You’ve got a crew that cleans your facility overnight, so why should you hire a day porter? After all, you can handle any issues that might pop up over the course of the day. Well, how’s that working for you? Day porter services might be just what you’ve been looking for!

Say you come into your facility in the morning, and you’re immediately flung into helping set up for a meeting that wasn’t on your schedule. You get that done, and as you’re on your way back to your desk, you notice that the lobby is looking a little sloppy. You tidy it up and try to get back to your awaiting paperwork, but you’re called to refill the paper towels in the men’s room. Before you know it, the day’s done, and you haven’t gotten any of YOUR work accomplished— you’ve been too busy putting out fires!

Enter the day porter.

A day porter can operate as your right hand, working from a predetermined list of tasks but also available to help out when an emergency rears its ugly head, leaving you free to concentrate on the paperwork that’s piled up on your desk. Not quite convinced? Let’s look into more of the ways day porter services can really enhance your facility and make tenants happy.

Day Porter Duties

Typically, a day porter is responsible for keeping your facility’s common areas neat and orderly. Does your entryway often have dry leaves or tracked-in dirt and debris all over the floor? Not when you have a competent day porter on the job. Are the trash cans in restrooms and public areas constantly overflowing? Your porter can make sure that they’re clean and ready to receive garbage.

What else can a day porter do for your facility? Here’s a quick rundown:

  • Keep doorknobs, light switches, and other “hot spots” disinfected throughout the day during cold and flu season
  • Empty trash, refill soap and paper products in restrooms, ensuring that no one is left in the lurch
  • Do a quick restroom cleaning and make sure all fixtures are in good working order
  • Keep entryways and parking lots litter-free
  • Clean door glass, sweep and vacuum entryways
  • Salt the sidewalks in the event of snow/sleet
  • Lay down extra floor mats when it’s raining/snowing
  • Maintain safety in public areas— removing obstacles, marking wet areas
  • Set up and tear down meeting rooms
  • Change light bulbs
  • Respond to employee spills

In addition to all of that, a day porter can also help you tackle that ever-growing to-do list that’s been gathering dust as you dealt with emergencies.

Set Up Your Day Porter for Success

While your porter can be a tremendous help to you, it’s very important that you clearly communicate your expectations from day one. Don’t just set them loose, assuming that they’ll just intuit exactly what you want them to do in the order you want it done. Instead, sit down with them and go over the exact duties you need them to accomplish; be specific about which jobs should be prioritized above all others, so they understand what can be jettisoned should an emergency arise.

It’s smart to set up regular meetings with your porter to ensure that they’re not being overwhelmed with requests from other employees. If you do give your porter a to-do list, be sure that you clarify the order in which you want the jobs to be done while giving them the autonomy to change priorities as emergencies arise. Revisit it regularly, so your porter can communicate any concerns or roadblocks that might be interfering with their ability to complete the job.

Communicate with Your Janitorial Service

How do you find a day porter? A good place to start is to check with your janitorial service. See if day porters are on their list of services; there are a number of reasons why it’s smart to utilize a porter through your service, but one of the primary benefits is the fact that your service will screen the candidates, ensuring that you have a day porter you can rely on.

Together with your janitorial service, create a roster of duties that you expect the janitorial service to complete as well as a schedule for your porter; this will keep metaphorical toes from getting stepped on, and make sure that all the work gets completed. Of course,  so it should be a seamless transition from your day services to the night cleaning.

Are you ready to hire a day porter for your facility? Contact us! We can connect you with a porter who will ensure that your facility runs like a well-oiled machine.