Survey Highlights Financial Importance Of In-Person Working

While a majority of New York City companies are currently remote, 76 percent of C-suite executives say in-person work is critical to their company’s bottom line and revenue, according to a new survey by the Cleaning Coalition of America.

Obstacles, however, still remain for a full return to the office, with over two-thirds of C-suite executives saying their employees have expressed concern that in-person work could pose a health and safety risk. In return, senior leaders are embracing enhanced cleaning of the workplace (75 percent) and installing hand sanitizer stations (77 percent). Business leaders are also offering subsidies for childcare costs, transportation vouchers, and monetary incentives.

“The pandemic required New York businesses to fundamentally rethink their operations and the value placed on workplace health and safety,” says  Paul Budsworth, president – North America, Diversey Holdings. “Understanding how New York City’s executives are planning for the future is crucial for our industry to be the most effective partner moving forward.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic created more awareness of the value of workplace cleaning,” says Stanley Doobin, owner and CEO of Harvard Maintenance. “In this post-pandemic era, increased cleaning and disinfection must be the new standard for any shared space.”

Fielded from March 16-29 – two years since the closure of non-essential businesses – the survey polled 258 C-suite executives from companies representing a broad range of industries and company sizes to understand key learnings from the public health crisis, plans for a post-pandemic future, and their perception of New York City and New York State’s pandemic response.

The survey found that New York City business leaders are broadly supportive of the local administration’s pandemic response, but want to see stricter measures going forward. In fact, 75 percent of New York City business leaders report feeling “satisfied” with how elected officials navigated the pandemic and the policies put in place – citing “Key to NYC” and the State’s HERO ACT as beneficial to their respective businesses. If faced with a future public health crisis, 63 percent of C-suite level executives will turn to local elected officials first for guidance, followed by public health officials, external consultants, and the business community.

“As we look to develop future public health plans, it is important to learn from the past and understand how various policies and measures impacted businesses,” says Josh Feinberg, president of the Cleaning Coalition of America. “The Coalition is committed to serving as a bridge between the business community and policymakers to ensure safe and healthy workplaces – not just now, but in the future.”

Moving forward, executives are not leaving anything to chance. In fact, 80 percent have developed a pandemic response plan. Still, in the event of a future public health emergency, a plurality of New York City executives would like to see better protection of frontline workers – including priority access to PPE and vaccinations.

A link to the full survey recents is available here

Survey Reinforces Importance of Cleaning for Return to In-Person Work

Although many employees continue to work remotely more than two years into the pandemic, employers see value in bring their workers together in a central location. A new survey from the Cleaning Coalition of America, a partnership of six of the nation’s largest facilities services companies, found 76% of C-suite executives said the in-person workplace is essential to their company’s bottom line and revenue.

The survey polled C-suite executives from companies in New York City representing a broad range of industries and sizes. Most respondents said they believe that stricter cleaning protocols will improve employee confidence in returning to the workplace.

The survey found:

  • 75% of respondents say cleaning is the No. 1 incentive that will bring employees back to their work facilities.
  • 68% have moved their office location during the pandemic.
  • 20% cited the importance of cleaning as the most important lesson they learned from the pandemic, followed by the importance of improved technology (17%) and the benefits of remote work (15%).

“The pandemic required New York businesses to fundamentally rethink their operations and the value placed on workplace health and safety,” said coalition member Paul Budsworth,  Diversey North America president.

“In this post-pandemic era, increased cleaning and disinfection must be the new standard for any shared space,” added coalition member Stanley Doobin, Harvard Maintenance Inc. owner and CEO.

Read full article here.

Offices Are Here To Stay, Critical To Bottom Line

Facility Executive

While a majority of New York City companies are currently remote, 76 percent of C-suite executives say in-person work is critical to their company’s bottom line and revenue, according to a new survey by the Cleaning Coalition of America.

Obstacles still remain for a full return to the office, with over two-thirds of C-suite executives saying their employees have expressed concern that in-person work could pose a health and safety risk. In return, senior leaders are embracing enhanced cleaning of the workplace (75%) and installing hand sanitizer stations (77%). Business leaders are also offering subsidies for childcare costs, transportation vouchers, and monetary incentives.

