To strengthen efficiency and support long-term sustainability, UNC Greensboro reviewed the organizational structure of Facilities Operations and Housing and Residence Life (HRL) this year, identifying opportunities to streamline operations and realize cost savings. As a result, beginning Oct. 13, the University will merge housekeeping and maintenance staff from the two areas. They will merge completely, with both teams integrating within the Finance and Administration division.
For the last five years, UNCG has been evaluating opportunities to steward funding and mitigate the effects of budget reductions for maintenance and housekeeping services. At the beginning of this year, NexusIQ Advisory was hired to perform a comprehensive audit of those units within Facilites Operations and HRL.
Work processes reviewed included use of the work order system, the computerized maintenance management system, staff deployment, handling of work requests, and parts and inventory management.
How does this affect housekeeping staff and cleaning?
During the week of Sept. 22, UNCG will begin to roll out a new “team cleaning” structure in place of the traditional “zone cleaning” that housekeeping staff have utilized to keep all spaces clean, healthy, and comfortable. This is expected to improve building appearance and overall cleanliness.
With zone cleaning, one employee is assigned to a floor or building section and generally performs all tasks. With team cleaning, employees clean in groups. Using ergonomically designed equipment and more efficient cleaning supplies, each staff member focuses on an assigned task, such as vacuuming or cleaning restrooms.
These tasks regularly rotate among team members, so employees will receive different assignments over subsequent weeks. The number and type of employees per team depends on the amount of space to cover and how the building is used.
This will lead to changes in some employees’ scheduling, shift times, and the number of housekeeping positions. The move to team cleaning will begin with piloting the system with implementation across campus where appropriate over several weeks.
How does this affect maintenance orders?
On July 1, the University launched a new, standardized work-order priority matrix. All work orders fall under one of five categories:
P1 – Emergency: Work that requires immediate dispatch
P2 – Urgent: Work that requires a same-day response, including inoperative equipment that does not impact safety, security, or property, but significantly affects the ability to meet campus goals
P3 – Routine: General facility needs to be addressed within three business days
P4 – Preventive Maintenance (PM): Scheduled work to be assigned within a scheduling period
P5 – Project: Tasks or requests that will take planning and a longer term to complete or to have a minimal impact on campus activities, to be completed by a scheduled date
Equipment usage
Housekeeping staff are being provided with new equipment, including lighter and high-performance state-of-the-art tools to enhance safety and help with accessing hard-to-reach areas. For example, they will start using tip barrels for trash, aimed at reducing heavy lifting. They will also receive dedicated restroom cleaning carts with state-of-the-art equipment to help conserve water and reduce the number of slippery floors.
UNCG reinforces its commitment to environmental sustainability by utilizing the industry’s best “green seal” chemicals.
Any questions about the new cleaning procedures may be shared with Facilities Operations at fowork@uncg.edu.