By Why Should I care if the Janitorial Company Wants to Use a Sub-contractor?
Getting your facility clean and tidy always is a priority. Not only because customers appreciate a “nice” environment, but also your employees’ health matters. The easiest and simplest way to achieve a clean environment is to designate the cleaning aspect to a commercial janitorial services provider.
Also known as commercial cleaning services, janitorial services encompass property and office cleaning, educational, industrial and medical facility cleaning and also cut across banks, auto dealership, laboratories, and restaurants.
Services, however, varies from each provider. Apart from the standard service, some office cleaning companies may offer floor maintenance, hardware and computer cleaning, floor waxing, stocking of basic supplies such as towel, soap and more.
A custodian company may do the cleaning at night or provide day service without affecting your business operation.
However, before choosing a janitorial company, it’s essential to know if their cleaners are actual employees or sub-contractor. It’s pretty easy to think you are working directly with the service provider while in the real sense you are not.
But why would a janitorial company sub-contract their cleaning contract? It varies. It could be to maximize profit, boost efficiency, insufficient workforce or they might have several clients across a region. Whatever the case, below are some reasons why you should care if the company will use a sub-contractor.
Quality of the Work
To maximize profit, most janitorial companies offer a ridiculous amount to a sub-contractor especially when the contractor is not an actual firm. This can impact the quality of work you’ll receive. In most cases the sub-contractor will get well under 70% of the contract amount. That alone is diluting your purchasing power.
For example, instead of a 6-hour work per day, you may end up getting five which will reflect on the output of the job done. This is just a fraction of matters that could arise in terms of work quality. Therefore, it’s essential to ask the commercial janitorial services provider if their sanitation specialists are in-house employees or sub-contractors.
Quality of the Work
In the case of janitorial franchise companies, the franchisee is charged royalty fees on top of having to pay three times the face value of your contract. lets say, your contract is for 1000 per month. The franchisee will have to pay 3000 for that contract on top of 6% to 10% of royalty fees. Also, consider that the franchise company is not profiting from servicing your account. They profit selling your contract to their franchisees, so they will be underbidding to make sure they get a piece of paper to sell. The franchisee is usually new to the business and following a dream, but with the franchise company sucking every cent out of budget the franchisee will most likely have to further sub-contract to an individual or cut way too many corners to make it work.
National companies, usually those that provide floor work for large retail/chain stores assign all their projects to local subcontractors. In that situation, my advice would be to allow each location to hire their own service provider. The pay rate difference affects the quality of service and materials of the work you get.
In some cases this goes as far as calling undocumented workers sub-contractors.
Bonding and Insurance
You should also care if the sub-contractor is bonded and insured. Bonding and insurance will cover for cases like theft, damage or injury that happen on your facility.
Some office cleaning companies who use the help of a sub-contractor to fulfill their agreement may care less if the sub-contractor has essential legal backing in case of theft or damage. If that is the case, you may be responsible when things go awry during cleaning.
Tax Responsibility
You may be responsible for paying income taxes you shouldn’t be paying suppose you are dealing directly with your service provider. Some sub-contractors are not an actual company, rather individuals.
Also under federal law, you wanted to be sure that the sub-contractor is not considered your employee. If they are, you may be exposed to array of tax issues. Without realizing this in the first place, you could be subjected to additional fees. Therefore, choosing a company that offers its service through actual employees will save you the time and stress.
Personal Relationship
Having different facilities across a region may make a janitorial company subcontract your work. Subcontracting is not that bad entirely especially for bigger institutions like banks, health care facilities and more. But for small businesses, it’s another story; a one-to-one relationship with your service provider is necessary. For long term relationship, you can keep in touch, relay what you like or don’t and your expectations.
Experience and Expertise
You may get a low standard job from a sub-contractor due to little experience and lacking expertise. Trained employees from a commercial janitorial services provider, however, will much likely know how to clean various part of an office or facility while a sub-contractor may have little technical know-how.
Conclusion
Yes, you should really care about the cleaners your janitorial company will use.
Hiring a local independent janitorial company with their own employees will get the peace of mind your dollars are paying for. Some office cleaning companies have their employees on a time tracker meaning you may have the ability to know who is or was at your office at any time.
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