“The pandemic required New York businesses to fundamentally rethink their operations and the value placed on workplace health and safety,” said Paul Budsworth, President – North America, Diversey Holdings. “Understanding how New York City’s executives are planning for the future is crucial for our industry to be the most effective partner moving forward.”

“The Covid-19 pandemic created more awareness of the value of workplace cleaning,” said Stanley Doobin, Owner and CEO of Harvard Maintenance. “In this post-pandemic era, increased cleaning and disinfection must be the new standard for any shared space.”

From March 16-29 – two years since the closure of non-essential businesses – the survey polled 258 C-suite executives from companies representing a broad range of industries and company sizes to understand key learnings from the public health crisis, plans for a post-pandemic future, and their perception of New York City and New York State’s pandemic response.

The survey found that New York City business leaders are broadly supportive of the local administration’s pandemic response, but want to see stricter measures going forward. In fact, 75 percent of New York City business leaders report feeling “satisfied” with how elected officials navigated the pandemic and the policies put in place – citing “Key to NYC” and the State’s HERO ACT as beneficial to their respective businesses. If faced with a future public health crisis, 63 percent of C-suite level executives will turn to local elected officials first for guidance, followed by public health officials, external consultants, and the business community.

“As we look to develop future public health plans, it is important to learn from the past and understand how various policies and measures impacted businesses,” said Josh Feinberg, President of the Cleaning Coalition of America. “The Coalition is committed to serving as a bridge between the business community and policymakers to ensure safe and healthy workplaces – not just now, but in the future.”

Moving forward, executives are not leaving anything to chance. In fact, 80 percent have developed a pandemic response plan. Still, in the event of a future public health emergency, New York City executives would like to see better protection of frontline workers – including priority access to PPE and vaccinations.

IN-PERSON WORK STILL MATTERS

While many businesses have changed their office space during the pandemic, senior leaders say the in-person workplace is critical to their company’s bottom-line.

  •      68% of businesses have moved their office location during the pandemic.
  •      76% say that the in-person workplace is essential to their company’s bottom-line and revenue.

Business leaders are prioritizing enhanced cleaning to keep the workplace safe and incentivize a return to the office.

  •      75% say cleaning is the number one incentive to return to the office.
  •      20% cited cleaning as the most important business learning from the pandemic, followed by improving technology (17%) and the benefits of remote work (15%).

C-suite executives are broadly supportive of New York’s pandemic response.

  •      75% of executives say they are satisfied with the local government’s pandemic response.
  •      63% of C-suite leaders will turn to local elected officials first for guidance, followed by public health officials (57%).

New York executives have prepared their own pandemic response plans, but want to see stricter and more proactive enforcement of public health measures during future public health crises.

  •      80% of business leaders have developed future pandemic response plans.
  •      25% of executives support stricter measures and enforcement of current pandemic restrictions.
Read more about facility management cleaning and maintenance issues here. 

Execs identify office cleaning as most important incentive to workers

C-suite executives recognize that ensuring adequate office cleaning is vital to workers’ willingness to return to the workplace.

Many more workers are working in offices now than they were for most of 2021, but that doesn’t mean they are completely over the pandemic. That seems to be something that C-level executives are recognizing, as a recent survey found that they have identified that office cleaning practices are the number one incentive for workers to return to a workplace.

The new survey from the Cleaning Coalition of America, a partnership of six of the nation’s largest facilities services companies, found that three-quarters (75 per cent) of respondents to their survey of C-suite executives cited office cleaning as the most important measure to ensure employees are happy to return.

It’s fair to say this is likely to be a priority for executives, given that 76 per cent of the respondents said that an in-person workplace is essential to their company’s bottom line and revenue.

Most respondents said they believe that generally stricter cleaning protocols will improve employee confidence in returning to the workplace.

The survey also found that 68 per cent of C-suite executives have moved their office location during the pandemic.

In addition, one in five (20 per cent) cited the importance of cleaning as the most important lesson they learned from the pandemic, followed by the importance of improved technology (17 per cent) and the benefits of remote work (15 per cent).

“The pandemic required businesses to fundamentally rethink their operations and the value placed on workplace health and safety,” said coalition member Paul Budsworth, Diversey North America president.

Fellow coalition member Stanley Doobin, Harvard Maintenance Inc. owner and CEO, stressed that in the post-pandemic era, increased cleaning and disinfection “must be the new standard for any shared space”.

Read full article here.

