Many Houston commercial cleaning companies have a dirty secret that could harm your business. What many facility managers don’t realize is that the company you hire to clean may never even step foot in the building. Subcontracting is rampant in the cleaning industry. This can have significant impacts on your business. Instead, hire a quality Houston office cleaning crew who never uses subcontractors. This can help you protect your business and get the most out of your budget.
Cut-Rate Houston Commercial Cleaning Companies May not be Cleaning at All
We’ve all heard the phrase “you get what you pay for.” If a cleaning contract seems too good to be true, then it likely is. The problem is that many Houston commercial cleaning companies don’t actually clean. They may not even own a single broom. Instead, they might send you a flyer or visit your facility to offer cheap business cleaning services. Then, they’ll subcontract that work to a different company. They make money by taking some off the top of what your business pays for the services. In fact, that can even happen multiple times, where your cleaning contract may be passed off from one company to another three or four times! This can open your business up to many different issues.
What’s the problem with this if the work gets done? Imagine going to buy a car. You pick one out and sign all the necessary paperwork. However, when you walk out to drive your new car off the lot, you find a vehicle that’s completely different than the one you just paid for. Even worse, it’s a few model years older and significantly less expensive than the car you picked out. This would make most people angry. Companies who are similarly duped by cleaning companies should also be angry about receiving cleaning services from shoddy subcontracted companies.
When Subcontracting Becomes Illegal
There are several ways janitorial subcontracting can actually be illegal. This can create liability not only for the original company that offered the contract, but even your business. This can lead to long investigations that can embarrass your company and damage your reputation, or even lead to civil or criminal fines for your company.
Some illegal subcontracting practices other Houston commercial cleaning companies employ include misclassifying employees, layering, and ghosting. Misclassifying employees often comes in the form of classifying cleaning staff as independent contractors even though they don’t meet the legal requirements. This is a form of payroll fraud. Unfortunately, some innocent companies have met legal issues after they worked with a cleaning company who subcontracted the work to cleaning crews with misclassified employees.
Layering involves having multiple layers of subcontractors. This is usually to try to cover up a lack of credentials, licensing, or insurance. Perhaps the company you sign the original contract with has all the documentation needed to clean your business, but once they subcontract to another company it can be difficult to keep track of whether they have the capacity and qualification to safely clean your building.
Ghosting is another way less scrupulous Houston cleaning companies may skirt the law. Ghosting means using someone’s credentials and then sending someone else in their stead to perform the Houston office cleaning services your business pays for.
Therefore, it’s important to keep all this in mind as you search for a cleaning company. Facility managers should look for signs of subcontracting and ask questions before signing a cleaning contract that could put your company at risk.
How Subcontracted Services can Leave you in the Lurch
In addition to potential liability issues, there are several other reasons why it’s best to work with Houston commercial cleaning companies who perform the services themselves. First, it helps you save money. If the cleaning company is subcontracting to a quality local Houston office cleaning crew, then you’re basically paying an unnecessary sales commission.
However, more often, the consequences of using a company who subcontracts cleaning services are much worse. Cheap cleaning contracts often means inferior quality work. Paying low prices for cleaning means that the cleaning crew likely has to get much more done in a shorter amount of time. This can lead to cut-corners and hurried services that don’t provide you with the clean, germ-free workplace. Also, low-end cleaning contracts often mean that the company isn’t able to invest in quality cleaning equipment or products. This can also negatively affect how clean your business is.
When cleaning companies subcontract the work to others, generally there is no quality control. There’s no way to know whether your facility’s cleaning staff received proper training. Even worse, you have no idea whether cleaning staff went through a screening process and background check. This can easily expose your company to issues.
Finding Houston Commercial Cleaning Companies that Perform Services Themselves
Rather than working with fly-by-night cleaning crews that promise more than they can give, it’s important to find a Houston office cleaning company that has full-time employees to perform cleaning services. When looking for a new cleaning contract, never be afraid to ask Houston cleaning companies if they subcontract the work. This can help you keep track of who will actually be inside your facility.
At Accredited Building Services, we maintain a large staff to provide you with all the cleaning and maintenance services you need. We conduct extensive background checks and employment screenings so you know who you’re giving your keys to. We also provide our team with comprehensive janitorial training to help them provide you with outstanding service every single time. We’ve been helping businesses in Houston and Beaumont since 1980 and are here to help you. Call our team today at (281) 578-2296 for a free, no obligation quote for your facility!
