A recent survey conducted by salary.com1 found almost 35 percent of employees leave their jobs due to lack of recognition. A housekeeper’s job is never done, so keeping energy high in such a labor-intensive field is key. In honor of International Housekeeper’s Week (Sept. 7-13, 2014), Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ: CTAS) today announced seven tips to help businesses reenergize their housekeeping staff while they provide a cleaner and safer indoor environment.

“Housekeeping staff have a direct impact on hotel cleanliness and guest satisfaction—an integral part of a hotel’s operation,” said Todd McKeown, Vice President Global Hospitality and Gaming, Cintas Corporation. “By investing time and energy in recognizing and rewarding these skilled individuals, it can revitalize your staff, while increasing productivity and building team work and retention.”

Cintas suggests the following tips to keep your housekeeping staff’s spirits high:

1) Ask for feedback – To maintain high job satisfaction and ensure each employee feels fulfilled, ask for feedback. Have a suggestion box and encourage an open-door policy to keep open communication with your staff.

2) Have daily huddles – Holding a brief 10-minute meeting daily can start the workday with a positive step. Have a high-energy employee lead the group meeting, giving rapid updates on good news and highlights as well as challenges in the day ahead. This will keep everyone on task and boost team morale.

3) Praise in public – Positive encouragement is key to maintaining an energized team, but it is critical to highlight one’s achievements in front of peers or executives. Praising an individual for their specific contributions or accomplishments shows your employees are appreciated and motivates others to go above and beyond your expectations.

4) Provide proper tools – Equip housekeepers with the right tools for cleaning. Microfiber towels and mops can improve cleanliness and associate efficiency by not leaving lint behind, and protective equipment like kneepads and gloves improve productivity by reducing housekeeper strain and exposure to germs. Chemical dilution systems also help reduce clutter and limit opportunities for associate injury or error. In addition, properly placed floor mats can capture contaminants and moisture before it enters the hotel to keep floors clean and dry.

5) Employ a mentor system – Whether you are taking on new employees or looking to revitalize your current staff, arrange a formal mentoring system between coworkers. Having senior peers meet regularly with new or less experienced staff can boost camaraderie, while keeping all members of staff on task and motivated.

6) Teach new skills – Offering new training opportunities for your employees will increase their sense of accomplishment and value on the team. Learning new job capabilities through cross training can increase their motivation, action and performance on the job.

7) Increase responsibility – While new skills can expand a job description, increasing responsibility can boost the breadth of the housekeeper’s role. Enriching your employees’ job responsibilities helps them to see opportunities for professional growth and increase their sense of accomplishment and value within your organization.

“A housekeeper’s job should always be recognized,” added McKeown. “Simple strategies to invest energy and time into your employees will keep spirits – and work ethic – high. It will also ensure they always know the value of their dedication within the organization.”

For more information on Cintas’ solutions for cleaning staff, visit http://www.cintas.com/facilityservices

About Cintas:

Headquartered in Cincinnati, Cintas Corporation provides highly specialized services to businesses of all types primarily throughout North America. Cintas designs, manufactures and implements corporate identity uniform programs, and provides entrance mats, restroom cleaning and supplies, tile and carpet cleaning, promotional products, first aid, safety, fire protection products and services and document management services for more than 1 million businesses. Cintas is a publicly held company traded over the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol CTAS and is a component of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.

1 http://www.salary.com/advice/layouthtmls/advl_display_nocat_Ser383_Par575.html