecting the process were discussed. The factors of effective janitorial productivity are extensive and require sound management. A foundation for janitorial productivity was given in the text Custodial Staffing and Guidelines, from APPA: The Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers. This book gives details on the above variables for further comprehension of the factors influencing an employee's productivity. One variable listed was instilling ownership. "Ownership is basically the reliance upon each individual to perform to the best of their abilities on a routine basis, and having the responsibility to recognize and complete all necessary tasks satisfactorily" (APPA, 2008, p. 149). This point, although hard or impossible to quantify, pocesses great significance. As one takes pride in the work they do and share a sense of ownership and responsibility with others in the company, their willingness and desire to perform well increases. Essential information for this research study came from a presentation and interview with persons from the cleaning outsource company, Managemen. Numerous articles have referenced and credited the Managemen cleaning audits. During the interview, Managemen discussed the cost-per-square-foot productivity measure, which is likely the only measure widely used in the cleaning industry. Mr. Walker of Managemen discussed how a cleanable square foot of a building could mean a plethora of different things. A major issue with this method is determining accountable cleaning feet. Mr. Walker asked, "Are the tops of the books on the shelves cleanable square feet? Are the inside and/or outside of the windows in a room part of the cleanable square footage? Do you include all table surfaces as well as the floor area?" There are several more examples of what could or could not be included in the calculation, thus suggesting

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the need for another and more defined measure to be in place. With no guideline as to what a square foot of cleanable space is, this productivity measure is rendered useless.

Conclusions and Recommendations Research found information on methods of janitorial productivity, such as visual inspections, frequency of cleaning, janitorial management software, and the benchmarking by cost-per-square-foot of area cleaned. Federal organizations such as OSHA give laws and guidelines for safety in the workplace and other measures. However, researchers could not find a measure of productivity that effectively rated a buildings cleanliness. The hypothesis upon which this research was conducted states there is a industry-wide measure of janitorial productivity. Results through research have disproved the original hypothesis. Some resources have hinted at a privately used standard specific to one company or organization, but there are no measures of janitorial productivity used across the industry. Knowing there is no effective and clear measure in place and that there is a need for such a standard, steps can be made to produce an effective measure of building cleaniness.

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References

APPA: The Association of Higher Education Facilities. (2008). Custodial Staffing Guidelines for Educational Facilities. Retrieved from http://www.appa.org

Healthy Cleaning. (2010). Healthy Cleaning - a guide to green cleaning: non toxic products for home and office. Retrieved from http://www.healthycleaning.com

NEA Health Information Network. (2010). NEA Health Information Network. Retrieved from http://www.neahin.org

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2010). Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Retrieved from http://www.osha.gov

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2010). US Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov

Wilson, Michael. (2004). Balancing Act. Campus Facility Maintenance.