Cleaning Coalition of America Welcomes 4 New Partners

he Cleaning Coalition of America (CCA), the leading trade group representing cleaning service professionals nationwide, today welcomed Georgia-Pacific, Diversey Holdings, GOJO Industries, and Kimberly-Clark Professional as Official Partners of the organization. As four of the nation’s top hygiene and cleaning product suppliers, these new members will strengthen the CCA’s voice as a champion for cleaning best practices and measures that protect public health.

Founded in 2020 by six of the nation’s largest facilities services companies, the CCA advocates on behalf of professional cleaners and suppliers nationwide to shape and advance crucial policies that promote healthy and safe spaces. With the addition of leading hygiene and cleaning product suppliers, the CCA represents the entire cleaning value chain – from the scientists developing innovative cleaning supplies and the manufacturers producing these products to the millions of professional cleaners nationwide who use these tools every day. 

“These partnerships with the nation’s preeminent hygiene and cleaning product suppliers represent the next chapter of the Coalition – one that spans across all facets of cleaning and disinfecting,” says Josh Feinberg, president of the Cleaning Coalition of America. “Together, we will continue to work with policymakers, industries, and businesses to develop smart policies and protocols that promote a safe and responsible return to business.”

More than ever, embracing enhanced cleaning regimens is both a health and business imperative that can help reduce the potential for COVID-19 outbreaks, support the nation’s continued economic recovery, and mitigate the spread of viruses that cost U.S. employers more than $225 billion annually in lost productivity – nearly $1,700 per employee. Over the past two years, the CCA has leveraged the expertise of its founding members in the commercial cleaning industry to develop resources and original reports to inform a safe return to in-person business and to keep workers healthy amid the pandemic.

Now, with declining hospitalization rates and widely available vaccines, America is reaching an inflection point where endemic-focused policies can replace pandemic-driven restrictions.

As the Coalition looks to the future and ways to mitigate against the next public health emergency, the addition of the largest global hygiene and cleaning product suppliers will bring a critical perspective on the products, tools, and technologies needed to keep shared spaces healthy and safe.

“As a company dedicated to helping advance hygiene in public places, GP PRO applauds the work of the Cleaning Coalition of America in advocating on behalf of professional cleaners and cleaning suppliers nationwide,” says Julie Howard, vice president and General Manager of GP PRO’s Towel Category. “These individuals have served tirelessly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and we look forward to working together with the Cleaning Coalition and other leading hygiene companies to support them and to create a positive impact in all corners of the industry.”

“The pandemic upended the way business leaders think about cleaning. It is no longer simply enough for businesses to say they are providing a clean environment – they must now demonstrate to their employees and customers how they are keeping their shared spaces safe and healthy,” says Paul Budsworth, President – North America, Diversey Holdings. “We are excited for the future and continuing to learn, grow, and innovate alongside our partners at the Cleaning Coalition of America.”

“As hygiene behaviors shifted over the past two years, the cleaning industry stepped up to meet the demand for essential cleaning and hygiene products,” said GOJO Industries’ John Lerner, Chief Commercial Officer. “As we look toward a post-COVID future, we believe those habits are here to stay so we made strategic investments in our manufacturing, distribution, and supply chain capabilities to ensure a secure supply of PURELL products. As part of our continued role in societal health event readiness, joining the Cleaning Coalition of America will provide a forum where our industry can share their collective knowledge to create a safer future.”

“We are thrilled to embark on this new venture with the Cleaning Coalition of America to build a legacy of positive impact,” said Andy Clement, chief customer officer of Kimberly-Clark Professional. “As a leader in hygiene with trusted brands that help people around the world work better, we are eager to share our expertise and perspective to help businesses to create exceptional workplaces that are healthier, safer and more productive.”

Last year, the CCA released Clean Slate: A Reopening Guide for New York Businesses. The report, developed in coordination with independent experts in infectious disease and environmental hygiene, outlines recommendations for how businesses can maintain a safe and healthy workplace and mitigate the spread of viruses. Most recently, the Coalition conducted a survey examining the perceptions of 1,800 U.S. workers on returning to the workplace. The survey found that an overwhelming 93.4 percent of vaccinated respondents and 82.2 percent of unvaccinated respondents cited workplace cleaning protocols as important – with 77.2 percent of workers wanting the workplace cleaned daily.

Read full article here.