When your business is just getting started the chances are that you will be operating as a one-man operation. However, eventually in order to earn the really big money in the office cleaning business you will need to expand and with expansion comes additional responsibilities. The first of these new challenges will probably be the hiring of your first employee. While we do not recommend taking on more work than you can physically handle we also do not want you to shrink away from any chance of expansion.

In the beginning it is best to hire your first employee on a part time basis. In this way you will not be required to provide many of the benefits associated with full-time work. You will also not have to pay your part-time employees at a high wage level. Most part-time workers are more than happy to work at a wage scale that is slightly above minimum wage. This is because it is part-time work that is usually supplementing their full-time income.

There are many ways to obtain part-time employees. The overall labor pool for those seeking a supplemental income is quite large. You can place an ad in your local newspaper, place flyers around the campus of a local college or simply let the word out among friends and relatives that you are looking for a conscientious part-time employee. A word of caution is in order here in regards to hiring friends and relatives. While it may appear to be an ideal situation to hire someone you personally know, if that person turns out to be unreliable or a poor worker, you will be in the awkward position of having to let them go.

The best way to hire any employee is to take an application from at least ten potential candidates. Examining each application carefully, call their previous employers and other references and then carefully narrow down the field. With only a few candidates left, choose one that you feel comfortable with and hire them.

Once you have chosen your first part-time employee consult with your accountant concerning the proper insurance and government documents that you will be required to file and to provide to your new employee.

How you manage your employees is a matter of personal style, however, always treat each individual with the same respect and dignity that you expect to be treated.

On each of the accounts that you will be assigning to an employee, estimate at least 25% above the time it would take you to clean the account yourself. This will help you to determine the time required to finish cleaning the office and identify any problem areas. Then furnish each employee with a complete training program that will provide them with all the information they will need to clean each account in a professional manner.

One way to ensure that each account is cleaned to the specifications listed in the contract is to provide each employee with a check list. This should itemize in detail what must be accomplished to get the job done along with some technical notes on how to complete each task.

One of the main problems associated with hiring an employee to clean an office that you have contracted with is job performance. As the owner of your own office cleaning company you will undoubtedly take pride in your work and will bend over backwards to please and keep each account. You will find that this will probably not be the case with most employees. On a periodic basis check each office to make sure the work is being performed and that your customer is still happy. If the work being performed is satisfactory, praise the employee that is responsible. If the work is not getting done and your employee shows a habit of poor work performance then approach that employee to find out what the problem could be. Perhaps they are overworked. As we stated earlier, most part-time workers have either a full-time job or are students. Working eight hours a day and then putting in another two to four hours at a part-time job can be very tiring. If this is the case then perhaps it would be best to provide him or her with some assistance.

If you find that your problem employee does not understand all that is required of them, then retraining is in order. If the problem persists, then you will have to dismiss them.

As you hire each employee establish a personnel file in order to keep track of their wages, taxes paid, job locations and evaluations and other related matters. Provide each new employee with a W-4 form which informs both you and the federal government of the number of withholding allowances they are claiming. This information is necessary in order to determine how much tax should be withheld from their wages.

From time to time an employee will make a mistake. They will neglect to complete a job assignment, leave the office lights on when they leave, forget to set the burglar alarm, or in general do something that will result in a call from your client. It is important that all mistakes be brought to your employees attention immediately. It is this hands on response to any problem that may arise that results in a satisfied client. Since everyone wants to do their job well even if it is part-time employment, constructive suggestions in avoiding further mistakes are generally well received.