Premier Service Company

Middle Tennessee's Proven Janitorial Contractor

Philosophy

• About Us

Management

• About Us

Our Services

Below are some of the services we provide.
We customize service to fit your needs and are steadily adding services to our list.

Employee Support

• Staff Selection
• Supervision

Staff Selection

• Employee Support

Employee selection is the most critical step in our plan. Every element of service is affected by this step. Our procedures are simple, but thorough and effective. Time invested on the front end of employee recruitment and training is repaid many times over in job performance and stability.

Basic Requirements

1. 18 years of age or older
2. High school or equivalent education (YES - this matters!)
3. No criminal record
4. Stable work history and current full-time employment, OR, student, homemaker, retiree, etc., subject to verification.

Process

1. Prospective employee applies for position.
2. Applications not properly completed are eliminated.
3. Those whose applications which are complete are reserved for further consideration and processing.
4. Employment history is verified and recorded. Significant discrepancies disqualify the applicant. "Holes" in employment record must be completely and satisfactorily explained & verified or applicant is disqualified.
5. After employment history is verified, background screening for criminal arrests and convictions is performed in accordance with law.
6. If the applicant passes each level above he or she is eligible to become a Premier Service Company service staff member and may be hired by the manager or area supervisor.
7. The overall best available applicant is hired and training begins.
8. The new hire begins the mandatory 60-day training & probation period.
9. Ongoing training and reporting continue throughout employment.

Supervision Plan

• Employee Support

We believe in the dignity of each person regardless of position. We further believe that people cannot be manipulated into doing quality work and that no amount of supervision will correct a poorly-chosen employee.

For this reason, our approach is support of commitment rather than "supervisory control". This begins with the selection process, an absolutely crucial element in providing good service.

If the proper candidate is chosen in the beginning, half the solution is achieved. Once the selection is made and the candidate makes the commitment, the only issue is proper training and support which reaffirms the original commitment and positive progress toward our goals.

This supervisory plan and proper job site evaluation form a winning combination that provides reliable and consistent service to our customers.

Business Models and Issues in Janitorial Contracting

• Home

The most prevalent janitorial business model is the small "mom and pop" business that has perhaps 0-3 employees. But there are others. We have large multinational corporations, large regional companies, small-medium local operators and traditional "mom and pops". But not every model works well or ethically in our industry.

For example, franchising has a very successful history in many industries world-wide. However, in the cleaning industry, it has run into some serious snags, particularly at the entry-level.

In part, this is due to the nature of cleaning itself. Any average individual can be trained to do good cleaning work. Realizing this, some mistakenly assume with very little training and cost, they can start a business that leads to the classic "American Dream". This is, in fact, the basic sales pitch" of the franchise cleaning companies.

But this has resulted in a nightmare for many who have purchased a cleaning franchise. The result is a number of class action lawsuits, and the landmark 2012 decision in Massachusetts. The court case is Pius Awuah et al. v. Coverall North America Inc., which Coverall lost and plaintiffs were awarded $3 million.

Quoting the Forbes article above:

"..Shannon Liss-Riordan of the firm Lichten & Liss-Riordan, who represents workers in the case... says this judgment may only be the beginning— more than 700 additional Massachusetts Coverall workers are still pressing their claims."

Further quoting the article, "Similar suits are in process in other states and against other major janitorial franchises, including Jani-King and Jan-Pro, says Liss-Riordan."

Franchising has led to success and job-creation for millions of people. However, the companies which are the targets of these suits are known for their easy-entry appeal combined with high cost financing, high royalties, rigid control of finances, and restrictive agreements.

In fact, franchisees never own their contracts, and by extension never own their business. Finally the courts are realizing this as an elaborate employee misclassification scheme. Misclassification is a huge problem in many service industries, not only janitorial. It has a negative impact on business and the overall economy; ( see below for government descriptions and guidelines )

irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/Independent-Contractor-Self-Employed-or-Employee

dol.gov/whd/workers/misclassification/#stateDetails

Beyond franchise companies, misclassification is sometimes multi-layered without customer knowledge or approval. A legitimately-licensed contractor could "subcontract" to another individual or company who then "subcontracts" to another and so on. We often refer to this practice as "ghosting". As you can imagine, this leaves the customer open to a variety of risks.

Sometimes the primary contractor will simply "declare" workers are "independent contractors" and pay a flat fee for the service. This can happen with or without the workers' knowledge. And to be fair, customers are not always unaware of the scheme. I have known some who have encouraged or been actively involved in it. This is rare, however.

In the end, a customer is left with the details to unravel. Below is a basic checklist which might aid in the task.

Basic Check List

1. License
   Call the city, county, or state business license office to verify the contractor is currently licensed. They may either do this by phone, email, internet, or fax. Most states allow verification of corporate filings as well. In Tennessee search here.
2. Insurance certificate
   Sounds easy, right? But wait - did you actually verify the information on the certificate? This could mean phoning, emailing, or even writing the insurance underwriter for information. Is it worth a few minutes? Probably!
3. Insurance endorsement
   1. Require that your company be added to the policy as "certicate holder"... this means you will be notified of changes or lapses in the policy.
   2. "Additionally insured" - "Additionally insured" makes the policy primary should the policy owner be liable for the claim.
4. Employee classification
   1. Require a statement in the service contract that all employees are 941 employees. This statement should also include a statement that no work will be subcontracted without your express written knowledge and permission.
   2. Verify with the state unemployment insurance department's Employer's Accounts section that the company actually reports wages on employees. This will not be detailed but will let you know if they have ever paid in unemployment taxes.
   3. In interviewing prospective contractors, focus some questioning on payroll taxes, percentages such as the commonly known figures for unemployment taxes, matching employer-paid federal taxes and items such as filing dates and deposit requirements. Legitimate operators should know these handily, and have no objection to openly discussing them. Or they be able to refer you to someone in their company who knows the information. If that happens, you should follow up immediately,
5. Employee pay
   Is your contractor paying their employees legally? Several items should come to mind here:
   1. Does the contractor pay at least minimum wage according to the law?
   2. Does the contractor pay at the minimum frequency required by law? (number of paydays per month)
   3. Are employees paid hourly, by the job, or other method? (this may also provide clues about worker motivation)
   4. Additional incentives offered to employees for length of time or performance?

While these pointers will not provide all the answers or reveal the shrewdest of unethical operators, they will help you weed out the majority.