- Elite Window Cleaning
- February 3, 2022
- 3 Comments
The Great Re-Evaluation
The great resignation is a myth – it’s actually the great re-evaluation. The vast majority of people cannot survive on government benefits alone. Additionally, the vast majority of government benefit seen at the height of 2020 has stopped. So what is going on when people talk about the great resignation? It really isn’t that complicated.
Employees want to work for companies that care about them. And they want to work in places where they feel like their work is valuable. And they want to work at a place that builds them up. This article will highlight how Elite Window Cleaning delivers on the exact qualities employees are looking for during the great re-evaluation.
The Basics of an Excellent Culture
Elite is a living wage employer, as defined by OntarioLivingWage.ca – last updated November 2021. All of our employees working in 2022 (including new hires) will earn a minimum of $18/hr in Kingston, Ontario.
Working as a local company in Kingston for the past ten years, Elite has built a strong reputation with clients, but an even stronger culture within the company. Employees return year after year, looking forward to the work that they do. This is because window cleaning is a job where you get to delight clients all day long. It often surprises new employees to see just how excited our clients are to have their windows cleaned. And that’s the result of delivering excellence across Kingston year after year after year.
Our training program allows new employees to be able to clean windows perfectly in a matter of weeks. And as it turns out, being great at your job and making clients happy all day leads to an overly positive culture. It’s a positive feedback loop that leaves a trail of Perfect windows, Happy technicians and Delighted customers! (Read more about our PHD brand promise here).
Superhero Day
A shining example of the culture Elite has built in the Kingston community is Superhero Day. An annual event where our technicians dress up as Superheroes and clean the pediatric ward of Kingston General Hospital. On the day of the event, all employees across the entire business are given a read cape to wear (even the ones not cleaning at KGH) to raise awareness in the community. And then a portion of all the proceeds from the day are donated to the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation.
Even our Franchise Owners in Ottawa, Durham, Peterborough and Belleville participate by wearing the capes and donating a portion of their revenue from the day. Since 2016, Elite has been putting on Superhero day to the delight of communities across Ontario, and even internationally. For example, Superhero day has been covered by the BBC, Business Insider and Global News.
The influence that Superhero day has on the culture within Elite only gains momentum every year. As an example, the staff of KGH now dress up, or make Superhero crafts with the residents of the pediatric ward. Consequently, the influence that Superhero day has on the culture of Elite is truly intangible. What other job makes you feel like a Superhero when you go out and clean windows in your community? These are the types of values that employees everywhere are looking for in their great re-evaluation.
Re-Evaluating Standards of Greatness
Beyond that, window cleaning is a job where over half of the work that you will be doing is outside. As a result, we attract employees that tend to live an active lifestyle. However, the big appeal is that window cleaning lets you work in the sun, without the intensive labour required in roofing, landscaping or construction. Our system uses lightweight carbon fiber poles to complete the large majority of our work. Water fed window cleaning also eliminates the use of ladders on 95% of jobs. In other words, our workers are staying safely on the ground for the large majority of their work. This means that we don’t need to hire employees based on their ability to haul heavy equipment. As a result, Elite hires based off of a cultural fit and an ability to deliver world-class customer service.
Consequently, Elite’s workforce is close to 50% women in a field that is dominated by men. This is something Elite is incredibly proud of because it helps to destigmatize the perception of women in trades. And the Elite management team also has strong female representation – 3 of 8 key managers. This is a great re-evaluation Elite is looking to project outwards to the rest of the industry.
Training
Because we know there are still jobs that do require the use of ladders, we provide working at heights training for our employees at the beginning of their employment. We also provide training to grow the skillsets of our employees across our divisions of work. An example of this is our Low-Rise technicians who go through Boom-Lift training. Additionally, our high-rise team members complete training with a Bosun’s chair, but also have the opportunity to train and get certified with Rope Access. Both of these advanced training programs allow a higher quality of service to our clients and provide skillsets to our employees that can extend beyond a career at Elite. At the end of the day it’s all about building employees up so that they can be successful in their lives. This resonates with employees that are considering leaving their current job during the great re-evaluation.
Management Opportunities and Upward Mobility
Lastly, Elite offers a host of ways for employees to move upwards alongside the company. All 8 of our key managers started at entry level positions. Moreover, the roles that they occupy now didn’t necessarily exist when they started out. Elite is a company that has consistently grown over the past decade, with plans to continue that trend for the next decade too. Starting as a 1-man operation working out of the back of a borrowed truck, Elite now employs over 50 staff across Canada every season. The employees that choose to stick around find themselves with opportunities to grow alongside the company. Every year there are new roles that didn’t exist in the year before. These positions are primarily filled through an internal search. As an example, 4 out of 6 Franchise Owners started at Elite as window cleaners. And they now own their own business. It’s also important to mention that these were the first 4 Franchise Owners added to the Elite Franchise System. To learn more about owning your own Elite Franchise click here.
All of this culminates into a company where people love to come in and do their job every day. Elite is actively working to change the perception of the industry into a fun, meaningful and financially rewarding place to work. The last question we’ll leave you with is this – do you want to be a part of that change?
Hiring for 2022
Elite is growing and looking for new hires for the 2022 season. There are positions available for: Low-Rise and High-Rise Window Cleaners, as well as Sales Centre agents in our Kingston Office. Franchise partners in Halifax, Calgary, Ottawa, Belleville, Peterborough and Durham are also looking for Low-Rise Window Cleaners. Email recruiter@elitewindowcleaning.ca with a copy of your resume to apply directly for any of the positions listed above.