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Cleaning Cobots in the Workplace

Part 2: Science Fiction Turned Reality

By Holly Borrego
Head of Cleaning Products and Performance
ISS Facility Services - Americas

In Part 1 of this blog series, I shared my personal experience of climbing the ranks within the commercial cleaning industry and my view of integrating cleaning cobots into the workplace. Now let’s explore some of the benefits both clients and employees can gain from embracing this technology. 


For the most part, today’s workforce has adapted to new technologies in the workplace, but asking people to work alongside a robot might seem more sci-fi than reality. It’s not — across asset types and industry sectors, robots are becoming a vital part of running efficient businesses.


But is this a threat, or opportunity for human workers?


From my personal experience working in facilities services cleaning, the benefits of integrating cleaning cobots into the workplace have far outweighed any disadvantages, and in fact serve to create new, higher-value employment opportunities. 


At ISS, our clients and their cleaning staff have gained new and never-imagined benefits from integrating cleaning cobots into their facilities for large-scale overnight cleaning tasks. 


Here are some of the benefits you can expect to see when leveraging cobot technology. 

Client Benefits

Leveraging cobot technology for commercial cleaning services can help offset hiring challenges due to global labor shortages while also meeting the demand for greater efficiencies and operability across most sectors.

  • Offsetting global labor shortages: Recruiting talent for repetitive and ergonomically challenging jobs has always had its own unique set of obstacles, but combined with today’s growing labor shortage, the task has become that much harder. Implementing cleaning cobots into a workforce is an effective way to offset hiring challenges while maintaining, and in some cases, increasing productivity.
  • Reducing turnover rates and absenteeism: Turnover rates and absenteeism have been shown to decline as the physically challenging and repetitive tasks are replaced by technology, and cleaning staff are assigned higher-value work, such as managing the technology itself.
  • Operational optimization and cost effectiveness: What might take a person an hour or more to mop or vacuum a large commercial floorplate, will take a cobot half the time. Such efficiency not only optimizes workflow, cost effectiveness, and cleanliness, it frees up time for the cleaning staff to focus on the tasks that require more detailed attention, such as enhanced sanitization of high-touch areas.
Employee Well-being

As innovative technologies are introduced into the workplace, upskilling employees with the knowledge and skills to manage and maintain robotic applications will be required. This shift in skillset brings greater opportunity for individuals to take on higher-value work and creates more job enjoyment, purpose, as well as health and safety benefits.

  • Upskilling employees: A skilled workforce is necessary for robotics success in the workplace. New education initiatives, career paths, and opportunities will arise as a result of these required skillsets for working alongside technological counterparts in this new hybrid workforce.

  • High-value work: As cleaning cobots take on the repetitive and mundane jobs, employees will be given more freedom to focus on tasks that require innovation, creativity, and teamwork.

  • Health and safety benefits: With technology comes greater safety, well-being, and health benefits. Commercial cleaning can be a backbreaking job that puts the physical welfare of employees at risk. With cobots taking on the more laborious tasks, employees are spared the physically demanding workload.
Sustainability Benefits

The increasing need for companies to reduce their carbon footprints is becoming a key driver for many organizations, and commercial cleaning is no exception. The cleaning cobots ISS has deployed into client facilities are equipped with environmentally sound cleaning chemicals and recycle water throughout the cleaning process, reducing water consumption and saving the environment one clean floor at a time.

  

Within the commercial cleaning industry, cobots are driving operational excellence and making a positive business impact across a range of sectors.

 

But the technology is only as good as the people who manage it.

 

I am confident that welcoming robotics into the workplace will not only drive performance, productivity, and agility, but it will create new career opportunities for millions of people.

About the Author

Holly Borrego

Head of Cleaning Products and Performance, ISS Facility Services - Americas

Contact Hollymailto:holly.borrego@us.issworld.com

In Part 1 of this blog series, I shared my personal experience of climbing the ranks within the commercial cleaning industry and my view of integrating cleaning cobots into the workplace. Now let’s explore some of the benefits both clients and employees can gain from embracing this technology. 


For the most part, today’s workforce has adapted to new technologies in the workplace, but asking people to work alongside a robot might seem more sci-fi than reality. It’s not — across asset types and industry sectors, robots are becoming a vital part of running efficient businesses.


But is this a threat, or opportunity for human workers?


From my personal experience working in facilities services cleaning, the benefits of integrating cleaning cobots into the workplace have far outweighed any disadvantages, and in fact serve to create new, higher-value employment opportunities. 


At ISS, our clients and their cleaning staff have gained new and never-imagined benefits from integrating cleaning cobots into their facilities for large-scale overnight cleaning tasks. 


Here are some of the benefits you can expect to see when leveraging cobot technology. 

Client Benefits

Leveraging cobot technology for commercial cleaning services can help offset hiring challenges due to global labor shortages while also meeting the demand for greater efficiencies and operability across most sectors.

  • Offsetting global labor shortages: Recruiting talent for repetitive and ergonomically challenging jobs has always had its own unique set of obstacles, but combined with today’s growing labor shortage, the task has become that much harder. Implementing cleaning cobots into a workforce is an effective way to offset hiring challenges while maintaining, and in some cases, increasing productivity.
  • Reducing turnover rates and absenteeism: Turnover rates and absenteeism have been shown to decline as the physically challenging and repetitive tasks are replaced by technology, and cleaning staff are assigned higher-value work, such as managing the technology itself.
  • Operational optimization and cost effectiveness: What might take a person an hour or more to mop or vacuum a large commercial floorplate, will take a cobot half the time. Such efficiency not only optimizes workflow, cost effectiveness, and cleanliness, it frees up time for the cleaning staff to focus on the tasks that require more detailed attention, such as enhanced sanitization of high-touch areas.
Employee Well-being

As innovative technologies are introduced into the workplace, upskilling employees with the knowledge and skills to manage and maintain robotic applications will be required. This shift in skillset brings greater opportunity for individuals to take on higher-value work and creates more job enjoyment, purpose, as well as health and safety benefits.

  • Upskilling employees: A skilled workforce is necessary for robotics success in the workplace. New education initiatives, career paths, and opportunities will arise as a result of these required skillsets for working alongside technological counterparts in this new hybrid workforce.

  • High-value work: As cleaning cobots take on the repetitive and mundane jobs, employees will be given more freedom to focus on tasks that require innovation, creativity, and teamwork.

  • Health and safety benefits: With technology comes greater safety, well-being, and health benefits. Commercial cleaning can be a backbreaking job that puts the physical welfare of employees at risk. With cobots taking on the more laborious tasks, employees are spared the physically demanding workload.
Sustainability Benefits

The increasing need for companies to reduce their carbon footprints is becoming a key driver for many organizations, and commercial cleaning is no exception. The cleaning cobots ISS has deployed into client facilities are equipped with environmentally sound cleaning chemicals and recycle water throughout the cleaning process, reducing water consumption and saving the environment one clean floor at a time.

  

Within the commercial cleaning industry, cobots are driving operational excellence and making a positive business impact across a range of sectors.

 

But the technology is only as good as the people who manage it.

 

I am confident that welcoming robotics into the workplace will not only drive performance, productivity, and agility, but it will create new career opportunities for millions of people.

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