1. Hire part-time workers vs. full-time workers. This can save money on benefits, higher wages, and paid breaks.

2. If you have full-time employees, consider combining two 15-minute breaks into one half-hour break. Studies show that this will save approximately 20 minutes of productive time. Why? The national average for a 15 minute break is actually 27 minutes!

3. Control absenteeism. For example, develop a perfect attendance bonus per pay period or do not pay sick leave on the first day of absence. Be sure to check with the laws in your state for attendance policies first.

4. Hire “floats” or “project teams.” The floats will replace absent employees and take care of any special projects and detailed cleaning.

5. Only use overtime for emergencies and unplanned events.

6. Avoid lawsuits by documenting disciplinary actions and accurate performance reviews. Avoid using phrases like “he has a bad attitude.” Bad attitudes are hard to prove. Rather, give examples of specific poor performance.

7. Do not hire employees in a limited trial period. If you have a typical 90-day probationary period before hiring an employee as a regular employee, be sure to provide constructive feedback during the probationary period so that if you need to fire them, it won’t come as a surprise.

8. Provide the right tools for the job: wide-pitch vacuums for large hallways and open areas; backpack vacuums with accessories for detail work; automatic scrubbing machines for the care of large surfaces hard floors.

9. Use a three-in-one system for carpet care. Use a surface polishing system, such as hood cleaning, the first three times and the fourth time, remove the carpet.

10. Save chemical costs by using dilution control stations.

11. Save on toilet paper costs by using dual roll towel dispensers and roll towel dispensers.

12. Remove obsolete products such as ammonia, bleach, washing powder, and aerosols.

13. Make your company’s policy of dusting only clean desks and include it in your bid.

14. Consider clearing routes for smaller buildings. Have a supervisor or group leader lead a group of 3-4 people to each building.

15. Provide three types of training: orientation, on the job, and in the classroom. Hold regular meetings with employees and cover training and safety topics.