Please read the following carefully and make sure you understand everything.
Estimated Reading Time for this Module: 10 minutes
At The Mission Maids we live by our core values as they are the basis of how we do things. These are very important rules we follow every day! Please watch the video and read the following.
- Be humble. Have quiet confidence and respect for others.
- Even if we have different skill sets. We still treat each other equally.
- Help create a great atmosphere to work in.
- Have fun. Bring your great ideas to management to help make everyone’s job better. Be a reason others want to come to work.
- Treat others well, smile and be friendly. Say “please” and “thank you.”
- Teamwork, help each other accomplish more.
- There is no “I” in team! Be a helpful hand at all times. Teach each other better ways of doing things if someone else is having trouble staying on time. Giving them humble advice helps them accomplish the job.
- Don’t do the minimum. Go above and beyond for your teammate.
- We should all do our part so it gets done faster and with detailed satisfaction.
- Great service, WOW the customer.
- Go above and beyond
- Details count
- Always double-check yourself!
- Always be positive and kind
- If you ever experience any issue, communicate it right away to resolve it as soon as possible and set expectations
- Operation excellence through constant improvement
- Everyone can always be improving themselves. Learn from your mistakes and grow.
- Take what others are doing well and adopt that into your routine.
- If something isn’t working ask for help or change it.
- Offer assistance to others by giving them your great ideas.
- Be a problem solver, take the initiative.
- Always look for a solution rather than being part of the problem.
- Come to management with ideas and ways to solve problems to help make everyone’s work-life better.
- Be a good example to others.
- Always lead by example
- Follow our core values and live by them
Read over our “13 Rules” for The Mission Maids – those who follow these rules will have a GREAT experience working and will feel much more confident in their abilities!
- Make every move count
This means work your way around the room once, don’t backtrack. It also means you must carry your equipment and supplies with you. This avoids time wasting trips back and forth across the room. Walk around the room once, except for the floor, you’re done. - Use the right tools
Use a cleaning apron to transport cleaning supplies around the room. This makes for efficient cleaning. Have all the right tools readily available for the job you will be doing. - Work from top to bottom
Also work left to right and from back to front. - If it isn’t dirty, don’t over-clean it.
Don’t use this as an excuse to skip an area. Use the correct level of cleaning and the right tools for the job. - Don’t rinse or wipe a surface before it’s clean
You’ll just have to start over. If you rinse just to see if it’s clean and it isn’t, you will need to do it again. Learn how to see through all the dirt and grime to the surface below, then you will know the right time to do a final rinse. - Don’t keep working after it’s clean
Save your energy, rinse or wipe and move on. - If what you are doing isn’t working, shift to a heavier duty cleaner or tool
Learn to anticipate which tool you need to reach for before you start to use it. Practice until its automatic. - Keep your tools in excellent shape
Take care when in a client’s home to use the right tool for the job. Make sure to replace tools that are worn out. - Repetition makes for smoother moves
Always put your tools back in the same place in your apron. You waste time when you have to search for them, so use the same place consistently and you’ll know exactly where to go. - Pay attention
Almost everything will fall into place when you do. Focus on what you are doing as you are cleaning. Letting your mind drift somewhere else will slow you down! - Keep track of your time
Get a little faster each time by following these rules, not by rushing or hurrying. Rushing or hurrying will lead to poor cleaning, accidents, and damages. And more customer complaints! - Use both hands
Finish one step with one hand, start the next step with the other. Or wipe with one hand while steadying the object with the other. - If there is more than one, work as a team
If your partner gets done ten minutes faster, the team gets done 10 minutes faster. Work vigilantly to be as efficient as possible so you can feel good about your contribution to the team effort. And your other team member will appreciate you too!
We take pride in the system we have here at The Mission Maids. And because we have worked diligently to try and make things as simple as possible for everyone, we ask you to please consider why we have a “Way” of doing things. Please read the following to familiarize yourself with The Mission Maids Way:
- It’s a complete set of instructions on how to clean a home in the smartest way possible
- The more closely you follow the system, the more likely you are to succeed and excel in this job
- It’s not difficult, it actually will make your job easier!
- The quality of your work will go up which will make your clients happier!
- It will help in not only doing a good job but also completing the jobs more efficiently. More efficiency = more money!
- It will help you reach your full earning potential
- Moving correctly through the homes not only helps you avoid injury, but it’s also healthy as a great way to get exercise!
- When you work as a team, you will work very smoothly and efficiently together. It’s much easier and faster when you are cleaning with the same system!
Here at The Mission Maids, we maintain a strict (but comfortable) dress code that must be followed. Please read over the dress code below:
The following dress code is acceptable:
- Polo shirts or Cleaning Scrubs – Please let us know if you do not have these
- Safe, solid color closed-toe, non-slip shoes
- Jeans with no rips and solid color or black professional pants.
- Clothing must be clean and in good condition and neat
- Limited jewelry and no dangling large hoops
- Body piercing’s limited to earrings only.
- No other body piercing is acceptable.
Tattoos that are perceived as offensive or that diminish the effectiveness of the cleaner’s professionalism must be covered.
- Maintain a clean, groomed appearance
- No heavily scented perfumes or other strong/unpleasant odors (these can cause allergic reactions, migraines, and respiratory difficulty for some client and employees and contractors)
Yoga pants, tights of any kind, workout pants, and leggings of any kind are prohibited
Bodily fluids (feces, urine, vomit, blood, etc) are not within our scope of service. Technically, handling bodily fluids would be considered a Biohazard and requires additional training and specialization.
