The business of Keeping – IT CAMPUSES CLEAN

Wipro

Wipro’s policies and processes recognize the importance of satisfied customers- both internal (employees) and external. It also takes the responsibility of contributing towards a safer and greener planet. The practices and policies revolve around people and planet. Ensuring employee comfort and according environment, health and safety utmost importance, Wipro’s facilities are a proof that both are taken care of in abundance. With mammoth campuses in Bangalore and multiple offices around the country, facility management requirements are huge. The 25 acre, 6000 employee Development Centre at Sarjapur in South East Bangalore is a Silver rated LEED certified facility where green initiatives are happening all through the year. Keeping in mind the founder Azim Premji’s commitment of not building business at the cost of ecology, areas of operations revolve around ecological parameters. The Sarjapur campus boasts of paper recycling, bio gas and sewage treatment plants, organic waste convertors and rain water harvesting. Eco friendly LED lights have been installed in the common areas and the customer care centers. Bio gas generated from bio waste is used to fuel the cafeterias. Some of the newer technologies like wind, solar and LED have been used across campuses. Reduce, reuse and recycle mantra is preached and practiced. Most of the Wipro facilities are LEED certified Green buildings and even the products used for cleaning them are biodegradable and eco friendly. Ramakrishnan Ramaswamy, VP-Facility Management, Wipro Technologies informs that “The Environment Health and Safety department goes through the Material Safety Data Sheet of each of the products and confirms its eco friendliness”. About the maintenance of these facilities and the role of tie ups with service partners for the same, he says “The maintenance of such ever growing massive campuses require the expertise of trained professionals as well as professional service partners. We have Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with the service providers where parameters like the total service area, specific maintenance requirement of each area and the SLAs to be delivered in each of these specified areas, specific cleaning practices and the periodicity of cleaning are pre defined.

“The vendor is encouraged to make multiple visits before signing the contract to understand all the areas, namely: work space, recreation, parking and common areas, restrooms, cafeteria, etc., and the type of cleaning expected. The service provider is given clear instructions on the requirements as well as expectations. We have also come out with an in house manual on housekeeping methods which specifies the cleaning processes in various areas, cleaning methods, material to be used etc. We also ensure that their staff are taken care of and insist on they being provided with protective work gear, made to undergo periodic medical tests and treat them as equals by making available common facilities like cafeteria and restrooms open to them for use. SLA/KPI reviews are held monthly with rewards and penalty attached. The review helps the service provider understand the performance better and work towards the desired improvements. The role of our key internal staff is to coordinate, interact and manage to ensure the deliverables are on track and also provide necessary financial clearance when needed. The operational needs are met by the service providers”.

Ramakrishna elaborates, “The challenges faced by our vendors are higher level of attrition, training and development of their work force. I recommend service providers to have regular interaction with the ground level personnel to understand their needs, provide necessary training, refresher programmes and encourage the good performers through rewards and recognition.

The contracting agencies also give them periodic reward and pat them on the back for a good job done. These are things which will help the workers gain confidence in their job, in their profession. There is a need to find ways to constantly churn trained people.”

Another challenge is the verification of the worker’s background. “Now with the kind of environment and security threat that exists in today’s times, there has to be a good system to do a thorough background check and Wipro follows stringent practices to ensure that security is not compromised ever.

“Sometimes we also interview the candidate for key positions and they would be exclusively working for Wipro. While we work on the costing, the agency takes care of the payment of salary and other legal compliance. Organisation wise we first have the regional heads and then the executives and managers who have experience and training in this field. Only the top positions are handled by Wipro and this involves monitoring the work performed by the agencies. This model has been implemented at various locations. Wipro recycles 76010 of waste generated at its facilities. The waste mainly consists of paper and other bio waste from the food areas. Shredded paper is crushed into pulp and made into paper bricks which are sent to the manufacturer to make scribbling pads. The bio waste is processed in the organic waste converter and the manure thus generated is directly used in the landscape area. In some of the facilities like the campus at Sarjapur, the food waste and sludge generated is fed into the bio gas plant, which supplies fuel to the canteen. In case of e-waste disposal, the pollution certification is obtained and proper disposal is done.

“We also have medical waste, oil waste and hazardous waste that are given away to authorised vendors. The EHS department does periodic inspection and conducts checks on the vendors. It also verify and ensures that there is proper disposal of such waste.” There are instances of used tissue papers lying on the floors of the washroom or chewing gums being thrown anywhere and everywhere. In the various clean initiatives taken by Wipro, posters are hung near the mirrors and on the walls of the washroom educating the users. In the office area, every quarter, the company organises the clean desk activity.”

