Even though the threat of the Covid-19 Pandemic continues to diminish, employees seem to be reluctant to come back. One of the biggest concerns that returning employees have about working in person is the health risk of being around other people. To them, office buildings can seem like a scary place to work.
It’s up to the facility managers to do whatever they can to create a more welcoming and safer environment for their employees. The most important thing a facility manager can do is to show their employees that they are a priority when it comes to running the business. When employees see and feel that their interests and concerns are taken seriously, they are more willing to make that transition from working remotely to working in person.
One of the easiest and most impactful ways a facility manager can create a safe and healthy environment where employees want to work is to hire a day porter. Day porters are hired through a cleaning company and can drastically improve the atmosphere of a building. They make maintaining a clean facility painless and serve two major roles in a building.
The first role a day porter plays is in cleaning and maintaining each facility. This can range from cleaning up spills to maintenance tasks throughout the building. A day porter is responsible for cleaning tasks like stocking bathrooms and common areas, building maintenance, and even deep cleaning.
When looking to hire day porter services for your building, each cleaning company should work with you to create a unique cleaning plan for your building. It’s best to have someone tour through your building and take note of what parts of your building you need cleaned. They will take note of what type of machinery or tools your employees use as well as kitchens or cafeterias.
During the day, it’s the day porter’s job to keep your building clean and running smoothly. Whether you need them to maintain bathrooms, common areas, or work rooms, they should be able to provide professional cleaning using higher quality cleaning supplies recommended by the EPA. Day porters are trained to employ best practices and techniques in order to provide a better and more effective clean. For example, some cleaning companies use a color-coded system of microfiber clothes to avoid any cross-contamination when cleaning.
The second role that a day porter plays in a building goes beyond their job description of just cleaning and maintenance. While working in your facility, day porter staff provide a form of customer service to any employees or customers that walk into the building. Since they work during work hours, they can help foster a friendlier environment.
They also serve as a visible reminder that the building is being taken care of. Employees feel more comfortable working in an office where they can see that it is being cleaned and maintained. It also empowers customers and employees to reach out to day porters to clean up any spills or restock toiletries. I recommend that day porters wear distinctive uniforms so that they can stand out and are more recognizable.
Since day porters can play such a fundamental role in the operation of a facility, it’s important to take an active role when hiring one. Make sure the facility manager has time to meet each potential porter and make sure that they will be a good fit for the building. It’s important to be intentional when hiring a day porter, because it comes down to the relationship that managers, employees and customers will have with them.