Month: January 2021

People rarely leave a company just for another job. More often, they leave a manager or a culture. As a result, the quality of leadership shapes who stays, who grows and, ultimately, the service clients receive. In the cleaning industry, that idea is at the heart of clean leadership.

Here is what it looks like in practice.

Create a Place People Want to Work

First, a leader’s job is to build an environment that attracts and keeps good people. Above all, that starts with respect. In practice, good leaders listen, leave ego at the door and put their people first. In addition, when the same problems keep coming back, strong leaders look at their own role before blaming the team.

Inspire Instead of Just Supervising

However, constant supervision can create a culture of mistrust. Instead, clean leadership focuses on setting clear expectations and then giving people room to meet them. For example, when a problem comes up, ask the team for their assessment and their plan before stepping in. Over time, this builds confidence and judgment.

Develop Leaders at Every Level

In fact, the best leaders develop more leaders. Therefore, look for team members who take ownership and give them chances to grow, such as training a new hire or leading a small project. Similarly, recognize good work in a way people can see. After all, people who feel valued are far more likely to stay and to care about the results.

Three Ways Clean Leadership Shows Up

  1. Clear standards. Everyone knows what good work looks like and how it will be checked.
  2. Training and support. People get the skills and tools they need to succeed.
  3. Accountability with respect. Problems are addressed directly and fairly, without blame.

Why Clean Leadership Matters to Clients

Unfortunately, a cleaning company without strong leaders often delivers inconsistent service. In contrast, well led teams take pride in their work and solve problems before clients notice. Meanwhile, lower turnover means more experienced crews in your building. Read more about why a partner’s culture matters.

Clean Leadership at WOW!

WOW! stands for Working with Integrity, Operating with Excellence and a Winning Attitude. Our values include accountability, integrity, consistency, respect and a commitment to continuous improvement. In addition, we invest in training our people. Learn more on our careers page.

For clients, every program starts with a facility assessment, and then we build a customized scope of work around your building. Once service begins, account managers complete quality control inspections against that scope. Meanwhile, our integrated operational platform technology documents inspections, deficiencies and corrections.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is clean leadership?
It is leadership in the cleaning industry that builds a respectful culture, develops people and holds teams to clear standards.

How does leadership affect cleaning quality?
Well led teams are more consistent, take ownership of problems and tend to stay longer, which means more experienced crews in your building.

How can I tell if a cleaning company is well led?
Ask how they train and support their people, how they check quality and how long their crews tend to stay on an account.

Do I have to switch vendors after a facility assessment?
No. WOW! offers facility assessments at no cost and with no obligation. In fact, you can use one simply to benchmark your current program.

Which areas does WOW! serve?
WOW! Facility Services has its headquarters in White Plains and serves New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, including Westchester County, Fairfield County, Rockland County and New York City.

Work With a Well Led Team

WOW! Facility Services has its headquarters in White Plains and serves New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Book a facility assessment at no cost and with no obligation, or call 1-866-780-9966. Want a quick benchmark first? Then grade your current service with the Facility Assessment Scorecard.

A building can look spotless and still have a problem you cannot see. Indoor air quality is one of the most overlooked parts of facility health and safety. Even so, it affects everyone who works, lives or visits there.

So here is what facility managers should know about indoor air quality, and how cleaning and maintenance can help.

Why Indoor Air Quality Matters

After all, people spend most of their time inside. In fact, the EPA notes that research indicates people spend about 90 percent of their time indoors. The same guide reports that EPA studies found levels of several common organic pollutants to be 2 to 5 times higher indoors than outdoors.

In short, the air inside your building deserves as much attention as its floors and restrooms.

Where Indoor Pollutants Come From

Generally, indoor air quality problems come from both inside and outside the building.

  • Inside sources. Building materials, furnishings, office products, dust on surfaces and in ducts, and mold in damp areas.
  • Cleaning products. Harsh or overused chemicals can add odors and residue to shared spaces.
  • Outside sources. Pollen, street dust and dirt that ride in on shoes and through entrances.

How Cleaning Supports Indoor Air Quality

Fortunately, good cleaning practices help in several ways.

