When considering worker recruitment, is the expansion of European borders helping or hindering the cleaning industry?

Cleaning is a universal need wherever you are in the world, so language and location is no barrier to the delivery of this essential service. We all live and work in a global marketplace – whether we like it or not – and embracing and learning about new cultures and countries is one of the most enjoyable parts of this phenomenon.

Human beings inhabit all four corners of the globe, and wherever there are people, facilities are needed. We all require hospitals, schools, shops, offices – the list is endless – and these all need to be cleaned. You could even argue that cleaning is a language of its own, but it is ‘spoken’ and understood by everyone on the planet!

The expansion of European borders brings many opportunities for businesses to increase trade in other markets and countries, and it also creates a more flexible workforce. The fact that people are willing to leave their homelands to study or work abroad is not a new trend, but it has certainly increased in recent years.

Forward thinking and progressive cleaning contractors are already adapting by ensuring that the appropriate training and support materials are available in a choice of languages. This approach, backed by stringent security checks and procedures to ensure that only people with the right skills are recruited – whatever their nationality – is helping the cleaning industry to diversify, increase professionalism and become more inclusive, which is no bad thing.

Multi-lingual cleaning staff could also be seen as a definite benefit to contract cleaning companies, especially if they are working in frequently-used public spaces or buildings. The rising popularity of daytime cleaning means that operatives are more likely to come into contact with other members of the public, and that public is now more culturally diverse than ever. Employing operatives that can talk the same language as overseas visitors to the UK, provides a distinct USP and added value. Whether you say cleaning, reinigung, czyszczenie or pulizia – the same high standards apply!

Published in Tomorrow’s Cleaning – May 2014