Commercial cleaning: in-house employee or contracted company?
For most small and medium-sized businesses, contracting a cleaning company is simpler than hiring a cleaner: no recruiting, no training, no equipment to buy, and the service continues during vacations and sick leave. In-house staff can still make sense for large buildings that need someone on site all day. Here are the criteria for deciding.
Updated
What an in-house employee really costs
- The salary, but also payroll taxes, vacation and benefits.
- The time spent recruiting and training, to be repeated every time someone leaves.
- Buying and maintaining the equipment: vacuums, auto scrubber, floor machine.
- The cleaning products and their management.
- Coverage during absences, often provided… by the other employees.
The advantages of a contracted company
- A fixed, predictable price, based on the area, the frequency and the tasks.
- A trained team, with its own professional equipment and products.
- Continuity of service during vacations and absences.
- An insured company, responsible for quality and for any damage.
- Additional services as needed: floor stripping, carpets, pressure washing.
When in-house still makes sense
A large building, a hospital or a plant that needs someone on site all day for unplanned jobs can keep an in-house cleaner. Many in fact combine the two: an employee for daytime emergencies, and a contracted company for the full evening cleaning and the specialized work.
Questions to ask before signing
- Is the company insured in Quebec?
- Are the task list and the frequency written in the quote?
- Who do you contact if there is a problem, and how quickly do they respond?
- Are the products suited to your premises (daycare, clinic, restaurant)?
- Can the contract be adjusted if your needs change?