“Your brand name is only as good as your reputation”
Richard Branson
Your organisation’s public reputation is fundamental. A damaged reputation can undermine your credibility and your ability to operate. This is true for any organisation – businesses and charities.
If people don’t trust you, you have a serious problem.
Yet many responsible businesses and charities may be on the wrong side of the law today and not even realise it.
When an organisation outsources a service like cleaning, they often have little idea of how that service is organised and delivered, or even who is delivering it. The result is that your provider may be breaking the law without your knowledge.
Outsourcing can make perfect sense - and can be done well – but your organisation really needs to know what is going on - in order to protect your reputation. When you outsource a service, don’t outsource your reputation as well.
As our recent blog highlighted, Clean for Good has found that 1 in 8 of the cleaners we hire was earning less than the legal minimum wage in their last job before joining us. It is sadly a common problem in the cleaning sector.
When talking to potential customers, we often find that organisations don’t know the names of the cleaners working on their premises or the hourly rate they are being paid, or even their employment status. Some cleaning firms are also quite resistant to divulging this information when asked (business tip: this is never a good sign).
The result is that we regularly come across reputable organisations unwittingly contracting with cleaning businesses which are regularly breaking the law – on their customer’s behalf and on their customer’s premises. The reputational risk of this is significant.
So, if you outsource your cleaning (or any other service) and do not have a clear understanding as to how your provider is delivering this service, you should really find out as a matter of urgency.
Responsible cleaning companies
Trustworthy cleaning companies do exist.
One of the many things that makes Clean for Good different is that from the start we have sought to establish a reputation for being trustworthy in how we employ our cleaners.
That is why we are one of the few cleaning companies in London which is a fully accredited Living Wage Employer. The Living Wage Foundation provides independent certification.
We are also transparent with our customers about what we pay our cleaners, their employment status and their terms and conditions – because we are proud of them!
If you are in any doubt as to what your cleaners are getting paid, you really should ask. And if you are not 100% satisfied with the answers, find a more reputable service provider.
We continue to work for the day when every cleaner in the UK earns not just the Minimum Wage, but the Living Wage, and has all of their employment rights respected. Join the movement for change.
Clean for Good is an ethical cleaning company for London, cleaning offices and workspaces across the city. It is a Living Wage Employer, it directly employs its cleaners and it trains and manage its cleaners professionally. Founded in a church in the City of London, it launched in 2017 and continues to grow.
For more information and to get a free quote for cleaning your offices, go to www.cleanforgood.co.uk
Follow us at @clean4good.
Tim Thorlby is the Managing Director of Clean for Good. You can find him at @TimThorlby.