Throughout COVID, jobs in the sector were secure and many cleaning companies adapted to the increase in demand. The hospitality sector and non-essential shops might have been closed but schools stayed open throughout, and supermarkets were busier than ever.

Cleaning was at the forefront of everyone’s minds with the importance of cleaning being highlighted.

Many companies and individuals have higher cleaning standards than they did in 2019 and this means that the increase in demand that the industry has seen in the past 2 years has not waivered.

Cleaning is recession proof, and the industry offers job opportunities that lead to development and progression, we here at USS believe in promoting internally and providing all of our staff with the support and training that they need to succeed along with excellent rates of pay.

If you are looking for a reputable cleaning company to work for we currently have the following opportunities available: –

• Kitchen Porters
• Cleaning Operatives
• Cleaning Supervisors
• Window Cleaners

Want to find out more about working for us, send your CV to j.wiseman@unique.org.uk

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It is estimated that by the end of this year, some 4.3 million people will be employed within Travel & Tourism which is 70,000 more than in 2019 and the research conducted by the British Cleaning Council found that there would also be 93,000 more jobs in the cleaning, waste management and facilities sectors generated by 2024.

Cleaners are considered the invisible workforce and are rarely noticed yet they contribute so much for the health and wellbeing of staff and customers alike, creating a clean and hazard free environment and now more than ever company images need to be a ‘clean’ image.

Looking for a career within the hospitality cleaning sector, we have job opportunities for you.

We are currently recruiting for the following roles in Central London and offer good rates of pay above minimum wage, flexible shifts and career progression:-

• Kitchen Porters
• Night Cleaners
• Full and Part Time Cleaning Operatives
• Cleaning Supervisors

If you have previous commercial cleaning or kitchen porter experience, we want to hear from you.  Email your CV today to j.wiseman@unique.org.uk or call 02086694377 to find out more.

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Pre Brexit, there were concerns across the sector that there would be a shortfall in staff as historically UK Nationals have chosen not to join the sector and that has proven to be the case. The British Cleaning Council believes we will be one of the industries that is hit hardest by problems in the recruitment process and the situation is worsening daily when now more than ever the importance of cleaners should still be at the forefront of all our minds.

Despite the cleaning sector having a presence in Parliament and the hard work being recognised by the PM during the height of the pandemic, changes in our immigration system effectively classes Cleaning Operatives as unskilled workers so how do we go about changing the perception of the cleaning industry and encourage UK Nationals to pursue a career in the sector?

Honestly, few people dream of a cleaning job and most fall into the industry but there is a lot to be said for a job in the sector, it’s not just about the cleaning, it’s about Health & Safety, Quality Management and Social Responsibility plus other skills and knowledge and offers job security too.

Some cleaning companies can find themselves with notoriously high employee turnover but this may be more about the company than the people they recruit.  Here at USS the majority of our staff have been with us for many years and we put that down to the training and development opportunities we offer to our staff, the flexibility to work full or part time with hours to suit, recognition of good work and achievements and a higher rate of pay compared to the industry average.

Interested in finding out more about working for USS and the opportunities available, call the office on 020 8669 4377 and a member of the team will be happy to help.

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A skills shortage has been seen for years across these sectors and by 2019 this was widely accepted as a labour crisis, add to that that almost 300,000 people in the hospitality sector have left their jobs since March 2020 including cleaning operatives, kitchen porters and housekeeping personnel and you can see why cleaning companies and hospitality businesses are struggling to find staff.

Migrant workers made up to 37% of the English cleaning workforce pre COVID and Brexit but with new sponsor licences being required to employ from outside the UK now along with a minimum salary of £25,600, this reduces the pool of candidates available for jobs that do not pay this.

The national living wage in the UK is £8.91 yet based on a person working 37.5 hours a week, they would need to be being paid in excess of £13.00 an hour to be eligible for the immigration system and with there still being a stigma to many Brits of working as a cleaner. the question remains how do cleaning companies ensure they can continue to recruit effectively allowing them to deliver the best service possible?

