How IoT-enabled chemical systems can help with cleaning staff retentions

Even with much of the world past the worst of COVID-19, the pandemic has left a permanent legacy of increased hygiene awareness, with the public now having greater expectations on cleaning standards. Quite simply, the old approach is no longer enough.

However, as the cleaning and hygiene industry continues to face the long-standing problem of staff retention (with the hospital and healthcare sector no exception), operators are increasingly turning to high-tech solutions in order to keep personnel engaged, satisfied and motivated.

For example, cleaning staff, especially those working on larger sites, regularly walking between multiple hand sanitizer dispensers and checking product level only to find that the systems do not need refilling is monotonous and disheartening, not to mention inefficient.

Therefore, if personnel are able to ensure dispensers are full at all times and do not need to be reminded to refill, not only is the process more efficient, but the operative is empowered and feels a greater sense of value and purpose in their work.

SEKO is helping the healthcare sector to achieve this with its DispenserONE® hand sanitizer system, which not only provides 3,000 doses between refills but is also compatible with the SekoWeb app which allows remaining product level to be viewed 24/7 via smart device or PC.

With this information at their fingertips, operatives need only visit each DispenserONE unit when refilling is required, which not only means users always have access to sanitizer, it minimizes replenishment frequency. This provides staff with a continuing sense of achievement as they do not need to be repeatedly reminded to refill dispensers.

Another area within hospital and healthcare where staff disenchantment can be high is the on-premise laundry, where inadequate dosing provision such as manual addition of detergent, softener and additives results in inadequate or excessive chemical levels within each load.

This leads to inconsistent wash results and the need for regular rewashing. As well as wasting chemical, this is an inefficient use of staff time and can cause the operative to become despondent at rewashing because of the limitations of the system rather than their own error.

SEKO’s fully-automated Wash Series laundry dosing systems help to solve this challenge, with detergent dosing taken out of the operative’s hands entirely. As well as protecting staff from exposure to harsh concentrated chemicals, this ensures that wash results are consistently successful which vastly reduces the need for rewashing.

The award-nominated Wash Series’ main benefit, however, is its compatibility with SekoWeb, which allows operators to access live and historic chemical consumption data on demand 24/7 via smartphone with the option to see results in terms of cost per load.

This, together with the ability to view number of washes per day, means managers can use the figures to engage with staff and reward performance. This inclusive, collaborative approach helps to ensure operatives are motivated, fulfilled and that the laundry runs at maximum efficiency.

SekoWeb — available as an iOS or Android app as well as online via web browser — is compatible with an increasing number of SEKO systems. A major benefit of the system is its ease of use, with an intuitive interface meaning that if the regular cleaner is absent, their replacement can quickly be shown how to use the system and carry out their duties without risk of error.

It’s clear that as the healthcare sector continues its adjustment to a post-COVID world, managers should think “technology first” when making decisions to help retain staff as part of a well-functioning cleaning operation.