08.03.2021

Cleanology - International Women's Day

Blog by Cleanology: International Women’s Day – 8 March 2021

A friend recently described International Women’s Day as ‘the day when we pretend women are a thing.’ Although it was tongue in cheek, many women in the cleaning industry are conscious of both the glass ceiling and the barriers to moving beyond administrative roles. This Women’s Day, on 8 March, we are celebrating our own recent promotions to board level, and considering the long-term conditions that encourage women to progress.

Jade: Twelve years ago, I joined Cleanology as a temporary administrative assistant. This year, I have taken my place in the board room as Director of HR, managing a team of nine. While I’ve always found Cleanology a supportive environment for under-represented groups – from women to BAME staff – I have encountered sexual stereotyping at industry events, which tend to be very male-dominated.

In part, this is due to ratios. The number of women in our industry is clearly growing – we see many more women at events and on LinkedIn, but the latest British Cleaning Council 2020 research report1 shows that male managers in our industry still outnumber women by a ratio of 6:4. Women are under-represented in every area other than administration and elementary occupations.

Visibility is crucial. I was lucky enough to have a female line manager, and it is also clear within Cleanology that the traditional barriers do not exist – if you work hard, opportunities are available. However, in wider industry, one woman’s success will encourage others to aspire to senior positions. I hope that for every woman, or person from any under-represented group, who succeeds, others will be inspired to push as high as they can and go for it!

Carla Vieira: The best advice I can give to anyone in our industry is to be yourself. Don’t think ‘I’m a woman, or I’m a man’; we are all people. We need to be ourselves and be what we are able. Any women with her sights set to reach a higher position needs to stay focused. Take a chance, find the way forward, and look for people who think you can do well.

My background is in hospitality. I started work at 18 as a clerk administrator for the largest hospitality group in Portugal. This year I was promoted to Deputy Operations Director.

We work in a male-dominated industry, especially when it comes to more senior roles. Most operational managers are male, and there is an idea that men are better suited to leadership, because they are less emotional and more rational. But business needs a balance, and suitability for a particular job is all about talent, rather than gender.

With my hospitality background, working with people is all about service. Whether I’m dealing with staff or clients, I like to solve problems, to make sure that they are happy. I started at Cleanology in operational support, before becoming Regional Operations Manager. It quickly became clear that with cleaners working overnight, the need for support didn’t not stop when I clocked off, so I found ways to support staff and clients from home. We all need to support each other.

Women need to have faith in their abilities and focus on reaching the top. If you say ‘I will never get there’, then it will never happen. However, having the support of your employer makes a big difference. Gender, age or nationality are all irrelevant. Instead, we need to prioritise ability and experience. This will not only bring balance to the board room, but inspire other members of staff to reach for the top.

https://cleanology.com/services/office/

1 2020 British Cleaning Research Report

Image (l-r) Jade and Cara

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