We have previously discussed maid service technician turnover in general, but the many reasons as to why technicians quit working for maid services can generally be broken down into two groups. Fresh Tech Maid wants to provide you with the top two reason why maid service technicians quit. The first of these involves the physical nature of the work, while the second is the clients themselves. While there is no industry wide survey that has been completed on why technicians quit, our own exit survey shows that these are the main reasons. When going over these excuses in general, it is important to look at the job from the perspective of a Chicago home cleaning technician in order to see where the problems lie and how to fix them in order to prevent turnover as much as possible.
Cleaning Is A Physical Act
There is no way around the fact that cleaning is a physical act. Technicians have to stoop down to clear out dust from bottom shelves and underneath appliances, reach up to clear upper shelves and cabinets, and walk around houses in order to run vacuum cleaners, wash floors and even pick up messes that have been left laying around. Experts rate this type of job as falling into the category of “medium intensity physical work.” This means that while it is not light duty, nor heavy duty, a modicum of physical fitness is needed in order for the work to get done.
On top of this, there are a lot of heavy tools and related equipment associated with the work. A maid service technician has to lug around various cleaning solutions, vacuums, mops, brooms, ladders and other tools of the trade. In some settings, the technicians are able to make extra trips to carry all of this, but in others, like in larger cities where parking is at a premium, only one trip can be made. This is very hard to do, and can lead to back and knee problems if the items aren’t carried properly.
The process is hard on the body as well. Some of this is described above, but look at this example: some maid services require their technicians to clean floors while on their hands and knees. Yes, there are other ways of doing this (including mops and other floor cleaners), that are much less hard on the body. Companies that use the hands and knees methods are looking for pleasing clients, not necessarily the best clean, but in doing so, they are forcing their employees to put a lot of stress on their bodies.
A severe lack of safety rules and an excessive workload are two other factors involved in the physical nature of a job. Technicians need to have the right types of tools and a set number of breaks each day, lest they hurt themselves by taking shortcuts. An excessive workload involves cleaning too many homes in one day, at a breakneck pace. Not only does the client suffer in this situation, since their home isn’t cleaned properly, but the technician does as well. To move too fast can lead to accidents.
Clients
The second reason as to why most technicians quit maid service jobs, is because of the clients themselves. There are a few different categories that these difficult clients can fall into. Some have unrealistic expectations, and want their home to be cleaned perfectly. We have already discussed why this is an impossibility in a different post, but we have never addressed the stress that this puts the technician under. Clients who want a perfect clean expect the technician to get the job done right, and will not be happy until everything meets their vision. Other clients who fall into this group want their houses cleaned perfectly as fast as possible. They sit back and think “why is this taking so long,” not understanding that it takes time to complete the job properly. The technicians cannot handle this type of pressure, and burn out fairly quickly.
Other clients do not understand the process, and expect one of two things: either the job should be done perfectly the very first time they have their home cleaned, or they try to “buddy up” with the technician and engage him or her in a discussion, taking the technician’s attention away from the clean. Both of can result in a problematic clean, causing the client to be unhappy and the technician to feel like he or she is under fire. Clients who understand that it takes three cleans for the job to meet expectations and be properly optimized, and those who can sit back and let the technician do his or her job can keep this from happening.
Also, clients need to treat their maid service technicians like human beings. Treating them like second class citizens demoralizes them. Turning the air conditioning off on a hot day, leaving the technicians to swelter in an overly-warm house while cleaning, and not securing aggressive dogs, causing a safety issue for the technician, are just two examples of this. Chicago Maid Service technicians are people who deserve to be treated with respect. Yes, they are essentially hired hands doing a job that the homeowner or client does not want to do, but that does not mean that they should be treated badly. This type of problem is another reason why technicians quit, causing high turnover in the industry. They do not want to be treated as lesser human beings.
In the end, it is the responsibility of both the company and their clients to make sure that the technicians feel safe and appreciated. They need to feel as though their jobs are fulfilling, and that they are making a difference in the lives of their clients by making their lives easier. Making sure that technicians have the right equipment, do not have to carry it long distances, and are able to take breaks and not work five ten-hour straight days in a row will help keep them from physically breaking down. Also, taking on clients who have reasonable expectations and treat the technicians like human beings will help as well. Both of these combined can prevent the high rate of turnover from continuing. We hope that this has made clear the top two reasons why maid service technicians quit.