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
Government recommends businesses join EIDA
By David Garcia, Chair of the British Cleaning Council. (This column first appeared in Tomorrow’s Cleaning)
Cleaning and hygiene sector businesses should join the Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse (EIDA), the Government said recently.
We joined EIDA in 2022, and we have been urging sector businesses to sign up since then.
Now the responsibility and opportunity that employers have to support survivors and address abuse in the workplace has been recognised in the Government’s Violence 
Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy, which recommends all UK employers become members of EIDA.
Employers also have a duty to safeguard the wellbeing of their staff. The statutory guidance accompanying the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 makes clear that employers should consider the impact of domestic abuse on their employees as part of their duty of care.
Domestic abuse is a serious and widespread issue. Recent official figures put the number of adults in England and Wales who have experienced domestic abuse at around a quarter of the population.
For many survivors, the workplace can be one of the few safe and supportive environments outside the home, so employers are in a good position to help.
Domestic abuse can have a profound impact on employees’ wellbeing, productivity, and ability to work. Survivors may experience anxiety, physical injury, financial control, or harassment that continues into the workplace.
Joining EIDA enables businesses to take meaningful action while strengthening their workplace culture and supporting their employees.
EIDA is a free-to-join network that supports more than 2,000 employers across the UK, collectively representing over a quarter of the national workforce.
Its mission is to equip employers with the knowledge, tools, and resources needed to respond effectively to domestic abuse affecting staff.
Membership provides access to guidance on recognising the warning signs, responding appropriately, and creating a culture where employees feel safe to seek help, enabling businesses to better protect their workforce and offer support.
Members receive resources such as the EIDA Member Handbook, which provides a step-by-step guide to supporting employees affected by domestic abuse.
Businesses also gain access to policy templates which can be easily implemented. In addition, EIDA connects employers with specialist organisations that can provide training, guidance, and expert advice, so managers can respond appropriately if a colleague needs support.
Another major advantage of joining EIDA is becoming part of a large and active community of employers who are committed to tackling domestic abuse. Members can attend regular webinars, events, and discussions where organisations share experiences, challenges, and best practice.
This collaborative network enables businesses to learn from one another and continuously improve their approach. The collective voice of this network also plays an important role in shaping public policy and raising awareness of domestic abuse at a national level.
Membership also allows businesses to showcase their commitment publicly through EIDA branding and communications materials. This can enhance employer reputation and help attract talented staff who value ethical and supportive workplaces. Ultimately, organisations that invest in employee wellbeing are more likely to build trust, loyalty, and long-term engagement within their teams.
Importantly, joining EIDA is simple and free. Employers only need to commit to the initiative’s membership charter, which includes raising awareness, supporting employees affected by domestic abuse, and building a workplace culture that does not tolerate abuse.
In today’s business environment, employees, customers, and stakeholders increasingly expect organisations to demonstrate social responsibility and care for their workforce. Taking a clear stance against domestic abuse reinforces a company’s values and shows that it prioritises the wellbeing of its people.
While joining may be straightforward, the impact can be significant. More cleaning and hygiene businesses signing up will help ensure the sector is a place of safety and support for staff experiencing domestic abuse.
Find out more at www.eida.org.uk
Clean buildings are economic infrastructure
By By Paul Ashton, Chairman, Cleaning and Support Services Association (CSSA), Chair of the British Cleaning Council. ( (This column first appeared in Cleaning and Maintenance).
The UK loses more than £100 billion every year to sickness absence. That is not just a health issue — it is an economic one. 
According to the Office for National Statistics, 148.9 million working days were lost to sickness absence in 2024, equivalent to around 2% of all working time. Research from the Institute for Public Policy Research estimates that the wider economic impact of sickness and ill health now exceeds £100 billion annually.
International comparisons highlight the scale of the opportunity. Countries such as Singapore operate with roughly half the level of sickness absence seen in the UK. If the UK were able to achieve similar outcomes, the economy could unlock around £50 billion in additional productivity every year.
The solution is not simply about cleaning.
But the condition of our built environments — workplaces, schools, hospitals and public spaces — plays a far greater role in workforce health and productivity than is often recognised.
Clean, well-managed environments reduce the transmission of illness, support wellbeing and enable people to remain productive at work. In that sense, environmental hygiene should be viewed as preventative infrastructure, not simply an operational service.
If the UK wants to reduce sickness absence and improve productivity, the question is not whether cleaning matters.
The question is how we improve it.
That is where the work currently underway across the sector becomes important.
The Cleaning & Support Services Association (CSSA) is working closely with the British Cleaning Council (BCC)and other industry bodies as part of the ongoing effort to strengthen collaboration and help unify the voice of our sector.
Within CSSA itself, we are increasingly focused on creating platforms where members can share knowledge, challenge thinking and raise standards together.
Our community groups are bringing professionals from across the sector into meaningful peer-to-peer engagement — tackling issues ranging from workforce challenges to emerging technologies and changing client expectations.
Our Economic Outlook briefings are helping members better understand the wider forces shaping our industry, from labour market pressures to productivity challenges.
We are also strengthening engagement with government. A recent roundtable with the Department for Work and Pensions explored how the sector can support employment pathways and workforce participation — with further discussions planned as that dialogue continues.
Sustainability is another key priority. A forthcoming CSSA ESG event will bring industry leaders together to examine how the sector can respond to increasing expectations around environmental performance, social value and responsible supply chains.
Alongside this work, CSSA is partnering with the British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc) on the Future of Cleaning Project, an initiative designed to strengthen the scientific evidence base behind professional cleaning practices.
Early findings from research conducted with the University of Surrey are already producing powerful insights. The study analysed hundreds of bacterial cultures and more than 8,000 air particle samples across occupied classrooms and sports facilities to examine the relationship between airborne contamination and contaminated surfaces.
The results were striking.
When advanced air and surface antimicrobial technologies were introduced, microbial contamination levels fell dramatically — in some cases by more than 90% — and no bacterial cultures were detected in treated environments.
For an industry that has historically been judged largely by visual inspection, this kind of evidence is hugely important. It demonstrates that environmental hygiene can be measured, managed and improved in ways that directly support healthier buildings.
And that brings us back to the bigger picture.
If better environmental hygiene can help reduce illness and support workforce productivity, then the work being done across our sector is not simply operational.
It is economic.
Clean buildings support healthier people.
Healthier people support a more productive economy.
And if the UK is serious about tackling sickness absence and improving productivity, recognising the role of professional cleaning will be an important part of that conversation.
At CSSA, we believe the industry is ready to step forward.
And in many ways, we are only just getting started.