Team Development

Team Development: On Monday I was given the opportunity to assist our cleaning team at a job in Maplewood, Summerhill Cooperative Senior Living. I scheduled the two day window job earlier in the month, but never really understood what the job consisted of until I arrived. I was hired 6 months ago to focus on marketing and administrative duties here in the Universal Cleaning Services Inc. office. It has been a great experience and I have been given the opportunity to use my education and skills to innovate and develop the business. When I first started here I never thought I would be out in the field helping our cleaning team, but when the opportunity approached me I jumped right on it. I spend 8-9 hours a day, in the office, Monday – Friday. Typically our crews are already out the door before I arrive in the morning and return late in the evening. I feel that I have done a pretty good job building relationships with the entire Universal Cleaning Services Inc. team, but it obviously could improve since most of the guys spend a limited time in the office. I noticed that our schedule looked pretty booked for the upcoming week and our guys would be working some late hours. I stepped up and volunteered to take some of the work off their shoulders and joined them at the Summerhill Cooperative window job. It was a draining 9 hour day, not to mention we reached record temperatures here in the Twin Cities, but felt that I definitely strengthened my relationship with the cleaning team. It was my first time on a jobsite so I didn’t know much, but each of them took time to teach me what they knew. I learned all types of techniques and skills important to window cleaning. I feel that the cleaning crew really enjoyed my presence and enjoyed that I was willing to learn and help outside the office. Team development is not the only thing I took away that day. I also witnessed the strong work ethic our team members hold. Summerhill Cooperative is a new client of ours and they have had some pretty bad experiences with other cleaning companies in the past. Vickie, the resident manager seemed pretty skeptical since she has hired four other cleaning companies in the past to clean their windows. None of them have worked out. She mentioned the cleaning company that cleaned the windows in 2011 took two weeks to clean the windows, on the three story building. We got the entire job done in one day and did not compromise quality. Vickie received numerous compliments on our work and continuously mentioned how we would be returning in the spring to do the job again. It is amazing how worth ethic, communication and team commitment can actually take time off a job. Lastly, I was really pleased to hear feedback from Vickie. The moment we arrived she mentioned how professional our team looked and acted. It is important that our team represents business ethics so that we have returning clients. Our entire company understands that first impression makes a huge impact on your business. The team knows cleanliness in your multi-housing complex, showroom, offices, restrooms and overall building is important when it comes to your profession. I look forward to building a relationship with the Universal Cleaning Services Inc. team and am excited to learn more about each individual.   Written by Derek Reis July 18, 2012