Do You Ignore Employee Warning Signs Out Of Desperate Need For Cleaning Technicians?

A member of MyHouseCleaningBIz.com recently shared the fact that she sometimes ignores employee warning signs because she is desperate -- she has more clients than she can handle and if she fires a problem employee she'll be left short-handed.

My guess is that many of you can relate to this situation. I certainly can! Be honest - have you ever overlooked a warning sign that a particular employee could be a problem? Most people overlook the warning signs because at this moment in time, they have more work than they can handle, and if they let this employee go then it will be really tough getting all the work done.

Regarding her situation, our member said, "When I act on impulse I deserve all the pain and agony I inflict on myself for allowing the business to control me rather than the other way around. Many of my hiring failures used to come (and still do) from my ignoring the warning signs because I am buying all the 'blah blah' hook, line and sinker rather than letting the person's actions speak louder than their words."

In this case, she is noticing the warning signs during the hiring process, yet she is ignoring the alarms going off in her head because the prospective employee is telling her what she wants to hear. And when you are in desperate need of a cleaning technician, it's very easy to ignore the red flags and offer the job so you can fill the position quickly.

In the case of an employee that is giving you warning signs of trouble, the best thing to do is to ignore your impulse to let it go. Instead, deal with it head on and as quickly as possible. You aren't doing yourself or anyone else in the company any favors. In fact, if it means firing the employee, chances are the rest of the employees will step up and help you out to get through the employee shortage. That's because they are well aware of the problem and would rather work a little extra rather than have to work with the fired employee for one more day.

Do you ever find yourself ignoring employee warning signs? If so, share your story by clicking on the comments link below.

Comments

[Deb Posey]

Oh. Yes. I have ignored the warning signs with a particular employee over and over and over for the same reasons. I needed her. It got to the point where she was running the business and me! I turned myself inside out to try and please her. It got to the point where people in my family were saying, "What is wrong with you? You have to fire her!" I finally did just that last week. I feel like a weight has been lifted from me!

[Linda]

I have found myself doing the same thing! With everyone asking what is wrong with me and it doesn"t help my other employees either! She has even posted a derogatory statement diguised as the "funny status" but doesn't look good on us! I bend over backwards for them and once she doesn't get her way she says I'm screwing her???
Had enough and have to take care of my business and my ther employees :)
Have found that there is plenty of good help out there - just have to listen and keep your eyes open for opportunites that may arise :)

[Carol]

One of my Key contractor and my customer participated in a transaction that would be considered highly unethical. Case in point about 6 or 7 months ago she was asked to clean a very small office by this customer and the customer was only paying $50. Apparently there was a conversation between the customer and my contractor which then lead to the customer telling her to just keep the $50 and not tell me that she clean the office. My contractor and I had words... because this is the only incident I had ever had with this key contractor we moved on with her understanding I did not approve and regardless what a this customer suggested it was wrong. Now since that time I have been making sure I would go on that customer's schedule clean so this would not happen. The clincher here is last week I received a phone call from my contractor stating that the customer did not want me back in her house……...I was floored and of course took it personally. I did not want to make a decision with such a high emotional state, but again the contractor and I had words.
My questions are: How do you run a business and keep the relationship from becoming so strong with the any contractor? How can I cease having my company clean this house? (Her home is way out of the way from my core business and this customer has always been a high maintenance account adding additional services without paying a cent more), I think if I continue to do business with this customer then I am saying this is acceptable behavior, both to my contractor and to this customer. This I know was a situation where my contractor probably shared frustration over the % of the $50 she would have to give me and probably said” it was not worth it”. I am sure that set the stage for exchange of negativity which brought us to this point. My contractor realizes she crossed the line big time. I was about to bring her on as an employee after the 1st of the year, but now have put I that on hold. I also have thought about parting ways with this contractor, but I could not handle all the business I have given her. I think she would play the victim here with all of the existing customers and because of the relationship & take them, but she would do it in a sly way. I am sure with all the cleaning companies out here there is some of the same type situations one of you have had to handle. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

[Jean Hanson]

Carol - Do you have subcontractors sign non-compete agreements? You should also have your clients sign a non-solicitation form so they can't steal your employees. That being said, it sounds like this account is not worth the headache. I would fire the client and also fire the subcontractor -- she's obviously not trustworthy.

Also, I would look into whether or not your subcontractors are really subcontractors in the eyes of the IRS. I ask this because you talked about moving her from subcontractor to employee. What is the difference in your eyes? If you are hiring subs in order to avoid the paperwork and additional taxes you need to pay for employees, then you could be in big trouble with the IRS. I suggest you read this article and also click on the link to the IRS.

http://www.thejanitorialstore.com/public/612.cfm

[Carol]

No in my eyes she was and is a contractor and I have tried to treat as just that. I was bringing her on as an employee because she is a hard worker and has been with me since 2009. Prior to currently I could not afford the expense of having employees. We have had a steady grow so that situation has changedI do have a HR background so I have tried for the most part to walk that fine line. And yes it is hard.
My question is how do I get rid of this customer without a lot of trama? As I indicated in my 1st post this key contractor is currently cleaning for her.

So how do I handle this with both the client and the contractor?

[Carol]

Yes, I do have them sign an agreement which is a independent contractor agreement with a clause that references not taking clients , other contractor or confidential information from the company. How do I get rid of this client since this contractor is cleaning for her through my company. The last two times she has made the check out to the contractor. If there was a breakage in her home my company would not be responsible because of that correct...????

[Jean Hanson]

Carol - since this discussion is also going on in the member forum, I have moved your posts there. Please make all future posts in the discussion forum at MyHouseCleaningBiz.com.

[Rosa Lopes]

I need to ask a question .i own a small cleaning business and would like to expand .how do i price a new contract should I go by the square foot or is there any other way? also for supplies how does one charge for them .Kindly give some ideas here
Rosa

[Jean Hanson]

Rosa,
Sq ft pricing is normally done for 5 days per week service in buildings of 10,000 sq ft and higher. For smaller buildings you can estimate your time and charge an hourly rate to come up with a price. For supplies, build in 5 - 15% for profit.

You might want to consider joining http://www.TheJanitorialStore.com, as you receive the Bidding & Estimating ebook, which walks you through the entire process. Plus we help our members with all facets of your business including helping with bidding.

[Forklift Training Blog]

It is human tendency to ignore warning signs, simply because it is easier than the alternative -- dealing head on with the problem.

[Bill @ carpet cleaning Laguna Niguel]

OMG, do all small business owners go through this? I have been in business since 1996 and I have had my share of employees. There is one in particular that this post really reminds me of.
He was the best employee ever, meaning his cleaning skills were unmatched. He had a real knack for details and the small things. A real perfectionist just like myself. However, the problem was he starting being late, missing days, etc... Come to find out he had some real personal issues that I never knew of that he did after work.
Well, he was such a good technician when here I did ignore and ok things I never should have. It is just so much work as you all know to train new employees and get into a groove. For our company it takes at least 6 months to start feeling comfortable. I totally can relate to this post!
Great site full of stuff I can relate to for sure!