Seeking Janitorial Services for Business

(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) April  14, 2010 - Believe it or not, many janitorial services pay only a mild lip-service to the Green program.  Obviously, some are better than the rest of the Green services; and other are worse.  Unfortunately, there is just no good way to discover the quality of the janitorial service until they have been engaged.  This is due to the age-old practices of the RFP and bid process.  Area janitorial services are generally invited to bid on a project.  An RFP is supposed to keep the bids focused on the same demands; but ultimately, the real decision comes down to the bid opening program where the winner (usually the low bidder) gets the job.

This arcane process has been the way things have been done for decades.  Of course, if the firm is large enough to have good sales people, then the cleaning jobs are influenced by gifts, golf junkets, and paid-for perks.  These two methods of securing a janitorial service need a third option, and the rise of Green cleaning concerns should allow for there to be something more than the lowest-bidder or the best-concealed bribe.

The Green Business League maintains a field force of more than 300 Certified Green Consultants, and each one is taught that the Indoor Air Quality is the starting point of a Green (healthy) office.  Other issues like energy, water and waste management are also included in this very comprehensive Green business certification process.  While some may overlook the importance of the janitorial service (in-house or outsourced), janitorial services contribute strongly to a healthy or unhealthy office.

As mentioned, finding a Green certified janitorial service is not as simple as looking at a braggadocios website.  Whether a service is Green or not cannot be proven by self-promotion.  The Green Business League is developing a referral list of Green janitorial services in every metropolitan area.  To be considered for this referral list, a company must request inclusion in this list by emailing the review division.  (review@greenbusinessleague.com)

In the Green Business League system, every company seeking Green business certification must acquire 100 points through “Green Practices.”  15 points are allocated when there is a Green certified janitorial service involved.  For a company at 85 points, there is a strong motivation to consider using a Green janitorial service.   The next plateau is 200 points to reach the gold level certification, and this points-driven system is all about making continued improvement as a Green business.

There is no promise of business made in this system, but the advance of Green business expectations and pending regulations means that more companies are aware of the need for Greening their business, and frankly, the janitorial service costs equals a transition of money already being spent.  Therefore, it seems like a basic and straight-forward solution that should cost the company next to nothing to implement.  Make note, however, that not all self-appointed Green janitorial services are as Green as they claim.  Some even post Green logos on their website that were designed in-house or bought off the Internet.  When you see this kind of misrepresentation and greenwashing, move away from these less-than-honest services.

There are several Green janitorial certifying programs that can be respected.  Companies who see the future and care about their community are reputable firms that have obtained their certification properly.  This are the kind of services that the Green Business League hopes to recommend to each of the hundreds of GBL Green certified businesses.   The size of the company is not as important as the ability to serve the client well.

As a final note, Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is a major piece of the Green and sustainable workplace.  OSHA and EPA suggest that poor indoor air quality causes a $60 billion loss to American businesses in employee productivity.  Poor air quality excerbates health-related issues and contributes to headache, lethargy, and minor ailments.   Though a hidden factor in the cost of operating a business, this is still a very serious cost to every business.  Like it or not, your employees are one of the biggest business investments that any company makes.  Even a 5-10% increase or decrease in overall company performance has an impact on the bottom line.

Companies wishing to obtain a Green Assessment by a Certified Green Consultant are encouraged to call the office or email a request to office@greenbusinessleague.com.  Janitorial services wishing to become one of the firms on the Green janitorial services list should email: review@greenbusinessleague.com

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