by Don Simon
When you’re in the market to outsource your janitorial service, it’s essential that you know exactly what to look for to make sure you’re doing business with an honest company.
Commercial cleaning prices cover a lot of ground, and the unethical guys will try to hide their illegal practices from the start. There are several ways they’ll try to play pricing games with you. For instance, if their initial labor estimates seem unfair, then it’s a red flag that something fishy is going on within their commercial cleaning prices.
Brush up on these points and feel free to use them as a guide when examining your bids for janitorial service:
- The typical janitorial pricing bid will outline everything from labor and wages, to toilet paper and soap. Labor should always be the largest expense estimated for your service. Typically it should reflect 50-80% of your overall janitorial service pricing.
- If you suspect that a company is underpaying its employees then consider that the minimum wage here in Michigan is $7.40. Add on to that at least 20% to cover taxes and benefits. If the bid you’re receiving falls way under your math, then it’s a sure sign that the commercial cleaning prices you’re receiving are from an unscrupulous company.
- It is very important not to get locked into business with a company involved in illegal contracting. If a company is paying less than fair market wages multiplied by 1.2 it is a red flag that they are involved in illegal subcontracting. If the company you outsource to is caught in this act, you too could be penalized. Please read this informative entry for an in-depth look at the dangers of illegal contracting.
- While minimum wage is the lowest you can legally pay an employee, consider going with a company that offers their employees fair wages that reflect their hard work and expertise. In this way, you greatly lesson the chances of taking on disgruntled employees and can be assured that you’re inviting good people into your workspace. Simply remember that when a janitorial service pays their employees too little, they then almost always have a high turn over rate, internal theft, and an apathetic staff.
- Open book pricing is essential when taking bids on commercial cleaning prices. Any honest contractor will be more than willing to illustrate to you, line by line, exactly how and where their costs estimates are coming from. Don’t hesitate to ask your janitorial service bidders for open book pricing on labor hours and wages. An honest company will be happy to disclose these details to you.
The hard work of a custodian is not something you want to take for granted or underpay for. Quality janitorial services are a very important part of running a smooth and successful business. Make sure that you outsource to a company that offers their employees fair wages and bids with commercial cleaning prices that are responsible.