Keep Calm, Communicate and Carry On in Your Facilities During the Coronavirus Pandemic

The role of the custodial worker is as important as ever. Even though a large percentage of businesses are shut-down, there is still demand for cleaning professionals to clean contaminated areas.

Many buildings may be closed, but they are still want deep cleaning to ensure that when everything and everyone gets back up, there’s no trace of the novel Coronavirus anywhere.

Because of this, worker morale needs to be as high as possible on your priority list.

To keep worker morale high, and continue to have a great team of cleaning professionals manning the forefront of your facilities, practice the 3 C’s.

1. Communication
2. Calmness
3. Carefulness

(1) Communicate Regularly with Team Members

Regular communication is, without a doubt, priority #1 for increasing worker morale during uncertain times.

Even if you are often the bearer of bad news, or have schedule changes that reflect a chaotic week ahead, communicating thoroughly are what smart leaders practice.

Communication not only keeps your team members informed, it also has the therapeutic effect of keeping people connected.

If fact, surveys show one of the most stressful aspects at any workplace can be a lack of internal communication across departments. During this time when everything can change in a nanosecond, communicate thoroughly and regularly!

Also, take this time to put your team members’ minds at ease and provide updated information on COVID-19, this enhances the feeling you’re all about “keeping everyone safe”. The more you communicate, the better. Giving your team members a voice will bode well for worker morale and have a positive carryover for work performance.

(2) Keep Calm Amidst the Coronavirus

If communication and staying connected are priority #1, staying calm is right behind it.

As a Facilities Manager, you are well aware of how important keeping calm can be for your employees’ overall productivity – during chaotic periods of time, large events, or those days whenever everything seems to go wrong, staying calm can instill confidence in your workers.

A can-do mentality speaks volumes and can help alleviate your workers’ anxieties about being potentially exposed to contaminants.

In a leadership position, remember that to help others stay calm, you first have to take care of yourself. If you practice stress management on a regular basis, you are in a much stronger position to communicate calmness, no matter what the circumstance. You can then teach others how you have successfully managed stress and increased worker morale by degrees.

(3) Continue Careful Cleaning in Your Facilities

This one goes without saying, but staying careful and consistent during these times provides a powerful construct for positive worker morale.

If you are consistently communicating and staying calm, chances are your team members are equipped with the knowledge they need to do their job well and to do it safely.

Going out of your way to stay up-to-date on suggestions from the CDC or the World Health Organization will translate into positive empathy and energy for your custodial staff who are at the front-line and in the thick of things.

Practicing these 3 C’s will improve worker morale and improve your confidence by using solid Best Practices with your custodial team.

Get in Touch

Put Service by Medallion to work for you. For more information on this topic, or help with any building cleaning and operating need, contact a Service By Medallion Business Solutions Specialist at (650) 625-1010.