It’s not difficult to imagine the moral, ethical, or humanitarian arguments for raising custodial wages. After all, it’s physically demanding, complex work that is essential for a business to operate effectively. Other positions that meet that description would likely come with compensation that could at least be described as a “living wage.” Yet custodians rarely earn more than $15 per hour. Most financial decision-makers in corporate America would tell you that’s all their bottom line will support.

But what if there was a business case for raising custodial wages — by double? One that could potentially have a positive impact on revenue? Allen Randolph, VP of Business Development at Kaivac, and Chair of the ConnexFM Thought Leadership Committee, thinks there is, and will make the case in an upcoming webinar for ConnexFM members.

Randolph describes custodial work as the ultimate entry-level job. “It’s truly the gateway job to the American workforce,” he said. “If you are willing to clean a toilet, you could probably get hired today.” It is also notoriously unpleasant, low-paying work, plagued by a high rate of turnover. This creates an atmosphere of frustration for both those tasked with keeping facilities clean and the hiring managers attempting to keep these positions filled.

“The high turnover leads to a lack of investment in training and innovation — if people are just going to leave, why spend the money?” Randolph said. “But what you end up with are outdated tools, typically cluttered workspaces and minimally-trained employees, which sends the message that this role — and these employees — aren’t terribly important to the company.”

Ultimately it comes down to having a really clear value proposition for the work that’s being done. “

Learner Objectives:

1. 1. Understand the “Cycle of Inefficiencies” in custodial operations.
   2. Understand the actual labor cost of those inefficiencies.
   3. Strategies for making meaningful change to custodial operations, not with products, but with mindset and insights.