04/09/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/09/2024 22:54
Many businesses outsource cleaning to reduce labour costs and administrative burdens, allowing them to focus on their core operations and strategic goals. Outsourcing cleaning also provides access to specialized expertise and equipment, ensuring a higher quality of service and increased efficiency. Because cleaning is not part of a business's core operations, this service is often overlooked when undertaking due diligence processes. This lack of oversight, combined with the following systemic issues that puts property services and the cleaning industry in a vulnerable situation.
Sector-wide initiatives, such as, the Cleaning Accountability Framework, who we recently co-panelled with Diginex and the Office of NSW Anti-Slavery Commission, are helpful in addressing key risks by requiring business to: make responsible procurement and ongoing management of supply chains the norm; give workers a voice and agency in improving workplace conditions; and demonstrate the value of an improved work environment.
Complementary to initiatives, technologies such as diginexAPPRISE can help workers to speak out, which in turn supports overcoming isolation, language barriers, and power imbalances. This tool can support businesses, consortiums, trade unions and civil society organisations to understand the conditions of work experiences by workers to advocate for reforms.