Confessions of a Washroom Services Operative

Let’s start with the basics. What time do you get up in the morning to start your day?
It is an early start. My alarm is set for 5am to let me be at my first appointment by 6am. It is amazing how much work can be achieved before my territory gets jammed up. Luckily my appointments are ordered in an efficient manner ensuring I get the most out of my day.

Which territories do you service?
Central and East London. It is good to be in and out of central London early and back on my way out whilst everyone else is battling in.

How many drops can you make in a day?
It all depends on the size of the client site, etc but the average is 15-20 drops per day.

What is your favourite aspect about your role?
The independence and the hours. I’m home in time for my children returning from school so we are able to avoid extra costs associated with that and I get a lot of free-time with my family. Being left to work alone to get the job done is very liberating for me too.

What is the worst aspect of your role?
Ironically it is the early starts but the benefit at the other end of the day totally outweighs the early start!

What is your non-financial motivation for your role?
My work provides clear benchmarks to allow me to better myself each day in my role. I am the eyes of my business and the information I am able to provide from my site visits helps our customers achieve greater washroom hygiene levels whilst saving money. Secondly my job flexibility provides me with much more family time which I value highly. Even after a hard day my children can raise a smile that I thought might not happen. I would really miss them if I worked a different role.

What has impressed you in a washroom service visit?
It has to be the fully automated washrooms. You see some with automated toilet flushing, taps, soap dispensers, hand drying and doors. The end result is an exceptionally clean washroom environment that must have a very positive effect on the users and be good for their health.

So, rather obviously and ghoulishly, what is the least impressive washroom visit?
As a general “no no” it is the unisex environments. It is very obvious to me that men and women use their washrooms in very different ways and these environments tend to cater to neither rather than both. Finding a urine soaked toilet seat or an unmanaged sanitary bin is distasteful and, in one instant, breaking the law. It tends to be a lack of effective education in most cases. We can only do so much as washroom service operatives but we are able to feedback to our customer service team who are in a far greater position to offer this advice to our customers.

Your line of work has the potential to provide embarrassing moments. What is the most common?
It has to be the veiled, cloak and dagger, conversations with the young receptionist/office administrator on the subject of sanitary bin management. As a man this has to be handled gently with new contacts. It can often be quite awkward.

What are the top 3 things you would list as helping companies have a great washroom?

• Cleanliness
• Ease of use, particularly automation where possible
• Attention to detail

Talking to or surveying your users is a great place to start your improvements but don’t use those touch screen survey tools. Just think about it for a moment…..in fact place a hand-sanitiser outside your toilets!

What are your biggest complaints about washrooms in general?
Urinals. The ability to compliment better urinal experiences with improved environmental awareness should make this such a simple upgrade for every washroom to make.

What is the best product you work with and why?
It is the answer to the previous. I have seen much change in urinals over the years but the water wastage and the odour control systems commonly used in these environments are costly, damaging to the environment and failing the user. BioP is alarmingly simple, we can install it in moments, it has immediate cost savings, lowers ongoing maintenance costs and saves money. That is what every product should strive to achieve!

OK, obvious question, what is it like to work for Zenith Washroom Solutions and how different is to your role when the business was ABC hygiene?
Luckily very little has changed in the day to day workings of my role. Zenith Group purchased ABC hygiene as we were doing so many things right in the washroom services industry and they felt the need to occupy a prime position in that marketplace. We are still a close-knit business with approachable and open management. The only real change is that we feel our jobs are more secure with the extra financial stability that a large corporation brings. Basically we get the best of both worlds. So, yes, it is a really good thing for us workers.

*For the sake of privacy we are not providing the personal details of this operative but some might just recognise this individual from their own experiences.