Nobody wants to be a victim of violence and worse

Do you ever think about your personal safety on the job?  The recent news accounts of the Dallas TX realtor’s disappearance followed by the discovery of her murder remind us of the need for vigilance.

This seems especially true when meeting someone we do not know at their home or business.  As a cleaning company we frequently send employees, often women, to a customer’s house though we have little background knowledge of the client.  We care about our people and here are several workplace and personal safety tips that can help keep them safe.

Work in Teams

Working in teams is best for personal safety

First, we generally work in teams.  A person looking to cause trouble is much less likely to do so if two or three people show up on their doorstep.  If things get uncomfortable, one team member can back the other up as needed.  If things get too uncomfortable (very rare, but not unheard of) we instruct them to leave at once and notify the office.

Let Someone Know Where You Are Going

Secondly, we stress to our employees to always let someone in the office know where you are going, most emphatically if they are going to a quote by themselves.  Especially when going to an unfamiliar place, we have the team check in and out again with the office.

Lock Yourself In While Cleaning For Best Personal Safety

Lock yourself inside the home you’re cleaning.

Third, we ask the team to lock themselves into the residence when they are cleaning.  With your permission, they keep your key with them (the safest arrangement for you and for them).  Once inside, most lock mechanisms provide a turnkey handle so we can still make fast exits in case of emergency.  This protects both your home and the cleaners from someone who might casually enter the house while the team was busy cleaning, possibly running a vacuum cleaner or rinsing the shower in another part of the house.

Don’t Let Anyone In Without Prior Authorization

We instruct them to NOT admit anyone without prior authorization.  So please, let the office know if you are expecting Uncle Fred or a specific plumbing company you have arranged to come while we are there – or they may not get in until you return home or call us.  Without prior authorization we cannot take that risk.  By working together on this, both your home and our people will be safer.

On a related and important note, we especially appreciate your recommendations for us to your friends, family and neighbors.  When you already have a relationship with your referral party the confidence your relationship offers will certainly benefit your friend but it also gives us increased confidence that this is a trusted party before we can even meet them fact to face.

At Town & Country Cleaning Services, we value safety first; personal safety on the job, safety for your health, for your possessions and for your home.  We’ll talk more about these concerns in future blogs.