In-House or Out-Sourcing: Which is Right for Your Company?

The Advantages of Contracting
As a building owner or manager, you have two possible alternatives when considering the cleaning of your building-you can hire your own janitorial cleaning staff or contract with an outside janitorial service for those services.

In choosing between these alternatives, consider the time element involved. Does building maintenance merit your time, or is your time better spent on the many other matters that require your attention? When you, as a building owner or manager, contract for janitorial cleaning services, you should consider two basics-the elimination of problems and cost effectiveness. A superior janitorial service company, such as Advanced Maintenance Solutions, LLC, can work with you to provide the highest level of service in the most cost effective manner, and we'll show you how.

In-House Cleaning Costs are Frequently Higher than Contracting Surprising? When evaluating your in-house operation, you should consider the following costs:

Labor: This includes regular custodians, supervisory staff, "specialty" cleaners trained in areas such as floor care, carpet maintenance, windows, etc, equipment and supply technicians, and overtime premiums.
Fringe Benefits: Holidays, Vacations, Sick Leave, Medical and or Family Leave, 401K, Pension, etc.
Equipment: Vacuums, Trash Carts, Extractors, Cleaning Products, Cleaning Cloths and Mops, Dust Mops, Uniforms, etc.
Taxes: Workman's Compensation, FICA, FUTA, SUTA, etc.
Insurance: Commercial Auto, Liability, Bonding, Commercial Property, Janitorial Supplies and Equipment Floater, Commercial Umbrella, Lost Key Liability, Employee Benefits Liability, etc
General and Administrative: Accounting, Depreciation, Interest, Labor Relations, Training, Vehicles, OSHA Compliance, Right to Know, Wrongful Discharge, Sexual Harassment, Safety, Incentive and Recognition Programs, Quality Management, etc.

Wow! The total may be very surprising! When your company has major repairs, does equipment maintenance, and pays for utilities, these costs are visible and lend themselves to good cost control. Cleaning however, is a building maintenance cost that frequently contains many extras that stay hidden until they have already eaten into the balance sheet. Few companies consider, for example, that in-house staffs frequently have a high rate of turnover, so the administrative costs of replacing, training, and dropping employees can become quite sizeable. If an operation has high turnover, new people must continually be trained and acquainted with their duties. Not only do trainees cover fewer square feet in a shift, they are more likely to damage equipment and waste supplies. A good professional janitorial service not only keeps abreast of the latest in technological advances in the industry, but has ongoing training programs in place designed to keep their workers at the peak of efficiency. These training programs prepare employees for the duties they will perform, keeping them abreast of improvements, methods, and policy changes. The best janitorial service providers actively work towards reducing employee turnover, through employee recognition and advancement programs.