In the Middle East, the cleaning staff market is a significant industry with a market value of US$127.70m. It is no surprise that you are in the cleaning business. However, challenges arise when you have to handle many cleaning staff. Managing cleaning staff is critical to maintaining a clean, hygienic, and well-functioning environment in any setting, whether a commercial office, a residential building, or a public space.
The Middle East is known for its high standards of cleanliness and hygiene. It is not just behaviour but an act deeply rooted in the region’s cultural and religious traditions. Managing cleaning staff in the Middle East presents challenges, such as navigating cultural norms, adhering to legal standards, and managing work permits and visas for foreign workers.
This article will explore the key strategies and best practices for managing cleaning staff in the Middle East.
Table of Contents
Adhering to Legal Standards
The Middle East has specific legal standards and regulations that govern employment practices, including those related to cleaning staff. Management of cleaning staff requires employers to adhere to employment standards, such as minimum wage requirements, working hours limitations, and health and safety regulations.
Managing Work Permits and Visas
As the majority of the cleaning staff in the Middle East are foreigners, visas and work permits are required. Employers must know how to obtain and renew these documents and ensure all staff members have valid licenses and visas. This involves working closely with Middle Eastern government authorities and staying up-to-date on any changes to immigration policies.
Understanding Local Context and Regulations
Compared to Western culture, the Middle East proudly maintains its religious and traditional values. Cleaning staff should be well-versed in the region’s cultural norms, including religious practices such as prayer times and holidays. Managers can enhance workplace harmony by understanding and respecting gender roles, adhering to the Middle East’s guidelines on interactions between men and women.
Additionally, adjusting work schedules and expectations to align with local norms, such as avoiding disturbances during prayer times, ensures a respectful and cohesive work environment. Embracing these cultural practices fosters mutual respect and smooth operations.
Communication and Team Building
Clear and effective communication becomes vital when working with a diverse team. In the Middle East, cleaning teams are comprised of staff from different language backgrounds. Communication can be a challenge.
Here are some steps to take
Effective Communication Techniques
Clean staff managers should use simple and direct language. Also, instructions can be shared in multiple formats, such as written and verbal, to ensure understanding. Offering translation services when necessary will encourage open communication among staff members.
Building a Cohesive Team
A cohesive team shares a sense of unity and purpose among staff members, regardless of their cultural backgrounds or language abilities. While it might seem insignificant, simple activities like regular team-building activities like group meetings and recognition programs can go a long way.
Handling Conflicts and Promoting Collaboration
Conflicts will happen when your cleaning staff has such a diverse workforce. Conflicts can arise in any workplace, and managing cleaning staff is no exception. It is the responsibility of managers to identify and address conflicts proactively. Some steps they can take include promoting open communication, active listening, and collaborative problem-solving.
Scheduling and Shift Management
Creating schedules that consider the specific needs of each facility, as well as the preferences and availability of individual staff members, is essential. For this purpose, you can use shift scheduling software like Truein to optimize shifts and ensure adequate coverage.
Managing Shift Adjustments
Your cleaning staff might be accustomed to the same work schedule yearly due to their nationality. Still, in the Middle East, it is common for work schedules to be adjusted during certain times, such as during Ramadan or other religious holidays.
Employers must account for these adjustments and communicate any schedule changes to staff members in advance. Creating flexible working arrangements to accommodate the changing needs of staff members is the ideal solution.
Considering Cultural Needs
In the Middle East, the demand and expectations for cleaning staff change dramatically during specific periods. For example, during Ramadan, many staff members may prefer to work evening or night shifts to accommodate fasting during daylight hours. Even in the Middle East, the government has norms regarding work hours for Muslim employees during Ramadan.
For instance, fasting workers are not allowed outside work from 11 am to 4 pm during Ramadan. It is also essential to provide appropriate break times and prayer spaces for staff members to fulfill their religious obligations.
Technology and Tools
You can only expect to manage your cleaning staff by leveraging technology in some way or another. There are several segments where technological tools can be helpful.
Leveraging Technology for Efficiency
One key efficiency area in managing cleaning staff where technology can help is scheduling and attendance tracking. Using cloud-based scheduling tools such as Truein, managers can create and adjust real-time schedules, ensuring that shifts are always adequately staffed. Attendance tracking systems can also help managers monitor staff punctuality and identify any issues with absenteeism or tardiness.
Investing in Modern Cleaning Equipment
Your cleaning staff will be as efficient and productive as the tools you provide them. You must invest in modern cleaning equipment and tools to manage your cleaning staff and be more productive than your competitors. These tools help your cleaning staff work more effectively and reduce the time and effort required to complete tasks.
Training and Development
Skills are necessary for any cleaning business to succeed in the Middle East. As mentioned, the region is quite adamant about cleaning standards, so your staff will need training to adapt to the cleaning demands.
Initial Training Requirements
Providing comprehensive initial training to ensure that all staff members have the knowledge and skills needed to perform their duties effectively is the first step in managing cleaning staff in the Middle East. Typically, the initial training includes teaching proper cleaning techniques, safety protocols, and specific equipment and tools.
Ongoing Skill Development
To stay afloat in the cleaning business in the Middle East, your staff will need ongoing opportunities for skill development and professional growth. Some staff members will require ongoing training more than others. Also, regular training sessions on new cleaning techniques must be provided as you induct new-age cleaning equipment. Additionally, workshops or seminars on customer service, teamwork, and leadership will improve your clean staff’s skills.
