In the cleaning industry we are heading for some very uncertain times. The word ‘Normal’ has been redefined. This covers the whole of our industry. For one group of people this new normal has a greater meaning. Not normally the best paid people and in some cases the least well protected are our cleaning operatives. Throughout the world COVID has meant different things to different countries in term of how respective governments dealt with it. In the UK, our system of employing cleaning operatives is very much different to that of the UAE. We do not buy in our labour; we do not have an obligation to house our cleaning operatives. The livelihood of cleaning operatives hangs in the balance. Some may have already been repatriated and others have an uncertain future hanging over them and their families. Our cleaning operatives are motivated by the potential to earn a decent salary to support their families back in their native homeland and the lack of earning potential will have a detrimental effect on their health and wellbeing.

So how do we help our workforce through this period? Developing a plan to mitigate employee fears and concerns should be a top priority. People are worried about their personal health and the health of those they care about. Men especially find it hard to express themselves to the managers with the fear that they may be seen as being weak. The manager may not be experienced enough to handle such emotions and may all have fears of their own. They have anxieties about their jobs, the future of their organisations and even the future of their industry.

To help employees through what will be a turbulent, stressful, and unpredictable return to work, organisations should focus on the personal experiences of their employees from a work and life perspective. It is critical to understand how the pandemic has impacted their personal connection to the culture of the organisation. It is also important to understand if employees feel their organisations are caring for them, as well as understand how to improve and advance that care during the return to the physical workplace, things will go better. Communication is going to be the key. In an environment that does not always gauge the opinion of its workforce a change in attitude from both management and operative could be the way forward.

Communicate frequently to make employees aware of the changes designed to keep everyone safe and healthy.

COVID is not going away tomorrow and to understand what everyone is dealing with is always a good idea.

• Provide details of the changes – Clients will want to see an enhancement of cleaning practices. Train the staff and explain why there has to be change.
• Encourage employees to participate and comply with new work practices. Listen to their suggestions.
• Conduct demonstrations and training to introduce new skills to staff, get them involved. Do not just talk at them but engage.
• Reward successful performance in relation to these practices. This does not have to be financial. Saying thank you can go a long way. But employers can help by finding ways to reward and recognise contribution.
• Consider using a wide range of communication channels and materials – such as text messages (Whats App or equivalent); work place briefings where you can share good news from your clients or directors.
• Organisations should tell their staff what they are going to do for them, to ease fear not only about COVID, but their jobs

Making sure that they have the correct equipment and PPE to do their jobs and to ensuring that they use it correctly.

Money will help, but what would help more is job security. The worry of family back home, catching COVID virus is always going to be there until a vaccine can be found. People need to have the building blocks that form Maslow's hierarchy of needs. For many operatives they are starting at the bottom of the pyramid since lockdown. Try and find a way of helping them and in turn they will help you in ways that you may not have expected.