Supervise the work of cleaning staff
Overview
This standard is part of the competence area related to providing management and supervision in cleaning. It is about supervising the work of cleaning staff. It is for supervisors in the cleaning industry. It addresses supervision of the work of a cleaning team and your levels of responsibility in staff management. The team in this case could be two or more people that you supervise permanently, or staff that you supervise on a temporary basis. Planning and co-ordinating the work of staff is vital if the business is to run smoothly and efficiently.
You work with your staff daily and can make an enormous contribution to this process. You help the business to schedule the work of staff, ensuing the highest standards of cleaning are achieved by making the best use of their skills. You also ensure your staff are safe, protected against potential viruses and infections and monitor their well-being on a regular basis. You observe their work, making sure that they are carrying out their work as planned, and help them with any problems when they occur. You also have an important role in giving staff feedback on their work and motivating them to achieve the results that customers expect.
The typical daily activities you might carry out include:
- Preparation and protection measures before cleaning.
- Ensuring the risk of infection is controlled.
- Briefing your staff on their duties and checking their well-being.
- Getting ideas from your team members about the best way to organise a cleaning job.
- Scheduling your team's workload - for example, working out staff rotas.
- Altering your plans to take account of changing circumstances, for examples staff not turning up for work as planned or dealing with suspected cases of infection.
- Observing your staff carry out their work.
- Debriefing your staff and giving them feedback on the quality of their work.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
Preparation and protection
1. ensure the safe systems of work and requirements are followed for protection of cleaning staff
2. monitor staff health and well-being in relation to viruses and infections
3. train your staff in enhanced cleaning and infection control procedures, where required
4. provide the relevant protective equipment and products for cleaning staff
5. ensure protective equipment is worn throughout cleaning and is reused or disposed of within organisational safety procedures
6. follow formal risk management requirements of your organisation before entering the workplace
7. take the relevant actions depending on the outcome of risk assessments carried out
8. follow organisational requirements in relation to suspected or confirmed infections of staff
Controlling the risk of infection
9. follow your organisation's requirements for mitigation of risk of infection in the workplace
10. ensure the cleaning procedures depending on environment and identified risks are followed
11. ensure cleaning is carried out in accordance with work schedule and required frequency depending on the outcomes of risk assessment
12. provide cleaning products including specialist cleaning solutions, antibacterial and antiviral chemicals for cleaning staff
13. ensure used cleaning and protective equipment is disposed of in accordance with specified safety procedures
14. wash and dry your hands thoroughly and safely in accordance with organisational requirements
15. ensure the hand washing facilities are maintained with an adequate supply of washing solution, disinfection gels and a hygienic means of hand drying
Supervise cleaning staff and schedule the workload
16. identify the best use of resources in accordance with your organisation's policies and procedures
17. develop contingency plans for things that may go wrong
18. collect information from the customer about the work you must plan
19. identify the requirements that must be met and the resources that will be available
20. check your plans with the customer and obtain their feedback to improve the standards of work
21. brief your staff on your plans and check that they understand what you want them to do
22. update your plans to take account of any changes in requirements or resources
23. agree with team members how to share the tasks to complete the scheduled work
24. allocate the tasks in the work schedule and ensure the required work is completed
25. show the team members how to perform any new tasks in accordance with your knowledge, skills and responsibilities
26. answer any questions and assist members of staff with their requirements or queries
27. handle and resolve any disagreements with team members in accordance with policy procedures of your organisation
28. record any breakages, damages or disruptions at work and report these to the relevant member of staff
29. collate any uncompleted tasks and agree on arrangements for completing the work
30. communicate with customers and your colleagues in a professional manner and provide any relevant information when required
Coordinate and monitor the work of cleaning staff
31. check your staff's quality of work and monitor it on a regular basis
32. ensure their work meets the agreed requirements
33. provide staff with the support and relevant training they need
34. cause as little disruption as possible when monitoring staff
35. deal with any problems that occur within the limits of your responsibility
Give cleaning staff feedback on their work
36. communicate with staff in a manner that is aimed at maintaining and improving their performance
37. give staff feedback that is clear and objective
38. praise your staff's achievements
39. give your staff constructive suggestions and encouragement for improving their work
40. treat your staff with respect when you give them feedback
41. keep all feedback confidential
42. give staff opportunities to respond to your feedback
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
Preparation and protection
1. your organisation's safe systems of work and requirements for protection of cleaning staff
2. your organisation's procedures for monitoring staff health and well-being in relation to viruses and infections
3. your organisation's training in enhanced cleaning and infection control procedures
4. the relevant protective equipment and products required for the job
5. how to reuse the protective equipment or dispose of it in line with your organisation's safety procedures
6. your organisation's requirements to minimise risk of infection when traveling to site and working on premises
7. the relevant actions depending on the outcome of risk assessments carried out
8. your organisation's principles of formal risk assessment before entering the workplace
Controlling the risk of infection
9. your organisation's procedures for mitigating the risk of infection
10. the cleaning procedures to follow, depending on the environment and risks identified
11. the frequency of routine cleaning in communal areas, facilities and high-contact areas
12. the enhanced cleaning and disinfection procedures for suspected or confirmed virus contamination
13. the range of specialist cleaning products for cleaning staff
14. your organisation's procedures for cleaning and disinfection of reusable equipment
15. your organisation's procedures for disposing of used cleaning equipment and protective equipment
16. the duration of hand washing procedures after the protective equipment is removed
Supervise cleaning staff and schedule the workload
17. the importance of supervising the work of your staff so that they carry out work as scheduled
18. the relevant areas of employment and health and safety legislation
19. the limits of your responsibility when it comes to supervising other staff
20. your organisation's procedures for supervising the work of your staff
21. the importance of understanding the requirements of cleaning work
22. the importance of knowing about the resources available to you
23. how to identify the requirements for a piece of work and the resources available to you
24. how to plan workload, staff rotas and schedules
25. how to brief your staff on your plans for their work
26. how to communicate with team members to ensure they follow the designated workplace procedures and routines
27. the tasks to be distributed amongst the team members
28. the scope of your knowledge, skills and responsibilities in training your colleagues the new tasks
29. the importance of contingency planning and how to develop this
30. how to make the best use of resources and staff's skills
31. the importance of consulting with customers about the work plans
32. the types of organisational constraints which may affect your planning
33. the importance of checking that your staff understand your plans for their work
34. the types of situations that may require you updating your plans
35. the areas of your work in which you can supervise your colleagues
36. the health and safety related problems that arise in the workplace
37. how to handle and resolve disagreements in accordance with your organisation's policy procedures
38. how to collate any records on breakages, damages or disruptions at work
39. the procedures for actioning any uncompleted tasks and arrangements to complete the work
40. how to communicate with customers and team members and provide any relevant information, when required
Coordinate and monitor the work of cleaning staff
41. the importance of ensuing that staff meet the agreed requirements for their work
42. how to check the work of staff without causing disruption
43. the types of support and training that staff may need and how to provide it
44. the types of problems that may occur and how to deal with these
Give staff feedback on their work
45. how to communicate to your staff to maintain and improve their performance
46. the importance of giving feedback to staff and ensuring that your feedback is clear and objective
47. how to choose a time for giving staff your feedback
48. the importance of praising staff's achievements
49. the importance of identifying areas of work where staff could improve their performance
50. how to give constructive suggestions and encouragement to staff
51. why it is important to treat your staff with respect when you provide feedback
52. the principles of confidentiality when providing feedback - which people should receive which pieces of information
53. how to motivate and gain staff's commitment by providing feedback