This month we spoke with Mark Golding, Head of Operations at Act-Clean who before taking off on a well deserved holiday with his family, shared with us the importance of training and what steps every employee of Act-Clean takes to ensure they meet the standards we set and most importantly, keeping them safe in the workplace.
Mark, what is your role at Act-Clean and what does your job entail?
I’m Head of Operations and my role is to lead the day to day and night to night operations teams made up of 7 Operation Managers and 3 Site Managers that in-turn look after more than 600 colleagues across 51 sites.
What training is in place for anyone that starts a job with Act-Clean?
Initially each person is asked to complete online training within 2 weeks of starting. This is provided in 5 different languages and consists of 5 core training elements that include
- COSHH – (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health)
- PPE and Manual handling
- Risk assessments
- Back of House method statements
- Front of House method statements
These core elements provide the foundation of what their job will entail, and provide the basics to to keep them protected and safeguarded at work. Its our responsibility that our staff have the knowledge and understanding to do their job in the very best way to ensure we always provide excellent service to our clients. This is a big USP for us, saving time, resource and responsibility for the clients.
Following online training we then move on to on-the-job training which is led by Supervisors and the Operations Managers to ensure that each individual is able to do their job to the highest level of quality and that they align with our business values.
On the job training will change from site to site but in essence is putting into place the core training they have learned from online. Dependent on role this will also include training on machinery, chemicals, PPE and manual handling. We have a duty of care to our staff to ensure safety and our machines are safe and working properly at all times.
Each staff member will work alongside their supervisors on tasks until they are at the standard expected by Act-Clean employees.
How do you ensure your teams are following health and safety guidelines?
We have monthly PPE audits, ladder checks, site pack checks which is led by the supervisors and operations managers plus I will personally go into each sites and do spot checks to ensure the above is always taking place. This is really important to Act-Clean and is another reason that makes us stand out in such a crowded market.
What other training and development opportunities to you provide.
We have created a Supervisor Training Booklet, an Operations Manager Training Booklet and a Site Manager Training Booklet, aimed at providing staff the opportunity to gain learnings that will help them take the next step in their career with us. This includes everything to ensure they’re ready to and includes managing staff, more detailed information around COSHH and how to manage challenging situations.
If someone is put forward to be promoted the supervisor has to go through a ‘Merits of a Supervisor’ checklist and state why this person is right to be looked at for a promotion. This is then checked by the Operations Managers before signing off and passing to me.
What do well trained Act-Clean staff offer our clients?
Trust and reliability! No matter the situation, our teams are highly skilled and trained to find the best solution to any problem. We are particular in the people we hire, they care about their work and are dedicated providing the very best service. There is a reason we have so many team members that have been with us for more than 10 years. We create an environment, that has our teams health and safety at the forefront alongside training that help them become the best cleaners in the world. This creates trust between us and our clients and means they know they are in very capable hands, leaving us to do our job why they concentrate on other tasks.
From a personal view, I have my own pride and a desire to achieve and keep Act-Clean as the best cleaning management company in the world!
If you’d like to find out how Act-Clean’s dedicated team can benefit your hotel, restaurant or private members club give us a call on 020 7793 0500 or email info@act-clean.com
