Is the cleaning staff reluctant to learn? Studies have revealed that thirty-nine per cent of cleaning staff say they are not particularly willing to learn new things. In an age and time when cleaning processes and technologies are evolving faster than ever, is this revelation alarming for facility managers and owners?
Experts suggest that cleaning staff are willing to learn new things but experience hurdles along the way such as travel distance to the training site, language deficiency, fear of failure, fear of the exam. We speak to different stakeholders of the cleaning industry and understand their perspective about new learnings for their cleaning staff. 

Brant Insero, Sr. Director of Global Education, Training, Certification & Standards, ISSA

Employees often struggle to adopt new processes and technology in their daily routine unless they will see immediate return for themselves. We have seen this throughout history dating back to the early days of industrialization when technologies started to enhance production of many products. Within commercial cleaning, large sums of funding have been pouring into the industry to develop innovative solutions to labor intensive tasks, sustainability solutions, and performance management software.

The most notable challenge is quite simple; how can we have our teams adopt new methods to improve the company’s profitability or reduce operating expenses for those cleaning organizations that self- perform? We should also note that a common trend for longer tenured employees to be the most resistant due to their comfort and complacency.

As I have seen over the years in multiple industries, company culture can impact the adoption of new methods and technology. In most recent times, the implementation of robotics has been a struggle for many. The employee is completely set in their way but they are respected by their peers. We recognize the impact they could make if they would adapt to the new method. Our goal becomes centralized on our influencer within the organization.

A suggested method is to bring your influencer into the conversation early when you begin identifying new technologies to implement within the organization. Allow them to provide feedback in a phased approach.

1. Scanning Phase – Allow your influencer the ability to provide immediate reactions without testing the technology and then again after leveraging them to become a beta tester.

2. Development Phase – Ask your influencer to become a member of the team that will develop the new standard operating procedure

3. Implementation – The magic really begins here. Your influencer should be asked to join your training team to help your other employees understand the value created through the new technology

You will begin to realize your company culture starting to shift with the inclusion of other team members during your three-step phase to change. If you are a large enough operation, I would encourage an innovation team that has term limits. Let the entire team get in on the fun because ultimately…. That’s what it is…. Fun!

Some staff and employees want to win. Like an athlete, they want to be at the top of their game, beat the competition and prove to everyone that nobody can beat them. Another trick to the trade is to help the staff remove the blinders so they can see what others are out there and how to implement the new process or technology. Competition is healthy and provides a sense of adrenaline that staff will leverage to your benefit.

Another method that is less attractive but necessary at times is the removal of old processes and technology. The analogy that has been used in workshops is the implementation of backpack vacuum cleaners and the resistance of staff to move away from upright vacuums. Staff was stubborn and didn’t want to see the benefits of the switch so they have continued to use the upright vacuum in their facility.

At this point, leadership at the organization decided to remove the upright from operation. At times, drastic measures are needed to encourage employees to make the switch to new technology.

Whether you are a trainer, owner, or manager in cleaning, we must remember the concept of “What’s in it for me.” How does the change impact your team and if it benefits them, they are more likely to adapt.

Uzair Bhamji, Manager – Learning & Development, Farnek
From our perspective, the overwhelming number of Farnek staff are keen and willing to learn new skills - a pilot study we conducted last year identified this figure at 86%. As a company, However, we want this to be 100%.

We have identified a few possible reasons for the reluctance to learn new skills, these are related to language deficiency, low digital skills, little belief in one’s abilities, fear of failure, and fear of exams.

Another possible explanation for staff resistance to learning new things is employees often have negative preconceptions as soon as they are asked to attend training. They have previously found that this type of meeting usually means they must do even more in less time.

When we implemented our mobile learning platform, we found that the vast majority of our employees enjoy the sessions and appreciate the opportunities and advantages it affords them. Most are enthusiastic, especially if it relates to something they can use in their daily work, and as a result, are motivated within the work environment. Employees might not look forward to training in advance or think it’s an extra burden, but once they start, they find it a positive experience.

Our goal at Farnek is ultimately to work with the people involved – cleaning staff, supervisors, managers, and clients - to remove any existing barriers and increase the opportunities for cleaning employees in the job market and their lives.

John Manohar, Cluster Director of Housekeeping, J5 Hotels 

The cleaning staff has more responsibilities but they are not motivated at work. As the industry passes through the mechanised revolution in every sphere of activity, all tasks cannot be replaced by robots and machines.  The human touch in the hospitality will remain and this industry cannot be replaced.

The housekeeping manager is responsible to groom their blue collared workers to use simple tools and therefore continuous education and training is a must. They are to be incentivized and rewarded at regular intervals. 

The boys and girls in the Housekeeping team are not paid for their service efforts and hence there seems to be reluctance in learning process. The only way to remove this mind block is to care them and be open to accept them as part of the Hotel operations function. An Internal /external trainer should be used to provide regular teaching for the improvement of their skillsets.

The stereotype about aging employees being unable to adapt to change or learn new technologies has been challenged by the results of a study carried out recently.

Couple of years ago upgraded its computer systems to streamline and standardize Hotel  business processes, We looked into how older workers would fare in adapting to the new technology.

“While there may be some isolated examples of an older worker being resistant to change, this study suggests that is not typical of most older workers surveyed,” Older workers, more than younger workers, saw the value of the changes and felt an obligation and loyalty to their company and to their co-workers to learn and implement the new technology.

There is some research that shows that older workers may not be as quick in learning new technology skills as younger people, but their commitment and willingness to learn make up for this. We suggest that companies provide specialized training for older workers to keep them current with new technological procedures.

Thirty-nine per cent of cleaning staff say they are not particularly willing to learn new things. At least, this is one of the results from a sector analysis published by the  Industrial Relations in the Cleaning and Hotel Sector

One of these is the sustainable employability of employees. Within this theme, ‘being competent’ is of great importance. Here, the Cleaning Industry  identifies the following bottlenecks: low literacy, low education, low digital skills, little belief in one’s own abilities, inadequate access to training and therefore: little willingness to learn new things.

we suspects employees are willing to learn new things but experience barriers, such as travel distance to the training site, language deficiency, fear of failure, fear of the exam. We also realize these are only our assumptions. We are speaking for our employees.

From a Hotel Industry - and this may also be true for other sectors - I could explain the low willingness to learn new things as a result of the workload among this group of cleaning staff. Their role has been eroded. They often work extraordinarily hard but then fail to finish and hear negative comments about their work. When this is the case, you don’t tend to think about learning new things. You are just surviving.

“At the same time, I find when I address groups, the vast majority of people are grateful for the knowledge they are gaining. Most are enthusiastic, especially if it relates to something they can use in their daily work. They regain work motivation as a result. Employees might not look forward to training in advance, or think it’s an extra burden, but once they start they find it a positive experience.”

another possible explanation for cleaning staff’s resistance to learning new things. It’s a sentiment the market should be aware of.  that employees often have negative preconceptions as soon as they are asked to attend training. They have previously found that this type of meeting/Training often means that they have to do even more in less time. So, there is a lack of trust.

In short: there are plenty of reasons why cleaning staff may experience barriers to learning new things. But what’s the real deal? Hotel Industry  wants to gain more insights. To begin with, therefore, we are seeking contact with Housekeepers  through a survey in the near future. They see and speak to the target audience every day and undoubtedly have a better idea of what concerns them.

Our goal is ultimately to work with the people involved - Leaders and employees - to remove any existing barriers and to increase the opportunities for cleaning employees in the Hospitality industry  and in their Career