Find and keep rockstar employees with your unique company culture

The following article is based on a presentation by Karen La Spina Chaparro at the 2021 Maid Summit, hosted and organized by ZenMaid. Karen is the co-founder of Gmaids.

Every business has a secret ingredient. For Gmaids, a green-cleaning company in Dallas, the secret ingredient is its engaging, productive, and sustainable company culture, says co-owner Karen La Spina Chaparro. 

Gmaids’ culture is reflected in all aspects of business, from processes to behaviors, and that helps it attract employees with similar values. The company culture also helps Gmaids keep employees longer to stay fully staffed, allowing it to book more jobs. Gmaids is proof that a company culture boosts morale and the bottom line. 

Read on to learn how Gmaids defined and developed its company culture so you can create one for your own cleaning business to attract loyal employees. 

Start with a mission 

A mission is the foundation of your company culture. 

Gmaids’ mission is to improve the quality of its clients’ lives with non-toxic green home cleaning. It also pledges to pay employees a living wage and benefits so they can provide safe and comfortable environments for their families.

Be clear on your mission because that’s what will draw employees to you, and what will make them invite others to join, too. 

Break down your company culture into actionable points

What are the ways employees can act on your company culture every day?

Gmaids breaks down its company culture into four actionable points:

1. I carry myself with integrity. 
   Gmaids hires for integrity and trains for ability, Karen says. Integrity means behaving honestly and transparently. 
2. I follow Gmaids’ cleaning process.
   While there are many cleaning techniques, Gmaids expects its employees to follow a very specific environmentally friendly process. It’s a process the company sells to clients and must be delivered by all cleaning technicians.
3. I follow instructions.
   Gmaids expects its employees to be detail-oriented and follow specific work orders. To make this feel less rigid, build a community that supports this value. One way is to set up a chat where people can communicate, collaborate, and support each other.
4. I show up.
   Being present in mind, body, and spirit is essential for any service-based business. This means being punctual, courteous to clients, and providing excellent customer service. 

Gmaids gives every employee a cube with one of the four points printed on each side. They also ask employees to write their names on their cubes to symbolize their commitment to the company culture. 

How to lead your company culture

As the leader of your business, it’s your job to display your company’s mission and values from the moment employees first meet you and through all stages of their employment. 

This means being on time to lead job interviews and responding to important questions in a timely manner. 

Your culture and values must be part of the onboarding process, training, and demonstrated by your office staff. 

If an employee strays from company culture, you can point them back to the actionable points. For example, at Gmaids, if an employee is consistently late to jobs, they’ll be reminded that as a member of the company, “I show up.”

5 questions for defining your company culture

Ready to define your own company culture? To get started, here are some questions to ask yourself: 

1. What’s the most important personality trait my employees need to have?
2. How will we deliver the same quality of work to our clients every single time?
3. What’s the most important technical trait my employees need to have?
4. What’s the level of professionalism required from the start?
5. How does achieving my company’s vision help employees achieve their personal vision?

Develop your company culture through training

Teach and demonstrate your company culture through continuous training. There are two kinds of training to provide your team: personal development and technical skills.

Personal development training helps your employees succeed in areas outside of work. Examples of topics are time management, budgeting, car maintenance, injury prevention, or how to buy your first home. During the pandemic, Gmaids brought in professionals to lead mental health training.  

The personal training Gmaids provides is part of its pledge to help employees provide safe and comfortable environments for their families. 

Technical skills are anything directly related to your employees’ day-to-day work. Topics can include how to use cleaning products, handle tools, or recognize surface materials. 

Even if you hire experienced cleaners, train them in your company’s unique processes. Their previous employers may have had different company cultures and cleaning styles that are vastly different from yours.

Remember, your company culture is yours to create and own. Model it, teach it, and your team will learn to represent it in everything they do.   

Learn more:

For more resources on how to grow and perfect your cleaning business, check out the replays from the 2021 Maid Summit, hosted by ZenMaid. The summit featured more than 60 presentations from other maid service owners who shared tools and strategies to help you achieve the highest levels of success in your business. 

If you found this article helpful for your maid service, you may also like:

• The Best Holiday Gift Guide for Your Cleaning Staff
• How This Single Mom Built a Six-Figure Home Services Business with ZenMaid
• Is Your Cleaning Business Making These 8 SEO Mistakes? (Here’s How to Fix Them)
• Cleaning Business Automation Just Got a Lot Easier — Your Complete Guide Written By Cleaning Business Owners
• Should You Send a Newsletter for Your Cleaning Business? Yes, and Here’s How.