  1. Stop dirt at the door. A proper entrance matting system catches dust and moisture before it spreads. See our guide to winter floor care for more on matting.
  2. Capture dust instead of moving it. Microfiber and well maintained vacuums trap dust rather than pushing it into the air.
  3. Choose certified products. Green certified products, used at the right dilution, help reduce harsh odors and residue.
  4. Watch for moisture. Prompt cleanup of leaks and spills helps prevent mold.
  5. Coordinate with maintenance. HVAC filters and ducts are part of indoor air quality too, so flag issues to the team that maintains them.

Occupants Can Help Too

Of course, indoor air quality is a shared effort. For example, occupants can keep desks and floors clear so crews can clean thoroughly. Likewise, prompt reporting of leaks and odors helps your team respond quickly. For more on this topic, read our article on how indoor air quality affects efficiency.

How WOW! Supports Healthier Indoor Air Quality

WOW! Facility Services uses products certified under Green Seal GS-37 and trains staff on proper dilution, as outlined on our sustainability page. Every program starts with a facility assessment, and then we build a customized scope of work around your building. Once service begins, account managers complete quality control inspections against that scope. Meanwhile, our integrated operational platform technology documents inspections, deficiencies and corrections.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can cleaning improve indoor air quality?
Cleaning is one part of it. Capturing dust, using certified products and stopping dirt at the entrance all help, together with proper HVAC maintenance.

What are common sources of indoor air pollution?
Common sources include building materials, furnishings, office products, dust, mold in damp areas and dirt tracked in from outside.

Do I have to switch vendors after a facility assessment?
No. WOW! offers facility assessments at no cost and with no obligation. In fact, you can use one simply to benchmark your current program.

Which areas does WOW! serve?
WOW! Facility Services has its headquarters in White Plains and serves New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, including Westchester County, Fairfield County, Rockland County and New York City.

Breathe Easier in Your Building

WOW! Facility Services has its headquarters in White Plains and serves New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Book a facility assessment at no cost and with no obligation, or call 1-866-780-9966. Want a quick benchmark first? Then grade your current service with the Facility Assessment Scorecard.

When you hire a facility services partner, you are really hiring their people. For this reason, company culture matters so much. After all, it decides how teams show up, how they treat your building and what happens when something goes wrong.

At WOW! Facility Services, our company culture is built into our name. So here is what it stands for and how it shapes the service our clients receive.

What WOW! Stands For

WOW! stands for Working with Integrity, Operating with Excellence and maintaining a Winning Attitude. In practice, those three ideas guide how our teams work every day, from the first facility assessment to the last task on a night shift.

The Values Behind Our Company Culture

In addition, our values guide how we operate and how we serve:

  • Accountability in every task and interaction.
  • Integrity in service delivery and communication.
  • Consistency through process, training and oversight.
  • Respect for our teams, clients and facilities.
  • Commitment to continuous improvement.

People First, Every Day

At our core, we are a people first organization. Simply put, we believe that when you invest in your team, you deliver better service. For this reason, we prioritize training, accountability and culture, because the quality of our people directly reflects the quality of your facility.

In fact, that belief goes back to the beginning. WOW! was founded in 2005 by Christian Espinoza in the basement of his family’s home in Yonkers, New York, with a simple vision: deliver consistent, high quality service while treating people with respect, dignity and care.

How Company Culture Shows Up in Your Building

Culture is not just a poster on a wall. Instead, you see it in the details:

  1. Training. Our training covers safety, cleaning methods, equipment and chemical use, site specific scopes and quality control.
  2. Ownership. Likewise, team members take responsibility for their work and their results.
  3. Communication. Similarly, issues are reported and escalated rather than ignored.
  4. Growth. We promote from within based on performance, reliability and leadership potential.

As a result, clients get teams who care about doing the job right, not just doing the job. You can learn more about our people on our Elevated People page and meet our leadership team.

Company Culture Backed by Process

Of course, culture works best with structure behind it. Every WOW! program starts with a facility assessment. Then we build a customized scope of work around your building. Once service begins, account managers complete quality control inspections against that scope. Meanwhile, our integrated operational platform technology documents inspections, deficiencies and corrections.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vendor’s company culture affect my building?
Above all, culture shapes how teams are trained, how they communicate and how they respond to problems. In practice, that shows up as consistency and accountability.

