CloroxPro's 2023 Clean Index Industry Survey Reveals an Ongoing Cycle of Burnout Among Cleaning Professionals

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Nov 14, 2023, 08:50 ET

In its second annual industry survey, CloroxPro uncovers staff burnout, declining confidence, and a gap between eco-conscious cleaner interest and adoption among cleaning professionals

PLEASANTON, Calif., Nov. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, CloroxPro released its 2023 Clean Index report, which reflects the current challenges and perceptions of more than 1,700 cleaning professionals and consumers and unveils key shifts in year-over-year industry trends. From staffing shortages to increased workloads and not having enough time for training, cleaning professionals continue to face high turnover and burnout. In fact, nearly nine out of ten (87%) cleaning professionals have personally experienced burnout in the last two years, highlighting the industry's need to focus on employee wellness and retention to remain diligent in its role to safeguard public health.

While consumer confidence in the cleanliness of public spaces has increased 23% since last year, cleaning professionals are feeling less confident year-over-year in their ability to prevent the spread of illness-causing germs, exacerbating staffing challenges. Cleaning professionals' confidence fell nearly 5% compared to last year, with the largest confidence drop among building-service contractors (-15% vs. 2022). The primary drivers of declining confidence were cited as a lack of training programs (22%, +9% vs. 2022) and more public scrutiny of cleaning practices (20%, + 6% vs. 2022).

Findings also reveal that while most cleaning professionals agree that eco-conscious cleaners and disinfectants are important to use, adoption continues to lag. Cleaning professionals cite their top concerns for switching to eco-conscious cleaners as increased cost (78%), uncertainty of cleaning effectiveness (67%) and compromised efficiency of cleaning (58%).

"The challenges uncovered by the 2023 Clean Index survey reinforce how much responsibility is placed on cleaning professionals, and the need to ensure they have the tools and support to confidently create clean and healthy public spaces," said Kyra de St. Paer, Senior Director of Marketing at CloroxPro. "We at CloroxPro are dedicated to partnering with cleaning professionals to provide innovative products, quality training, and educational support to help them thrive."

2023 Clean Index Findings:

Burnout is Prevalent

Cleaning professionals are facing burnout because of high turnover and continued staffing shortages, resulting in a cycle of longer hours and less time for training.
- 61% say hiring issues and short staffing are leading contributors to staff burnout.
- 44% say not enough time for training is a leading contributor to staff burnout.
- 40% say long hours are a leading contributor to staff burnout.

A Crisis in Confidence

Compared to 2022, cleaning professionals' confidence in their own ability to keep the areas they manage clean and disinfected fell nearly 5%, with Building Service Contractor confidence falling 15%.
- 22% cite lack of training programs as a top reason cleaning professionals are less confident.
- 20% cite public scrutiny of cleaning practices as a top reason cleaning professionals are less confident.

Green Cleaning Interest/Adoption Gap

Three in four (75%) cleaning professionals agree that using that eco-conscious cleaners/disinfectants in public spaces is important, but adoption continues to lag.
Factors preventing cleaning professionals from switching to eco-conscious cleaners and disinfectants include:
- 78% increased cost
- 67% uncertainty of cleaning effectiveness
- 58% compromised efficiency of cleaning
- 56% limited product availability on market
- 52% preference for traditional solutions

CloroxPro offers solutions to help address some of the challenges faced by cleaning professionals. Ready-to-use (RTU) cleaning and disinfecting products, including Clorox EcoClean™, offer facilities and professional cleaners many benefits, including efficacy, versatility, reduced effort and time saved. Additionally, access to training programs such as CloroxPro HealthyClean®, an online learning platform offering high-quality education and training on how to clean for health effectively, efficiently and safely, can boost confidence and has been shown to help increase staff retention¹.

For additional learnings and insights from the 2023 Clean Index, please visit CloroxPro.com/.

Methodology
Results from the 2023 Clean Index Survey were determined by the responses of more than 700 cleaning professionals and more than 1,000 consumers nationally representative of the U.S. general population as defined by the U.S. Census. Cleaning professionals included Facility Managers, Environmental Services (EVS) Directors or Infection Preventionists (IPs) with purchase-decision power and/or influence in the following industries: education (124 sample size), commercial office buildings (135 sample size), healthcare facilities (353 total, 46 EVS, 148 IPs), as well as Building Service Contractors and/or building cleaning and maintenance service employees (100 sample size).

About CloroxPro
Building on a century-long legacy in cleaning and disinfecting, CloroxPro offers some of the industry's most recognized and trusted brand names for commercial cleaning, including its Clorox Healthcare products for healthcare facilities. From comprehensive surface disinfection to advanced technologies, CloroxPro is committed to meeting the demands of industry professionals and commercial facilities such as offices, schools, athletic facilities and hospitals. For more information, visit www.CloroxPro.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About The Clorox Company
The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX) champions people to be well and thrive every single day. Its trusted brands, which include Brita^®, Burt's Bees^®, Clorox^®, Fresh Step^®, Glad^®, Hidden Valley^®, Kingsford^®, Liquid-Plumr^®, Pine-Sol^® and Rainbow Light^®, can be found in about nine of 10 U.S. homes and internationally with brands such as Ajudin^®, Clorinda^®, Chux^®and Poett^®. Headquartered in Oakland, California, since 1913, Clorox was one of the first U.S. companies to integrate ESG into its business reporting, with commitments in three areas: Healthy Lives, Clean World and Thriving Communities. Visit thecloroxcompany.com to learn more.

¹Bersin J. New Research Shows "Heavy Learners" More Confident, Successful, and Happy at Work [Internet]. LinkedIn. 2018; Available from: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/want-happy-work-spend-time-learning-josh-bersin/

SOURCE CloroxPro