I had my cleaning company for 17 years now. I have had my fair share of good employees. My longest serving couple has been 12 years. Then I had some team members for 4+ years. While I do not want them to leave as it is hard to find good team members with our core values, I find that they do run their course due to the nature of the job.
What have you implemented that helped your business to keep and engage long term good employees?
TIA
For me, keeping good employees comes down to giving them a reason to stay beyond just a paycheck. In my businesses, the people who stick around the longest are the ones who feel valued, challenged, and trusted with real responsibility.
I’ve learned that most good workers don’t leave because of the work, they leave because they don’t see growth, don’t feel appreciated, or feel like they’re just another body on the schedule. So I focus on creating an environment where they feel like part of something, not replaceable.
Different Approaches That Have Worked for Me
1. Give them ownership of something small
Not a title, a responsibility.
When someone feels responsible for a piece of the business (quality checks, customer updates, equipment care, etc.), they take pride in it and stay longer.
2. Show them the path forward
Even if it’s simple:
- “Here’s what you need to do to earn more.”
- “Here’s how you can move into a lead role.”
People stay when they can see their future.
3. Keep communication open and honest
I do quick check‑ins:
- “How’s the workload?”
- “Anything slowing you down?”
- “Anything you want to learn next?”
Small conversations prevent big problems.
4. Reward reliability, not just speed
Some employees aren’t the fastest, but they’re consistent, respectful, and dependable. I make sure those people feel seen, bonuses, flexibility, or even just recognition goes a long way.
5. Build a culture where good workers don’t feel punished for being good
If someone is always the one fixing others’ mistakes, they burn out. I make sure the load is balanced and that strong employees aren’t carrying the whole team.
At the end of the day, people stay where they feel respected, supported, and like their work actually matters. When you build that kind of environment, the good ones don’t want to leave.
For house cleaning I feel like it is really difficult to retain contractors or employees due to the difficulty of the work. It takes a certain type of person and they have to love to clean. Everyone thinks they can do it until they find out it is hard to do. In addition, these change constantly. For instance, clients change the date, employees call in for various reasons. So consistant schedules is not that easy. I am finding a good commission of at least 55% of the job works great and they set their own schedules ahead of time. I can do better on the reward part as I don't have a big budget for this. Any suggestions would help!
I am putting together a package called Longevity Bonus that are paid out at 4 different milestones for each year. IE: $250,000.00 in sales/installs = 3.5% bonus is $8,750.00 and for $500k $750K and 1 Million Restarts every year. I am an owner now but I was a 16 year field sales/tech and would have died for a program like this
You don’t “keep” good employees, you give them a reason to stay.
For us, that means: Consistent schedules + pay (no chaos), clear expectations (no guessing games), recognition + growth (they’re not stuck cleaning forever), and actually caring about their life outside work.
Most don’t leave over money, they leave over stress, confusion, or feeling unappreciated.
Fix those, and retention gets a lot easier.
It's always good to find out why they are leaving and do what your company can do to take that edge off. If its family time or issues, adapt their start or finish time. If its issues with another employee, revise the schedule. If it is money, incentivise them with some commission. Whatever the issue is I am sure there is a creative solution that makes sense for you and an employee.
Sometimes too you just have to let them leave, the open road is calling. Maybe the industry isn't for them anymore.
Keeping someone who doesn't want to stay can become toxic, but a long standing employee leaving can be toxic too.
Sometimes you got to just take your medicine and keep moving forward. Ahhhhhhh, the joys of business ownership no one really talks about!
pay them at least $150 per day to start. The #1 factor in a crew member is starting pay and frequency of pay.
