Cleaning Operations

The custodial operation is very labor-intensive, and work must be accomplished with and through people. As a rule of thumb, excluding benefits, approximately 90 percent of custodial costs are in labor and 10 percent in cleaning supplies. So the effective management of the custodial staff is vitally important. At this stage, it is useful to know the elements that go into the custodial equation that impact the cost of operations.

• The task to be performed, such as dusting furniture, mopping floors, or vacuuming carpets.
• The frequency with which the task is going to be performed, for instance, daily, alternate days, weekly, biweekly, or monthly.
• The time allocated to complete the work to be performed. No matter how efficient the performance of a task may be, the task takes time.
• The type(s) of space to be cleaned. There are significant differences between hallways and restrooms, classrooms and research laboratories.
• The level of appearance expected. APPA’s five levels of appearance seek to define levels of clean.
• The types of equipment that are used. For instance, if a custodian mops a floor with a standard or microfiber mop, it will take significantly more time than if the area is cleaned with automated equipment such as an autoscrubber.
• The amount and cost of materials necessary to accomplish the task(s).
• The hourly cost of labor for time expended to complete the task(s).
• Variables such as climate and geographic location, age and complexity of facilities, training programs, types of space and usage of that space, age of facility, hours of usage, and traffic density.

The models of staffing may vary from institution to institution. For instance, one institution may use a zone cleaning method, whereby one custodian is assigned to clean a certain area, such as two floors of a building, day after day. That zone is the person’s responsibility to clean each and every day. Another institution may opt for a crew or gang cleaning concept, whereby a crew goes into a building, with perhaps four people cleaning eight floors. They work together to accomplish the tasks, literally sweeping through the building from top to bottom. These groups may also be defined and trained as self-directed work teams, with each team member holding the whole team accountable. The use of team cleaning is a more refined step, where assigned specialists flow through spaces to be cleaned. One may perform all the dusting, another vacuuming, another taking out the trash, and another may specialize in restroom cleaning. Team cleaning is becoming increasingly popular as people become specialists at their task assignments; ultimately, all team members can be cross-trained to perform all functions. One method may not work in all areas, and a hybrid of staffing methods may be required. However, the systems that seem to work best are those that build the self-worth of the custodians, that make them feel supported and empowered to have a say in how work is going to be performed, and that provide the custodians with a sense of accomplishment at the end of each day.

How does a manager determine how many custodians are needed to staff a building or an operation? There are various models available; however, all models need to take into consideration the tasks to be performed, the frequency with which tasks are to be performed, the time allocated, and the expected appearance level that is acceptable once the work has been performed. The following are some of the methods that may be considered:

• Raw-square-footage method. Simply take the total number of square feet (e.g., 100,000 square feet) and divide by an expected productivity standard, such as 25,000 square feet per custodian, per day. The resulting staffing needed is four custodians. However, this does not take into consideration the complexities of the space, nor does it establish the acceptable level of appearance after the cleaning process has been completed.
• Fixture method. Some staffing systems are based upon a complete inventory of every fixture in a building and how long it takes to clean each fixture based on industry standards. Even though highly detailed and scientific, this system does not identify the acceptable level of appearance after the work has been performed.
• Type-of-space method. This process includes the elements discussed earlier and is more complex to compute; however, the outcome is more realistic and accurate. An inventory is taken of all room types, the tasks to be completed, the frequency of those tasks, and the times needed to accomplish those tasks. This system is based upon the 33 room types defined by APPA, and includes the tasks, frequencies, and times necessary to complete the work at various levels of appearance. By using this system, the manager is able to project the anticipated outcome of appearances based on staffing levels. (See Figure 2.)

The good news for managers is that various computer modeling programs are available to assist in computing staffing assessments and projections for an institution.

When is the right time to clean? Increasingly, university buildings are becoming 24-hour operations, seven days a week. However, in most cases, the funding available to the custodial manager may enable a facility to be cleaned only on one eight-hour shift, or at most two shifts. Funding may only be available for five days a week, or the manager may have to stagger staffing to cover weekends or holidays. In most cases, institutions are expected to provide maximum cleaning while using minimal staff.

• Day cleaning. Day cleaning is becoming increasingly popular, as it minimizes the use of excessive energy since heating and air conditioning systems are on (no need to heat or air condition at midnight when there are only a few people in a building); lighting needs are minimal; most people perform better and feel more valued if working when they are visible; the customers tend to be more satisfied if they see the custodian and can have items corrected immediately; also, day work tends to be more family friendly. It provides employees a degree of self-management of their time and performance, as they are constantly observed by customers. Potential downsides of day cleaning are that it is harder to clean spaces that are occupied or when the cleaning process is disruptive. Work gets missed if occupied rooms are not revisited to be cleaned later. Customers may find that cleaning during the day interferes with business operations if cleaning equipment is noisy or dusting is disruptive to an office’s workflow.
• Late-night cleaning. Generally the buildings have less traffic and there is a greater ability to clean larger areas with less disruption. The downsides are many, such as that the building systems have to be fully functional; increased management attention has to be provided as humans, in general, are not wired to perform during hours of darkness, even though some people do enjoy night work. Custodians are not visible to many customers, so customers may assume that if the custodian is not visible, the work is not being performed. Also, night work tends to interfere with the life cycles of homes and families.
• Swing-shift cleaning. This shift affords the custodial staff that works in the later afternoon and evening an opportunity to interface with customers before they leave for the day, clean offices after people leave, and in most cases clean classrooms and common areas with limited disruption. However, this shift is constantly being squeezed with longer hours of operations for buildings and increased student and researcher presence in buildings. The shift does tend to split the day and night for employees; some like this, yet others find it to be disruptive to their lifestyles.

Which shift staffing works the best? That must be determined in conjunction with the customers and employees to ensure that shifts are optimized to meet institutional and stakeholder needs.