The British Cleaning Council and members write monthly columns for both Cleaning and Maintenance and Tomorrow’s Cleaning. You can read recent columns below.
To read the columns as they originally appeared, please visit https://cleaningmag.com/columnists and https://www.tomorrowscleaning.com/back-issues
Let’s work together to attract more young people to the industry
By David Garcia, Chair of the British Cleaning Council. (This column first appeared in Tomorrow’s Cleaning).
I was struck by the news recently that the number of new entry-level UK jobs has dropped by almost a third since the launch of ChatGPT. 
The report said that companies are using artificial intelligence to cut back the size of their workforces.
I know of a recent graduate who has been struggling to get their first job in their chosen industry. The young person concerned has sent an avalanche of applications and emails without even landing a work experience role.
I would tell any young person looking to take their first career steps to seriously consider joining the cleaning and hygiene sector.
Our industry can offer staff job satisfaction, the opportunity to succeed in your career, rapid progression and/or options for part-time or flexible working.
The industry has vacancies not just in frontline roles, but in supervisory and management positions and in support functions such as business administration, digital marketing, creative and design, distribution and much more.
There are plenty of entry level jobs and the industry is easier to join, regardless of your qualifications, than many other sectors.
Our own research last year predicted that the UK cleaning industry would generate 93,000 new jobs in 2024. However, 29 percent of those jobs would be ‘hard to fill’.
The perennial problem is that young people have negative perceptions of the cleaning and hygiene industry, which means they miss out on some fantastic career opportunities.
In recent years, the cleaning and hygiene sector has focused on attracting the younger staff needed to fill vacancies left by our ageing workforce, and there are some great initiatives underway.
Our colleagues at the Cleaning and Support Services Association (CSSA) have been running the excellent Clean Start initiative, visiting schools to discuss the industry with pupils.
The aim is to move perceptions away from the basic ‘mop and bucket’ idea that some people still believe in, to offer a truthful insight into the exciting roles and career opportunities available in this global industry, so that fresh talent chooses the sector as their career path.
The team at the British Institute for Cleaning Science (BICSc) have also been doing sterling work in this area. Our BICSc colleagues invested in a dedicated online hub, the Cleaning Industry Careers Guide, on the Youth Employment UK website (www.youthemployment.org.uk/careers-hub-sector/cleaning-industry-careers-bicsc) to highlight the numerous career opportunities the sector offers.
It is a fantastic showcase for the sector, with case studies, insightful articles and background information.
The UK Cleaning Career Development Zone (www.ukcleaning.org.uk) is also a key initiative for attracting young recruits.
It brings together information about over 40 career development, training and education opportunities into one place where it can be easily accessed, so would-be recruits can easily find the information they need to succeed in their careers.
In the coming months, we will be designing a social media and digital communications campaign to promote the Zone, specifically aimed at telling young people about the wealth of opportunities offered by a career in the sector.
With so much of the industry focused on this common goal, I believe the next step must be for us to see how we can work together to achieve results. There is huge potential for synergy when we are reaching out to young people.
As I discussed in my last column, unity will be a key theme while I am at the helm of the BCC.
I sincerely believe that the industry can achieve much more if we stand together and this area provides a good opportunity to put that into practice.
The real Living Wage: a strategic investment for UK cleaning firms
By Katherine Chapman, Director, Living Wage Foundation. (This column first appeared in Cleaning and Maintenance),
In a fiercely competitive industry like cleaning, where margins are tight and turnover is high, firms looking for an edge should consider a tried and tested strategic investment: paying the real Living Wage.
Even though cleaning is difficult, skilled work, more than one in four cleaning jobs are still paid below the real Living Wage. The real Living Wage is the only UK wage rate based on what it costs to live. It is currently £12.60 across the UK and £13.85 in London to reflect higher living costs in the capital. Paying this rate means workers can afford the basics like food and rent, but also little treats like a day out or birthday presents for the family.
Paying a real Living Wage isn’t just good for workers, it makes good business sense too. Our network of over 16,000 accredited Living Wage Employers, including over 200 cleaning companies and 20 facilities management firms, tell us over and over again that it strengthens their businesses. That’s because decent pay attracts more applicants, improves retention, and produces a more motivated and productive workforce with lower rates of absenteeism. That’s a lot of money saved on recruitment and training costs, inefficiency and lost working days.
Take Nick Cooper, Managing Director of Adept Corporate Services, who found paying the real Living Wage so beneficial to his business that he was one of the first to also sign up to provide regular, secure working hours and a decent pension through our Living Hours and Living Pension accreditations. Nick explains the impact:
“I’ve never worked for a security or cleaning company with such high retention rates for staff. Every new starter costs us around £800 in training, uniform and induction. With a 94 per cent retention rate, our savings are massive. We’ve also picked up new business because our staff are happy. We reckon we’ve saved tens of thousands from offering the Living Wage and Living Hours.”
This kind of consistency and reliability is essential in the cleaning sector where high standards of work, continuity of service and respectful conduct mean satisfied customers and securing new contracts.
For cleaning firms, paying the real Living Wage isn’t just the right thing to do, it brings clear business benefits. Companies who invest in their staff are rewarded with improved recruitment and retention, higher staff motivation and productivity, reduced absenteeism and a better reputation. Cleaning firms should not miss out on this opportunity. They should accredit with the Living Wage Foundation today and reap the benefits of work that works for everyone.
If you are a service provider looking to accredit or find out more about how you can go further to promote the Living Wage, take a look at our toolkit here: www.livingwage.org.uk/living-wage-service-provision-toolkit