What does Valentine’s Day mean to you? A cynical marketing ploy or an opportunity to show someone that they are loved? Whatever your stance, letting somebody know that they are cared about is never a bad thing. In fact, I think this concept of care and appreciation should be translated into business, and not only on one day, but all year round. Especially in our line of work.

After all, our workforce plays a vital role in keeping spaces clean and healthy for the benefit of others, which has been heroically demonstrated throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Prior to this, cleaning operatives had often been held in low regard, but public perception is now finally changing. According to last year’s British Cleaning Council Research Report, the pandemic has brought widespread recognition for the vital role of the sector’s previously invisible’ workforce, and that the public recognises and values this contribution.

As an advocate, passionate about educating and improving the image of the cleaning sector, I’m thrilled attitudes are shifting. But there’s still more work we, as an industry, can do to invest in workers and help them feel valued.

Firstly, replace ‘zero hours’ agreements, which offer no assurance of confirmed work with contracts that guarantee hours. Secondly, reward employees fairly for the work they undertake. At Jangro, we are proud to be an accredited Living Wage Employer and urge other companies in our industry to join us and also reward staff with a fair pay that reflects the real cost of living.

Training is also important. It not only helps boost performance (after all, well-trained staff work efficiently, cost-effectively, and to a high standard), but it places value on the work undertaken, demonstrating to the employee that they are worthy of investment. And it need not be costly – our award-winning e-learning platform, the Learning Management Solution (LMS) is available to all of our customers and their staff.

Optimised for all devices, it offers a flexible and contact-less approach to training, enabling users to study remotely at times that suit them. It covers a wide range of topics, with varying course lengths, and has been accredited by the CPD Certification Service, which provides assurance that our modules are relevant and of high quality.

Such measures will help to create a more positive working environment, which in turn brings business benefits. A strong, motivated team is likely to be more productive and loyal, reducing staff turnover, which ultimately saves an employer time and money in recruitment.

So this February, as well as showering your loved one with cards and presents, why not think about how you can show your colleagues that they are valued too?

For more information about Jangro LMS, visit www.jangrolms.net.

We’re thrilled to announce that we have been certified by Planet Mark. Regular readers of the blog will already know that we’re extremely passionate about minimising our environmental impact. So, we’re delighted that our commitment to taking ongoing, meaningful action for a brighter and more sustainable future has been recognised.

What is Planet Mark?

Planet Mark is a sustainability certification that verifies and measures carbon and social data to reduce emissions and achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

On average, Planet Mark certified businesses make a 24% cut in absolute carbon emissions per year, and 17% carbon savings per employee per year through reductions in energy, waste, water, travel and procurement. What’s more, for every business that becomes certified through the programme, an acre of rainforest is protected through the Planet Mark partnership with Cool Earth.

There is a three-step process to become certified:

Step one: Engage

A company must first ‘commit’ to the programme, by pledging to measure and reduce its footprint, plan long-term ambitions and motivate its team to innovate.

Step two: Measure

Planet Mark then helps businesses measure their emission sources using its certification methodology. Our report showed that during 2020, our total carbon footprint was 17.4 tC0₂e – made up from sources, including electricity, T&D[1] losses, natural gas, travel, waste, water, and paper.

As part of our certification, we have now committed to making a year-on-year reduction of our carbon footprint by 5% annually. We are also measuring our social value contributions – the net social and environmental benefits generated by our team to society through our corporate and community activities.

Step three: Communicate

Over the next year, we’ll be working towards strengthening our reduction of carbon emissions. Along the way, we’ll be sharing our journey, hoping it will inspire others to commit to a similar programme and encourage continual improvements within our community – ultimately, contributing to a better planet for everyone.

For more information, visit www.planetmark.com/member/jangro/.

 

Every January, millions of us resolve to continue something good, make a positive change, or accomplish a goal in our personal lives. It’s also a good time for businesses to plan for the future.

Looking ahead, it seems this year we are still going to be living very much in the shadow of Covid. People’s expectations of cleanliness and hygiene are now higher than ever, so cleaning businesses ought to consider training an essential new year’s resolution. After all, providing high quality and relevant coaching helps to uphold these standards.

And at a time when consumers are still being much more selective about where they spend their time and money – basing their decisions on hygiene levels – training can make all the difference. A well-trained employee will achieve a high quality clean every time, enhancing a business’ image and making it a more attractive place to visit. Importantly, it also helps keep professional cleaning staff safe when undertaking their duties.

We are proud to offer all of our customers, and their staff, access to our award-winning e-learning platform, the Learning Management Solution (LMS).

This innovative software offers a flexible and contact-less approach to training, covering a wide range of topics. The modules have varying course lengths, so that users can dip in and out of sessions as required and train remotely at times that suit them. It’s also optimised for all devices and users can use their social media details to sign in quickly and easily.

What’s more, it has been accredited by the CPD (Continuing Professional Development) Certification Service – an established, national accreditation, helping to develop staff with the skills and knowledge required within their organisations. This offers customers additional assurance that the training content offered by Jangro’s LMS is appropriate and of first-class quality and integrity, enabling staff to stay up to date.

We recently enhanced the software with bronze, silver, and gold badges too. These not only help users to track their progress, but encourage individuals to complete more modules, gain a higher status, and promote their success to others.

Courses include Colour Coding & Infection Control, Health and Safety, Washroom Hygiene, COSHH, Floor Care, Kitchen Hygiene, and many more. We also offer a versatile system to ‘train on the go’ with Task Cards – brief, highly visual documents containing step-by-step instructions for product usage and safety information.

For more information about Jangro LMS, visit www.jangrolms.net.

Happy New Year and welcome to our first blog of 2022! And what a year it is set to be. Looking at the 12 months ahead of us, there are already lots of exciting plans in the pipeline to look forward to… here’s just a small taste of what’s in store at Jangro.

Awards

Everyone likes winning awards – and we’re thrilled to announce that we are currently in the running for not one, not two, but THREE industry gongs! The Jangro Professional Antiviral Range has been shortlisted for a Tomorrow’s Cleaning 2022 Award, whilst our innovative e-learning platform, the LMS has been shortlisted in both the Tomorrow’s Cleaning and the Tomorrow’s FM 2022 Awards! We are so proud that both of these innovations have been recognised. Voting is open now, so if you’d like to show your support, please click on one of the links below.

• Tomorrow’s Cleaning
• Tomorrow’s FM

Exciting updates and launches

Regular readers of the blog already know that we are passionate about training and how proud we are of the LMS.  We are constantly enhancing it, ensuring it continues to be relevant, high quality and as user-friendly as possible and always looking to expand its offering. Watch this space for new modules coming soon!

As well as new training courses, we will also be launching a brand-new catering catalogue, which promises to offer many more sustainable options than ever before.

Innovation

Innovation never stops at Jangro – we are always looking at better, more sustainable ways of cleaning – whether that’s new or enhanced products, like our recently launched ntrl range, training resources, or digital support.

We are committed to sustainability and social enterprise; speaking of which we have hot news off the press: We are delighted to announce we are now Planet Mark certified! Over the next year, we’ll be working towards reducing our carbon emissions and sharing our journey to inspire others. Look out for a new blog in the coming weeks explaining more about what Planet Mark certification means and how it might benefit your own business and community.

Want to join us?

We’re also looking to expand our team. We have several vacancies at our Head Office in Bolton – check out our careers page for more information about the roles and how to apply.

Make sure you stay tuned to our blog to be the first to read all our news. For more information or advice, please call our friendly distributors on 01204 795 955 or visit Jangro.net.