If you do happen to see any biohazardous waste, such as pet feces, blood, or urine in the home, you are not required to clean or pick it up. Instead:
- send a text to management (919.754.4300) letting them know
If the client is home:
- politely mention to the client: “unfortunately, this is outside of the scope of our services since we are required by law to have special training and licensing to properly handle “Biohazardous substances or bodily fluids.”
We take safety seriously – please refer to the information below to keep yourself and everyone around you safe:
- NEVER CARRY A VACUUM UP/DOWN STAIRS when the other hand is also full of equipment. One hand must be free at all times to enable proper balance.
- DO NOT GO HIGHER THAN TWO STEPS ON A LADDER. Even on a “Top To Bottom,” or spring cleaning, the cleaning tech is only allowed to go up two steps on a kitchen ladder.
- IF A CUSTOMER HAS A TALL SHOWER STALL, it is policy to clean as high as is naturally reachable, NO CLIMBING IN THE SHOWER.
- TO PREVENT A NASTY SPILL, Make sure you close the lid of any chemicals before setting them down. Also put a towel outside the shower door or tub, this will help to prevent you from slipping and protect the carpet or tile from being damaged. If you should spill make sure to quickly wipe up or use a towel to soak up the spill from the carpet by blotting repeatedly on the spill.
- DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS A WET FLOOR. Even in bare or stocking feet wet floors are treacherous. If time is of the essence and the floor must be walked on, use a few rags under the shoes to provide traction. This also works well in large showers.
- DO NOT COMBINE AMMONIA AND BLEACH BASED CHEMICALS. Any cleaner such as glass cleaner, bathroom disinfectant or soap scum remover may contain ammonia. Mildew remover and most abrasive cleansers contain bleach. DO NOT MIX THE TWO!!
- DO NOT APPROACH A SNARLING PET. If the work order says it is friendly, but it is not appearing that way IT IS NOT MANDATORY TO STAY AND CLEAN. Do not risk being bitten, leave, call the office so that they can contact the customer and reschedule the cleaning.
- IF UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE PEOPLE IN THE HOME, it is also okay to leave. If the customer’s teenage children are home or have friends over and their behavior and appearance border on menacing, LEAVE. If they are doing anything that may be illegal it is also okay to leave. The same applies to adults in the home. If ever experiencing harassment, the same applies.
- NEVER MASH DOWN ON OR COMPACT TRASH IN THE CAN WITH YOUR HANDS! With the risk of AIDS and other infectious diseases, do not risk being stuck by a needle, cut by any broken or sharp material in the trash. Never pick through the customer’s garbage.
- DO NOT TRY TO READ THE WORK ORDER AND DRIVE! Be sure to read the work order while the car is parked. Reading and driving is asking for an accident.
- DO NOT OPERATE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT ON A WET FLOOR. Vacuums, electric brooms, etc… are prone to shock if used on wet floors.
We want you to know that you are not required to lift or move any items that you can’t pick up easily – our utmost concern is to maintain the safety of everyone at The Mission Maids. Please refer to the following to know what should and shouldn’t be lifted or moved if requested by the clients.
Examples that should NOT be lifted or moved even if requested by the clients are:
- refrigerators
- large or heavy couches
- love seats
- stone tables
you can move or lift up:
- small end tables
- light couches
- lamps or light fixtures (within reason)
If a client asks you to lift or move something heavy:
- explain to the customer that we don’t move or lift heavy items because:
- we don’t want to risk hurting ourselves
- we don’t want to risk damaging the flooring or cracking tiles when it is moved
- “If you would be willing to move it yourself, I’d be more than happy to vacuum the area after it’s moved!”
Some clients may ask for you to clean an area which is higher than what we normally service.
Remember: we will never ask you to use a ladder or climb higher than a 2-step ladder
If the client asks you to clean an area that is out of reach from our normal service or tools we use:
- contact management
- they will reach out to the client to explain the protocol we have in place for using ladders
- do NOT under any circumstances climb higher than a 2 step stool or ladder
- you will not be covered under insurance, nor do we want to put you at risk for injury.
We would rather politely decline that specific request to the client than put any of our contractors in danger.
We love them, but sometimes as strangers, pets can not be the friendliest little furballs. So at any time, if you feel uncomfortable with a pet, please exit the home and call management. We try to do a really good job of putting notes in the Booking Koala app if the client does have a pet so you know what to expect but at any time if the pet is left loose or if you’re not comfortable, please call management and we will call the client to address this.
We never want you to feel uncomfortable or threatened by a pet that may be left in the home. Sometimes, clients may say “Oh, you know. They’re so sweet. We’re just going to leave them loose,” but what the client sometimes doesn’t understand is that we are a stranger to their pet and as a pet, they’re doing their job to protect that home.
We want you to be safe and feel safe so please, if at any time you’re uncomfortable with a pet in the house or if a pet is left loose and you’re not comfortable, please let the office manager know and exit the home immediately until you hear back about what the next steps to take will be.
AS A REMINDER:
- Make sure that doors are closed if there is a pet in the home
- pets may escape if they are not properly trained
- let the homeowner know if there is a pet that seems angry
- let the office know if you cannot contact anyone
We pride ourselves on being polite, professional, and presentable at all times before, during, and after cleaning.
Take 5 minutes after each home when loading your supplies back into your car and tidy up, clean, wipe and sanitize all of your supplies and equipment. All your supplies and equipment should always look pristine, brand new, clean, and organized. This will help cut down on the frustration of not knowing where anything is. And if a client passes by your car while your trunk is open, your vehicle should be neat and presentable.
Your vehicle is a reflection of the quality of service you are providing – if there are empty food containers and trash throughout your car, it gives a poor impression of the quality of service we provide. We know you try hard and do fantastic work, so we want to make sure both you and the company are being represented in the best way possible.