Roger Green

New research released in January by employment app creators Indeed Flex revealed how skills shortages in key sectors continue to adversely impact the UK economy. Their survey of UK businesses found that 40% are experiencing weekly staffing shortages as a result of worker illnesses and recruitment challenges.

The research also revealed a third of businesses are struggling to fill vacancies within a tight labour market with low unemployment levels. Within this difficult landscape where enhanced financial incentives have often been seen as a means of securing workers, two thirds of employers said the recent hike in national insurance contributions would limit their ability to increase wages and offer bonuses.

Skills shortages have also impacted the commercial cleaning sector where my company operates. The latest survey from the British Cleaning Council (BCC) shows a current 225,000 cleaning and hygiene vacancies across the UK, driven by a lack of interest amongst UK workers, tighter immigration rules, and the impact of Brexit.

This challenge, which the BCC has been highlighting for several years, has made it imperative for companies to make a long-term investment in good employer initiatives or face the consequences for failing to do so.

Our own approach to being a good employer has been developed over many years and has been a defining feature of Spotless’s growth and development. It involves a package of measures aimed at creating a culture where people feel valued, motivated and, importantly, much more inclined to remain within the business to support its ongoing growth.

This includes a commitment towards a workplace which is respectful and appreciative of colleagues at all levels across the business, where people are recognised through incentives and other initiatives for their contribution.

While not always the most important factor in terms of retaining employees, there’s also no doubt that fair remuneration is key in an economic landscape where skills shortages are prevalent. Working in conjunction with our clients, we look to pay our lowest earners the Real Living Wage wherever possible.

Unlike many others within our sector, we have also rejected zero-hours contracts for our people, opting instead to give them the consistent work and income security that accompanies full-time employment status.

There are other peripheral pay measures that don’t increase costs within the business but can be effective in supporting our people. This includes the use of the app Wagestream which enables our colleagues to easily access wages ahead of payday if they need to do so helping them manage unexpected expenses without resorting to high-interest loans or incurring bank charges.

Training is another important cornerstone of our employee retention strategy. We utilise UhUb, a cloud-based system which training provides training for every cleaning task with content in multiple languages. This has been effective in making our colleagues feel they are supported in performing their duties safely and effectively.

A positive working environment, where we promote work-life balance and personal growth, is further supported by a team of mental health first-aiders and senior managers who are always available for one-on-one interactions.

This commitment towards our people is not only the right thing to do but it also benefits our business. Spotless stands out in its sector with an impressive average employee tenure of 3.8 years for our cleaning operators and eight years for our managers. This far exceeds the industry average where cleaning staff turnover rates range between 75 and 400% annually.

Spotless currently generates around £34m in annual revenues and employs a team of more than 2,100 people across the UK and we are continuing to grow despite the recruitment challenge that is impacting so many businesses across the UK.

While we operate within the commercial cleaning sector, I believe SMEs from a wide range of industries can benefit through a long-term investment in people and enhance their competitiveness within this challenging recruitment market.

This must start with a real commitment towards being a great employer, not simply through words but through genuine initiatives that will demonstrate that people are your top priority. This can include the introduction of programmes that help a business to develop its talent whenever possible, along with the implementation of schemes that recognise and reward hard work and long service.

It’s also important to look at the role of technology, not necessarily as a replacement to people but how it can help enhance the productivity of existing employees and potentially enable them to be redeployed them in more satisfying work.

If the UK is to achieve strong economic growth we will need to embrace and overcome the skills shortage challenge. While success will be partly determined by government policies, employers can make a key contribution in achieving this aim. A genuine commitment can also benefit their productivity and profitability.

Roger Green is founder and chairman of Spotless Commercial Cleaning