If COVID has shown us anything, it is how important cleaning is and what a value professional cleaning is to be businesses and society as a whole and that is why here at USS we educate and encourage our clients to value the service that our operatives deliver allowing us to pay above the national living wage when possible.

In addition to this, we offer part time vacancies in addition to full time, hours and shifts that suit individual circumstances, a range of training programmes and personal development, an employee of the month and refer a friend scheme and promotion from within. In fact lots of our operatives have gone on to be supervisors and on some occasions beyond that to managerial positions.

If you’d like to find out more about working for USS, we’re recruiting now so why not get in touch to discuss what opportunities are available.

The post Impact Of COVID And Brexit When Recruiting For The Cleaning Sector appeared first on Unique Cleaning Services.

Both sectors face a number of misconceptions, such as low pay, unsociable hours and lack of career progression however we are keen to change this perception and that is why we are delighted to announce that we have signed up to a voluntary ‘Hospitality Commitment’ led by People 1st International.

People 1st International are an employer led skills and quality assurance expert who are also part of Workforce Development Trust, a not for profit organisation cultivating ultimate workforces.

‘Our Hospitality Commitment’ is a code of conduct with the following points:-

• Training and development for all staff
• Work-life balance
• Job rotation
• Holidays approved or rejected in a timely manner
• Rotas and shift patterns issued in a timely manner
• Staff recognition
• Regular feedback
• Respect
• Employee assistance support available
• Mental health, human trafficking and modern slavery awareness available to all

If you’d like to know more about working for us, contact the office on 02086694377.

The post Our Commitment To The Hospitality Sector And To Our Staff appeared first on Unique Cleaning Services.

Historically, a huge percentage of the cleaning staff here in the UK has been filled by EU candidates and if the government proposals for points or salary based immigration control came into effect, with or without a deal the flow of EU staff looking for lower paid work in the UK could well come to an end.

The British perception of working within the cleaning sector is not a good one and we need to change this if we are not to find ourselves in a recruitment crisis.

Cleaning is perceived to be a low skilled job carried out at unsociable hours but the reality is that the same could be said for positions in call centres, retail and hospitality too.

It’s time as an industry and as a country that we start to value the work cleaners do and appreciate the positive impact a clean and hygienic environment can have on a business.

Clients need to offer the same welfare facilities to outsourced cleaning staff and include them in facilities meetings and we as an industry need to be investing more in training and development, ensure we are paying above minimum wage and recognise and reward dedication and hard work and so on.

Here at USS, we are proud to say that we already do this and work with a number of clients who also appreciate the importance of cleaning and the people that carry out this work.

Cleaners are rarely noticed but contribute so much and there is no better time than the present to start changing perceptions and start seeing their true value, your business would not be successful without them.

The post See The True Value appeared first on Unique Cleaning Services.

The successful applicants will be responsible for cleaning and servicing guest rooms and bathrooms under supervison of the houskeeping supervisor.

Duties will include:-

• Dusting the room and furniture
• Cleaning bathroom
• Vacuuming carpets
• Replenishing amenities
• Delivering and retrieving items on loan to guests
• Emtying rubbish
• Removing dirty bed linen and making up beds
• removing dirty towels and replacing
• Checking and securing rooms

You will be expecting to comply with all housekeeping / hotel policies and procedures and provide guest satisfaction which will include handling guest enquiries and complaints in a professional manner.

Physical mobility and stamina is required for these positions along with the ability to follow instructions and work independently.

Previous hotel-related experience is desirable.

There are a number of full time opportunities available all with an immediate start date paying £8.53 per hour. Hours of work will vary depending on room occupancy so flexibility is needed.

CV’s should be emailed to j.wiseman@unique.org.uk for consideration

Privacy Notice

We process personal data relating to those who apply for job vacancies with us or who send speculative job applications to us. We do this for employment purposes, to assist us in the selection of candidates for employment, and to assist in the running of the business. The personal data may include identifiers such as name, date of birth, personal characteristics such as gender, qualifications and previous employment history.