Wipro Ltd has been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and it is not without reason that they are part of the enviable Index which has only three companies from India in the list.

 

 

 

Housekeeping Chemicals
Name Of Chemical	Product	Application Area	Method	Dilution Ratio	Frequency of Cleaning
Taski R1	Bathroom Cleaner cum Sanitizer	To Clean Washroom floors, verticals, basin slabs, outside of urinals, outer and seat of W/c, and all the items where human touch is there like Door knobs, switches, tabs etc. It cleans and sanitize the area in the same dilution.	Spray and Wipe	20ml in 1 liter of water	Once in each Shift through cleaning of washroom and regular cleaning after every hour
Taski R2	Hygienic Hard Surface Cleaner	To clean the office area like moping and Scrubbing of floor, dusting of tables and desktops, laptops, chairs, etc..	Spray and Wipe	20ml in 1 liter of water	Twice in a day wet moping and once damp dusting of the office area
Taski R3	Glass Cleaner	To clean and wipe the Glass and Mirror surfaces	Spray and Wipe	20ml in 1 liter of water	Once in a shift every day
Taski R4	Furniture Polish Maintainer	To be applied on the wodden surfaces for maintaing the polish of the wooden furniture and fixtures, but not on the wooden floors.	Spray and Buff	Ready to use	Once in every week
Taski R5	Air Freshner	Water Based room Freshner	Spray	Ready to use	Daily spray after the through cleaning every shift
Taski R6	Toilet Bowl Cleaner	Inside of the W/c and Urinals	With the help of squgee bottle	Ready to use	Once in a day only
Taski R7	Floor Cleaner concentrate	Any kind of hard floor, to be used for wet Moping and Scrubbing with floor scrubbing machine or with floor scrubber driers	Wet moping and Floor scrubbing	30 – 50ml in 1 liter of water	For wet mopping every shift once
Taski R9	Bathroom cleaner (Specific to hard water locations)	To clean washroom floors, verticals, basin slabs, outside of urinals, outer and seat of W/c, and all the items where human touch is there like Door knobs, switches, tabs etc. it also removes the hard water stains from the tabs and basin slabs	Spray and wipe also can do wet moping and Floor scrubbing	50ml in 1 liter of water	Twice in a week for removing the hard water scales from washroom fittings
SUMA – D7	Suma Inox – stainless steel polish	All the stainless steel fixtures and fittings – lifts doors, steel railings, door handels, kitchen area etc..	Spray and Buff	Ready to use	Twice in a week for maintaining the polish on the stainless steel fixtures
SUMA – D5	De Scaler Concentrate	To be used to remove only the Hard Water Stains from the surface	Spray, Scrub and wipe	20 – 50ml in 1 liter of water	Weekly once for removing the hard water stains
Terranova	Liquid Crystalizer	to be used to have the shine on the marble and Kota Floors	Spary and Buff with single disc machine	Ready to use	Weekly once for maintaing the gloss on the floor specially Kota nd Marble
Sumo Det	Pantry Cup Cleane	Apply the solution scrub the cup and rewash it with warm water before making it available for use	Place it in a bowl and use with the Scrubber Wonder Wipe	20ml in 1 liter of water	As and when required
Sumo Dip	For Deep Cleaning of Cups	Soak the Cups in Warm Water with a Ratio of 20 Ml to 1 Lt and after 1 hr remove the Cups and wash them thoroughly	Soak the cups in Warm Water and wash them after soaking in Warm Water with the diluted Solution	20ml in 1 liter of water	Twice in a week for removing the hard water scales from washroom fittings
Green Seal Range
Alpha HP	Multi surface cleaner	To be used in the washroom area. This one chemical will replace the Taski R1 / Taski R9	Spray and wipe also can do wet moping and Floor scrubbing	3ml in 1 liter of water	Once in every shift
Stride	Neutral Cleaner	To be used in the office area will replace Taski R2 / Taski R7	Spray and wipe also can do wet moping and Floor scrubbing	3ml in 1 liter of water	Twice in a day
Crew	Bathroom Cleaner and Scale remover	To be used in side the washroom and will replace Taski R9 / Taski R6	Spray and Wipe	60ml in 1 liter of water	Daily Once
Glance	Glass and Multi Surface Cleaner	To be used on the glass and mirrors	Spray and Wipe	40ml in 1 liter of water	Once in Every shift

Infosys

The nature of the IT/ITES industry warrants 24×7 housekeeping” says Bhawesh Kumar, Regional Manager-Facilities, Infosys Technologies Ltd, at the company’s office at the Electronic City in Bangalore. “Infosys strives to provide its customer with a world class business environment and global standards of service. And one of the key activities that contributes towards this vision is housekeeping.

