Summary
Employee turnover is one of the most overlooked risks in commercial cleaning. While it may seem like a staffing issue for your cleaning company, the reality is that it directly impacts your facility’s cleanliness, safety, consistency, and overall cost.
The commercial cleaning industry experiences turnover rates that can exceed 200% annually, meaning many facilities are constantly being serviced by new, unfamiliar workers.
Facilities that prioritize stability in their cleaning programs benefit from stronger consistency, better accountability, and fewer operational disruptions. High-performing cleaning programs are built on trained, retained teams supported by structured processes and oversight, not a revolving door of new hires.
⟩ Serving South Florida since 1989 ⟩ 500+ trained team members ⟩ Fully insured ⟩ OSHA, GBAC, CMI, and BSCAI-CBSE certifications ⟩ Programs designed for continuous and 24/7 operations
What a 200% Turnover Rate Really Means for Your Facility
Most facility managers expect some staff changes. Few realize just how extreme the churn can be in commercial cleaning. A 200% industry average turnover rate means the average cleaning company with 250 employees is effectively replacing its entire workforce twice within a single year.
That instability doesn’t stay contained to the vendor. It shows up in your building as a rotating cast of people who don’t know your layout, your standards, or your expectations.
On-the-Job Training: Why Your Facility Shouldn’t Be the Classroom
When new cleaning employees arrive at your building, they bring a learning curve with them. Someone has to walk them through your layout, your procedures, and your standards, and that slows down everyone involved, not just the new hire.
Trainees cover less ground, miss areas that experienced cleaners catch automatically, and are more likely to damage surfaces or equipment through incorrect product use or technique. They also tend to overuse cleaning supplies, adding unnecessary cost. Each new cycle of onboarding is a reset to a lower standard of performance.
You’re not paying for training. You’re paying for a clean, professionally maintained facility. A high-turnover vendor makes your building an ongoing classroom for a workforce that may leave within months of being trained.
High Turnover Creates Real Security and Safety Exposure
Cleaning crews work in your facility during off-hours, often with access to sensitive areas, secure equipment, and spaces that are off-limits to the general public. Thorough background checks, drug screening, and reference verification are essential.
When a cleaning company is onboarding hundreds of new employees under constant pressure to fill open positions, those vetting steps can become less rigorous. A company cutting corners on hiring procedures may also be cutting corners on the cleaning itself. The two often go together.
Safety training follows the same pattern. An experienced cleaner knows how to handle chemicals correctly, operate equipment safely, and respond to situations specific to your environment. A first-week employee represents a higher risk on every one of those dimensions.
The Hidden Costs of Constant Hiring … and Who Actually Pays for Them
Recruiting, screening, onboarding, and outfitting a new cleaning employee is expensive. When a company is replacing hundreds of people per year, those costs are relentless. Uniforms, training materials, administrative overhead, supervisor time … it all adds up.
Some of that cost is absorbed by the cleaning vendor. Most of it is passed to clients as higher contract pricing, reduced crew sizes, or service quality that falls short of what was quoted. When a company is constantly spending on recruitment, there is less available to invest in equipment upgrades, advanced training, and the quality improvements that actually benefit your facility.
Low-turnover companies reduce that overhead and redirect it toward service quality, better supervision, and the kind of institutional knowledge that only develops when people stay.
What Low Turnover Actually Looks Like in a Cleaning Program
Some turnover is inevitable in any industry. We are proud of our higher employee retention because it means our investments in competitive compensation, consistent scheduling, supervisory support, and a culture that gives people reasons to stay are making a real difference. The result is a team that learns your facility deeply, builds working relationships with your staff, and takes ownership of their performance over time.
From a facility manager’s perspective, this means fewer surprises, faster problem resolution, and a cleaning program that improves with time rather than resetting with every new hire.
The Total Cleaning Difference: 78% Turnover. 98% Client Retention.
Total Cleaning maintains an EVS turnover rate of 78%, a fraction of the 200% industry average. That stability is the result of deliberate investment in employee development, compensation, and management practices that make long-term retention a measurable priority.
The results show in our client relationships. A 98% client retention rate reflects what happens when the same well-trained team shows up consistently, knows your facility, and delivers results that compound over time.
We offer a free on-site assessment so you can see firsthand how a stable, experienced cleaning program operates. Request your on-site assessment here—it takes only a few minutes and comes at no cost to you.
Frequently Asked Questions About Janitorial Turnover and Facility Impact
What is the average employee turnover rate in the commercial cleaning industry?
The commercial cleaning industry averages around 200% annual turnover, meaning a typical company replaces its entire workforce twice per year. This is significantly higher than most other service industries and has measurable consequences for the consistency and quality of cleaning in facilities that those companies serve.
How does high janitorial turnover affect cleaning quality in my facility?
High turnover means your facility is regularly serviced by employees who are still learning your building’s layout, protocols, and expectations. New cleaners miss areas that experienced staff catch automatically, take longer to complete tasks, and are more likely to use incorrect products or techniques. The result is inconsistent performance that erodes your facility’s standard over time.
Does high cleaning company turnover create security risks for my building?
Yes. High turnover increases the frequency with which unverified individuals are granted access to your facility. When cleaning companies are under constant pressure to fill positions quickly, background checks, drug screening, and reference verification can become less thorough, creating real exposure for your employees, sensitive areas, and organizational reputation.
Who actually pays for the cost of high turnover in a cleaning contract?
Clients absorb most of the cost. Recruiting, screening, onboarding, and outfitting replacement employees is expensive. When those costs are ongoing due to high turnover, they appear in your contract as higher pricing, reduced crew sizes or service quality that doesn’t match what was originally proposed.
What turnover rate should I look for when evaluating a commercial cleaning company?
Ask directly for the company’s annual turnover rate and compare it to the industry average of around 200%. Look for companies that invest in employee compensation, training, and supervisory support. Client retention rate is also a meaningful signal: companies with stable workforces tend to hold their clients longer.
How does low janitorial turnover benefit my facility over time?
A stable cleaning team develops deep familiarity with your facility’s specific needs, surfaces, high-risk areas, and operational schedule. Over time, this translates to fewer missed items, faster identification of issues, smoother communication with your staff, and a cleaning program that improves rather than restarting with every personnel change.
What is Total Cleaning’s turnover rate compared to the industry average?
Total Cleaning maintains an EVS turnover rate of approximately 78%, compared to the industry average of around 200%. This supports a 98% client retention rate and reflects a company-wide commitment to employee development, competitive compensation, and long-term workforce investment that directly benefits the facilities we serve.
How do I know if my current cleaning company has a turnover problem?
Watch for unfamiliar faces on a regular basis, inconsistencies in cleaning quality between visits, difficulty reaching a consistent supervisor or point of contact, and recurring conversations about the same problem areas that never fully resolve. These are common indicators of a high-churn workforce that never builds genuine familiarity with your facility.
Ready to Work With a Cleaning Company Built Around Stability?
High turnover is not inevitable. Total Cleaning has built its reputation on retaining exceptional people, serving clients consistently, and growing through long-term partnerships rather than continuous replacement.
If you’re managing a facility that deserves a cleaning team that knows your building as well as you do, we’d like to show you what that looks like in practice.