We will not share any identifiable information about you with third parties without your consent unless the law allows or requires us to do so. The personal data provided during an application process will be retained for a period of at least six months or, if required by law, for as long as is required.

This privacy notice does not form part of an employment offer or contract between us. If we make an employment offer to you, we will provide further information about our handling of your personal information in an employment context separately.

If you would like to find out more about our data retention policy and how we use your personal data, you want to see a copy of the information about you that we hold or have any questions or issues regarding data protection, please email us with the Subject “Data Protection Request”.

The post We Are Recruiting appeared first on Unique Cleaning Services.

Experienced Window Cleaner required to start ASAP based in Central London.You will be required to work Monday – Friday and be responsible for cleaning the internal and external windows of a luxury hotel.

Previous experience is essential.

£75.00 per day with flexibility to work extra hours or at weekends if required.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Mix cleaning chemicals and detergents
• Use ladders to clean lower windows
• Wash windows at a higher level using water-fed poles
• Record work completed and liase with hotel management
• Safely store equipment away

Qualifications and Skills

• Previous commercial window cleaning experience
• Working on your own
• Working with your hands
• Being physically fit
• Time management
• Excellent communication skills
• Professional work ethic

Apply by sending your CV to j.wiseman@unique.org.uk

The post We’re Recruiting appeared first on Unique Cleaning Services.

With only 5 months to go until the UK leaves Europe and the chances of a no-deal exit mounting the future is unclear when it comes to what the immigration policy will look like.

Tighter controls on low-skilled migration post Brexit could exclude a high percentage of the EU’s cleaning workforce and create a huge shortfall in staffing levels that may be hard to recover from.

At present, 63% of back of house staff in hotels and restaurants in the UK which includes cleaning operatives come from other countries within the EU and a further 12% come from further afield and with UK unemployment figures standing at 1.36 million in July of this year, the potential impact on the industry could be catastrophic.

150 industry leaders recently travelled to Parliament to push for ministers to ensure that any future policy will include a quick and easy visa system that protects the industries workforce and not just “high skilled” workers who Theresa May has already indicated will be prioritised.  Who’s to say that a multilingual cleaning operative or housekeeper is not highly skilled?

The uncertainty around Brexit is having an impact on the number of people seeking work in the UK and we need people who want to work in the cleaning industry and have the skills to do so, here at USS we have seen the decline in applications for roles we advertise.

Add to this, projections that show there will be 200,000 fewer 15-24 year olds in the UK by 2020 the industry will have to continue to look beyond the UK for our future staff if we are to keep up with current growth in other sectors e.g. hospitality.

Perhaps now is the time to stop saying “low” and “high-skilled” and instead focus on the different types of skills that are required for different industries, all of which add value to the economy.  It’s important that we encourage UK residents to work in the industry through training and development etc.and that a new immigration policy is implemented and we take back control of our borders but any new policy has got to work for the economy too.

The post An Industry In Crisis appeared first on Unique Cleaning Services.

Perhaps the word ‘trade’ is part of the problem as it conjures up the wrong image or perhaps it is that cleaning is not seen as a genuine profession like many other sectors are.

As an industry, we need to work really hard to attract young people, there is huge potential to forge great careers within the cleaning sector and we need to make sure new talent is aware of this.

Research recently showed that only 6% of cleaning employees fall into the under 25 aged bracket, this is 50% less than the national average and at the other end of the scale 47% of cleaning employee’s are aged over 45.

Apprenticeships within cleaning are curently available but only up to Level Two and this is something The British Institute of Cleaning Science is working hard to change.

Qualified IRATA Window Cleaners working at height can earn anything up to £100,000 per annum, Cleaning Managers can earn in the region of £30,000 per annum and with the increases in National Minimum Wage and the introduction of the National Living Wage, cleaning staff no longer face the risk of being paid less than people of the same age in different industries.

We’ll soon be sharing what one of our young members of staff has to say about why he joined the cleaning industry and what he likes about it.

The post Recruitment Shortfall appeared first on Unique Cleaning Services.