“The Facilities Department is responsible for the cleanliness, maintenance and aesthetic upkeep of the premises. It is an extension of basic home keeping multiplied into commercial proportions. Therefore, just as we enjoy keeping a ‘sparkling’ home for ourselves and guests who visit us at home, the housekeeping department takes pride in keeping the office clean and comfortable, so as to create a ‘home away from home”.

Facilities Management at Infosys adopts a combination of in house and outsourced personnel for housekeeping. We do not outsource everything to one FM service provider. The outsourcing model is such that the company has subcontractors who provide housekeeping services and it has its own team of facilities employees who supervise and monitor these services.

“We are involved from the stage where a sub-contractor is recruited. The process includes: tapping the right source, developing manpower specification, interviewing and the selection process. For the purpose of recruitment, induction, training and self-development, it is essential to know the qualities that housekeeping staff must possess. These are as important as the skills they possess. They are groomed in personal hygiene and physical fitness. We have established a grooming centre, where housekeeping personnel have access to a facility to shower, shave and change into laundered clothes. With this we have been able to make them feel they are one of us,” adds Bhawesh.

Infosys gives a lot of importance to training. This training is the process of changing a given behavior up to a desired behavior. Training is important because trained manpower is not easily available in the market. It helps to equip a person to do a job in the shortest possible time. It helps the management to have a well co-ordinated team. It is hence ensured that the housekeeping staff are regularly trained on the activities involved, the use of chemicals or equipment, the policies and procedures of the company and the hazards in their work place. Recently we had a facilities meet, where Regional Managers Facilities from all our locations gathered. We had a one-week training session. This is how we keep ourselves abreast of all the new technology.

Aids for cleaning

The correct choice and quality of equipment / cleaning aids could save costs due to breakdown, reduce fatigue and thereby demands on labour as also ensure efficiency in overall operations. Infosys has a combination of various equipment ranging from heavy duty equipment for road cleaning to small vacuum cleaners. Over 200 equipment are deployed in the Bangalore campus alone.

“We also insist on using the right detergents not only to protect surfaces but also to enhance productivity and quality. In line with our Health, Safety and Environmental Management System (HSEMS) requirements we have embarked upon use of organic products to the extent possible and have set targets for the same. Deployment of green seal products for housekeeping which belong to this category has been our first steps towards this cause.”

Housekeeping shifts commence from 7:00 am in the morning, wherein the restrooms are cleaned first, followed by the common areas, then covering the work stations. In the second shift which begins at 1:00 pm maintenance work like façade cleaning and glass cleaning are taken up. Majority of the cleaning happens during the night shift which includes waste clearance, segregation and movement to scrap yard. More thorough housekeeping happens on Saturdays. Schedules include routine (daily) and non-routine (weekly, monthly etc.,) activities.

Internal SLA’s are defined for each activity including housekeeping and there are different modes of seeking housekeeping services. The employees can log in a request through an internal application or can call the helpdesk for the request to be attended to and closed.

One of the most vital and important part of the cleaning operations is briefing. Briefing is provided by the management to facilitate a two-way communication between management and staff. All employees must report for briefing properly attired and at the scheduled commencement of the shift or earlier. Some of the issues that should normally be covered in a briefing are grooming, policies and procedures, VIP visits, allotment of duties, feedback of staff training, standard of performance, recognition and praise.

“For this process, we have created levels – supervisor, executive, senior executive associate manager, senior associate manager, senior associate manager, facility manager, senior facility manager and Regional Managers who report to the head of Facility Management. There is a full structure from top to bottom and everyone is responsible. The top management is aligned and aware of this.”

A weekly review is also conducted with the location Facilities Managers. Open houses are also conducted by Regional Managers enabling the staff to voice their concerns. Housekeeping staff are represented in the location Safety Committees where they can present the potential hazards in their work places. “The schedules are so strong that the toilets today are being maintained every one hour during working hours. There is always someone who will go, check and clean.

“We are the employees’ caretakers and we go to their desks and find out if anything needs to be cleaned every Friday. In the toilets we have beautiful signages and we also organise Water Week urging people to report any leaks. Then we have the Paper Week urging people to save paper.”