Health and Safety Education
Given the physical nature of cleaning work, managers must prioritize the health and safety of cleaning staff. Therefore, health and safety education is a must to train employees on proper ergonomics, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and the handling of hazardous materials.
Performance Management
A discussion on managing cleaning staff is only complete with discussing performance management. Managers should communicate work expectations clearly and provide regular feedback to help cleaning staff understand how they perform relative to these goals.
Defining Performance Expectations
How can you measure your cleaning staff’s performance if you still need to define performance expectations clearly?
Specifying performance key performance indicators includes setting specific, measurable goals for each staff member. It outlines the standards of quality and productivity that are expected from them.
Evaluating Staff Performance
That can be measured and improved. This applies to regular performance evaluations for managing cleaning staff in the Middle East. Such evaluations allow managers to share constructive feedback with the cleaning staff and let them know areas for improvement. These evaluations should be based on objective criteria, such as attendance, punctuality, quality of work, and adherence to safety protocols.
Addressing Performance Issues
You may have to handle performance issues among the cleaning staff. Such issues must be addressed promptly and directly. You may have to provide additional training or support to help staff members improve their skills. In the worst case, taking disciplinary action in cases of repeated or serious performance problems.
Managing Diverse Teams
As mentioned, the Middle East cleaning staff is a demographic of diverse nationalities, cultures, and languages. Managing cleaning staff in the country requires a more inclusive approach.
Embracing Cultural Diversity
The diversity of cultural backgrounds and nationalities represented on most teams is something unique to managing cleaning staff in the Middle East. You can only effectively manage this diversity by embracing and celebrating unique perspectives and experiences.
Effective Communication Strategies
Effective communication is essential at any step of managing cleaning staff. Managers should use clear, simple language and provide instructions in multiple formats, such as written and visual aids, to ensure that all cleaning staff understand and follow them.
Building Team Cohesion
It might seem insignificant initially, but building a solid and cohesive team becomes critical for any cleaning operation when the cultural environment is diverse. If you can create a sense of shared purpose and identity among cleaning staff members, regardless of their cultural backgrounds, things will be relatively easy.
Employee Well-being and Motivation
In the Middle East, concerns over the health and safety of domestic cleaning staff are often in the limelight for all the wrong reasons. You do not want your business to be counted as one where cleaning staff are treated inhumanely.
Ensuring Health and Safety
The physical demands of cleaning work can affect staff members’ health and well-being over time. That’s why it’s your responsibility to support the cleaning staff’s long-term health and sustainability. This involves providing ergonomic equipment and tools to cleaning staff, enforcing proper safety protocols, and monitoring the work environment for potential hazards or risks.
Strategies for Employee Motivation
With motivation and engagement, it will be easier to maintain high levels of productivity and quality. Some strategies managers can use to motivate staff include:
- Providing regular recognition and praise for a job well done.
- Offering opportunities for career advancement or skill development.
- Creating a supportive work environment.
Supporting Work-Life Balance
As for any other line of work, work-life balance is crucial for cleaning staff. The demanding nature of cleaning work requires offering flexible scheduling options, such as part-time or split shifts, to accommodate family or personal obligations. Also, encourage cleaning staff to take regular breaks and prioritize self-care, such as getting enough rest, staying hydrated, and maintaining a healthy diet.
Legal and Ethical Considerations
Ensuring that all labour practices related to cleaning staff are fair, legal, and ethical is critical for an employer. This may involve conducting thorough investigations, providing mediation or conflict resolution services, and taking corrective action when necessary to prevent future issues.
Upholding Fair Labor Practices
From abiding by the laws regarding proper compensation for all hours worked, including overtime pay when applicable, to ensuring that cleaning staff receive legally mandated benefits such as sick leave and vacation time, it is mandatory to follow the Middle East employment laws. Managers should also be vigilant in preventing discrimination, harassment, or exploitation in the workplace.
Handling Employee Complaints
Despite best efforts, employee complaints or grievances may arise from time to time in your cleaning business. It is essential to have a transparent, fair process in place for handling these complaints. Ensure that all employee complaints are addressed promptly and appropriately.
How does Truein Help with Workforce Management and Attendance?
As a cloud-based time and attendance management solution, Truein is already helping several businesses manage cleaning staff in the Middle East. It is a robust tool to streamline and automate many aspects of staff management.
One key area where Truein can help with is attendance tracking. Truein not only saves time and automates attendance recording, but it also provides managers with real-time visibility into staff attendance and punctuality. Its scheduling features allow managers to create and adjust staff schedules in real-time, ensuring that shifts are always adequately staffed and staff members have visibility into their upcoming work hours.
Truein provides:
- Employee Scheduling and ensures time compliance
- Detailed analytics and reporting.
- Giving managers insights into key metrics such as weekly-off and break-time.
- Enabling the differentiation between special and regular overtime, ensuring precise tracking and management of employee work hours.
By leveraging Truein’s workforce management capabilities, cleaning businesses in the Middle East can streamline many administrative tasks associated with cleaning staff management, freeing up time and resources to focus on core business priorities.
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Conclusion
Managing cleaning or janitorial staff in the Middle East requires unique skills and considerations, given the region’s diverse cultural, social, and legal landscape. Awareness of local norms and regulations, building strong communication and teamwork skills, and leveraging technology for efficiency is the only way to effectively manage cleaning staff in the Middle East.
