A carefully planned Day Porter Program can deliver great value to many different types of facilities. Whenever a client asks us what exactly does a Day Porter do, we always answer with the question, "What would you like them to do?"
Day porters are there to make your life easier by keeping up with cleaning tasks and filling gaps in service or helping out where needed. Some of our most successful Day Porters earn the trust of our clients by going well beyond the normal touching up restrooms and cleaning the front door glass.
With this level of customized service, the people inside your facility can feel very cared for when they see and interact with the person delivering the services you as a Facility Manager provide. Likewise, there are always to-do list items added and unplanned needs, and that extra set of eyes and hands during the day can go a long way in helping you manage such day-to-day interruptions.
While a Day Porter program can be just what your facility needs, there are a couple of issues that might arise in your own Day Porter Program that I want to offer you solutions to from my own experience.
#1 Day Porter Feeling Conflicted
PROBLEM: While most customers want a Day Porter at their disposal to address immediate day-to-day demands, the Day Porter will likely have a number of regularly scheduled responsibilities in line with commercial cleaning services that they are being pulled from.
This may cause conflict in your Day Porter’s schedule because they cannot attend to their normal duties when constantly pulled away to do other things.
SOLUTION: Give them a schedule and list of “must get done” duties with a reasonable amount of time to complete them. Then you and your staff should commit to not interrupting them during those times.
It could be an hour in the morning, an hour in the afternoon, or half the day. Just be willing to protect that time so your Day Porter can complete their regularly scheduled tasks and keep your facility running smoothly.
#2 Day Porter Versus Night Crew
PROBLEM: The “Day Porter versus Night Crew” scenario is common. You like your Day Porter because you see them every day. You don’t see the night crew often, even though they do a good job, so you haven't formed the same connection.
This makes it easy for a Day Porter to start reporting nighttime cleaning problems. You don’t know whose responsibility something is — you just want it done.
Human nature pushes people to deflect responsibility, which can turn into a tug-of-war between teams. The result is you end up in the middle and needed work may get overlooked.
SOLUTION: Make sure your cleaning contractor has Day Porter and Night Crew responsibilities clearly outlined.
This prevents assumptions and reduces conflict. Also, don’t turn the Day Porter into the cleaning police. You’ll get more value when the Day Porter and Night Crew work together instead of against each other.
It is reasonable to miss one trashcan each week if the crew empties 450 nightly. The Day Porter can simply take care of that one instead of creating unnecessary drama.
As a Facility Manager, you can minimize issues by encouraging your Day Porter to take ownership of small, easy-to-fix problems rather than escalating them.
Communication Is the Key to a Successful Day Porter Program
The common thread in making any Day Porter Program successful is communication. Make sure you communicate on everything — daily responsibilities, what is working, and what needs improvement.
Also ensure that you keep your Contract Cleaning Company and Michigan commercial cleaning company in the loop to help manage your Day Porter and resolve issues between day and night teams. That is why you hired them — they should be eager to help ensure you get the best value possible from your program.