What does WOW! stand for?
WOW! stands for Working with Integrity, Operating with Excellence and maintaining a Winning Attitude. Together, these ideas guide how our teams work every day.

How does WOW! train its teams?
Above all, training is structured, ongoing and role specific. In particular, it covers safety protocols, cleaning methods, equipment and chemical use, site specific scopes and quality control.

Do I have to switch vendors after a facility assessment?
No. WOW! offers facility assessments at no cost and with no obligation. In fact, you can use one simply to benchmark your current program.

Which areas does WOW! serve?
WOW! Facility Services has its headquarters in White Plains and serves New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, including Westchester County, Fairfield County, Rockland County and New York City.

Experience the WOW! Difference

WOW! Facility Services has its headquarters in White Plains and serves New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Book a facility assessment at no cost and with no obligation, or call 1-866-780-9966. Want a quick benchmark first? Then grade your current service with the Facility Assessment Scorecard.

Every door handle, faucet and check in screen in your building is touched by dozens of people a day. Touchless technology reduces some of those shared touch points. In addition, it can make entry and visitor management smoother and more secure.

Here is where touchless technology helps, where it does not, and how to make it part of a healthy, secure facility.

Where Touchless Technology Helps

Touchless options are now common in commercial buildings. For example:

  • Restroom fixtures. Sensor faucets, soap dispensers, towel dispensers and flush valves.
  • Doors. Automatic doors and push free entrances in high traffic areas.
  • Access control. Contactless credentials and mobile entry instead of keypads.
  • Visitor management. Digital check in and video intercoms at the front desk.

Touchless Technology and Hygiene

Fewer shared touch points mean fewer places for germs to pass from hand to hand. However, touchless technology does not replace cleaning. Sensor fixtures, dispensers and door hardware still get touched, splashed and dirty. Therefore, they still need regular cleaning and disinfection, just like other high touch surfaces.

In practice, the best results come from combining touchless technology with a solid cleaning program. For more on that, see our guide to cleaning and disinfecting protocols.

Touchless Technology and Security

Contactless entry and digital visitor management can also strengthen security. For example, they make it easier to control who enters, verify visitors and keep a record of access. As a result, front desk teams can focus on people rather than paperwork.

Keep Touchless Systems Working

A touchless dispenser that is empty or a sensor that fails can frustrate people quickly. So build these systems into your routine:

  1. Check and refill dispensers on a set schedule, especially in busy restrooms.
  2. Clean sensors and fixtures so they work reliably.
  3. Report failures quickly to the team that maintains them.
  4. Train front desk and security staff on access and visitor systems.

How WOW! Supports Hygiene and Security

WOW! Facility Services provides janitorial, day porter and security services. Our security professionals support access control, visitor screening and credential verification, while our cleaning teams keep high touch surfaces clean and restrooms stocked.

Every program starts with a facility assessment. Then we build a customized scope of work around your building. Once service begins, account managers complete quality control inspections against that scope. Meanwhile, our integrated operational platform technology documents inspections, deficiencies and corrections.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does touchless technology mean less cleaning?
No. Touchless fixtures still get dirty and still need regular cleaning. However, they reduce some shared touch points.

Which touchless fixtures are most common in commercial restrooms?
Sensor faucets, soap dispensers, towel dispensers and flush valves are among the most common.

Who should maintain touchless systems?
Usually, the cleaning team checks and refills dispensers, while the maintenance team or the equipment vendor repairs sensors and access hardware.

Does WOW! provide security services?
Yes. WOW! security professionals support access control, visitor screening and credential verification, along with lobby presence and patrol coverage.

Do I have to switch vendors after a facility assessment?
No. WOW! offers facility assessments at no cost and with no obligation. In fact, you can use one simply to benchmark your current program.

Which areas does WOW! serve?
WOW! Facility Services has its headquarters in White Plains and serves New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, including Westchester County, Fairfield County, Rockland County and New York City.

Build a Healthier, More Secure Facility

WOW! Facility Services has its headquarters in White Plains and serves New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Book a facility assessment at no cost and with no obligation, or call 1-866-780-9966. Want a quick benchmark first? Then grade your current service with the Facility Assessment Scorecard.