Despite the many challenges of 2020, there are signs of hopeful change that we can all hold on to.

What a difference a year makes! Last Christmas, my parting words were, “may you know love in action this year”. Who knew the tremendous worldwide challenge, loss, heartache, confusion, unity, resilience, and love that the Corona Virus pandemic would force into place.

Standing Together

I know that 2020 has been an immense year of cyclical challenges, but I want to reflect on some of the grace notes that have kept me going and shown just how wonderful human beings can be.

• The resilience of the NHS and our pride and support of it
• This renewed concept of shielding, and making sacrificial decisions to keep our loved ones safe
• The real and encouraging shift that seems to be taking place within our thinking and culture, following the tragic murder of George Floyd and the protests of the Black Lives Matter movement
• The sense of communities coming together to support and help each other out.

As we look forward to a year that will see the development of a vaccine and our exit from the EU, I hope that our sense of standing together and being kind to our neighbours is not forgotten.

My Thanks

I want to take this opportunity to thank our long-standing clients who fully embraced the cost of enabling their Helper to have 4 weeks paid leave, who continue to treat their Helper like an extended member of their family, and who remember that far from being an invisible magic fairy, that they too have hopes and dreams.

I want to thank our fabulous cleaning colleagues, our team of Helpers who faithfully and resiliently continue to deliver excellent cleans, exhibiting deep nurturing care for their clients week by week.

I want to thank the office team who have tirelessly worked, worried, planned, adapted, pivoted through the whole of this year, and still continue to help create exceedingly excellent cleaning experiences for everyone in the Just Helpers community.

I know that Christmas may look different for each of us this year. But may you know good health, strong community and be filled with hope as we look forward into next year.

Merry Christmas

Antoinette and the Just Helpers Team

All the indications are that COVID-19 is going to be with us for a while longer yet. So more than ever, using a professional cleaning company is a must, for safety and peace of mind.

We are scouring the government guidelines, so you don’t have to. We have put in place the protocols we need with the safety of our clients and our Helpers as our top priority.

Safety is our top priority

These measures include:

• Social distancing
• Wearing of masks and using hand gel on public transport
• Hand washing and use of hand gel on entering a client’s home or business
• Removing shoes in your home

Currently, our Helpers are not required by government guidelines to wear a mask while they are cleaning. However, all our Helpers carry an emergency kit which includes masks and gloves. If you would like your Helper to wear these, please ask.

All of our team, including all new Helpers, complete an online CPD Infection Control Certificate from Staff Skills Academy .

Cleaning Products

Our clients generally provide their own cleaning products for our Helpers to use, and this prevents cross-contamination from one premises to another.  We can advise you on which products and materials your Helper needs. Please get in touch for more information.

We’ve been testing Delphis Cleaning Products, and we are recommending these to all of our commercial clients. As well as being effective against Coronavirus, we love these British made products because they are:

• Highly effective
• Low odour and kinder to our Helpers
• Plant based
• Supplied In bottles made from recycled plastic.

The products have passed our rigorous testing with flying colours – we were especially impressed with the Limescale Remover and the X Factor Spot Cleaner.

Once London is back to a Tier 1 rating, we will be using this range in our Deep Clean and End of Tenancy Cleans, as well as in our set-up packages for commercial clients.

Although Delphis are professional cleaning products, they are also available for you to use at home and we highly recommend them.

Ready to Serve You

For as long as London is in Tier 1, 2 or 3 measures, we will do all the heavy thinking and planning around your cleaning so that you don’t have to. By using a professional cleaning company, you can be confident that we have the procedures in place so that we can continue to serve our clients.

image from clay banks on Unsplash

As your team returns to the workplace,  you might be feeling anxious about how to keep everyone safe and minimise the risk of spreading the virus. Here are some simple steps which you can take to be COVID-secure.

Assess the Risk

Start by identifying the risks in your business and then look at how these can be removed or controlled.

Talk to your team

Many people will be looking forward to getting back to work, but others will be anxious. You can help by explaining the steps which you are taking to work safely. It’s a great idea to ask your team members for ideas and suggestions too. Look after your team’s mental wellbeing with regular check-ins.

Take it online

With a little creativity, you might be surprised by how much of your business you can take online. At Just Helpers we now conduct our sales visits online with a virtual site tour. Our clients love taking the starring role!

Vary your work-day

Varying the time that people arrive and leave your workplace makes it easier for people to maintain social distancing.

This is also a great opportunity to introduce more flexible working for your team. Your early-rising “Larks” will appreciate the chance to make the most of their morning with an earlier start, whilst your later-rising “Owls” will thank you for a little longer in bed.

Staggering times for breaks and lunchtimes will also reduce the number of people in the canteen, kitchen or rest areas. Take advantage of the good weather and encourage your team to take breaks outside.

Hygiene Stations

Provide hand washing facilities for your team. This is especially important when people arrive at work and before they leave, and outside enclosed meeting rooms. Sanitising hand gel is a good alternative if hand-washing isn’t possible. You could also consider providing disposable face masks.

Clear Signage

Make sure that social distancing is at the forefront of everyone’s mind with clear signs throughout the workplace. Think about:

• Door signs to remind your team and any visitors as they arrive
• Floor signs to encourage distancing as people move around
• Hand washing reminders.

Social Distancing

There are simple steps we can take to help maintain social distancing at work.

• Work side by side rather than face to face
• Remove chairs and space desks 2 metres apart
• Provide shields at tills and customer service desks where face to face contact is unavoidable
• Limit movement around the workplace, and sharing of equipment.

There are some really useful  signage and other equipment from Bromley Printers, here:

Cleaning

Feel confident that your workplace is hygienic – hire a great cleaning team. At Just Helpers we can do a one-off “back to work” clean, or provide you with regular service to keep the spread of bacteria at bay. All of our Helpers have undertaken a CPD verified infection control qualification.

Take a look at our COVID response to see the measures we have taken to keep our Helpers, Clients and Managers safe at this time.

Get in touch if we can help you make your workplace COVID Secure.