The seemingly unfair title of 'Unskilled Worker' is used for those working in roles that are considered to be menial, repetitive and requiring little or no formal education or qualification. For too long those who fell under this, often stigmatised class of worker, have been subject to poor wages and at times unfavourable working conditions.
There is an abundance of roles that have been shoehorned into this category from supermarket staff to cleaners and for a long time these roles were taken for granted and even deemed demeaning in society.
Then Covid-19 emerged.
What this pandemic has demonstrated is that without these individuals doing the jobs that are considered by many to be beneath them (and not worthy of a decent wage), our country would grind to a halt. Thankfully there now appears to be a shift in culture, with the public readily showing its recognition in various forms. Hopefully this will continue in the form of improved pay and working conditions.
So how does this apply to us at Green & Simple?
In all honesty it doesn't entirely apply to us.
We do have a number of vulnerable clients to whom our service is considered a necessity but we by no means class ourselves as essential workers. In general, our service is more of a luxury for those fortunate enough to be able to afford a private cleaning service. We are however, not of the belief that we should ever undervalue our service and our pricing reflects that.
To some our pricing would appear to be very steep compared to what was previously considered 'the norm' for many. As 'Unskilled workers', cleaners have mostly been considered undervalued but not just by customers, some cleaners themselves believe they should not be charging what many would consider to be 'high premiums' for their services. The fact is, for any self employed cleaner there are a number of factors to consider when pricing your service. Before any final income can be taken, deductions need to be made for covering overheads such as insurance and product replenishment, along with tax and pension. A potential customer might see your £15 per hour rate as extortionate but if you dropped your price to a more tempting £10 per hour, you will struggle to get by on your final pay.
Of course there needs to be realistic pricing to remain competitive but at the same time you should never undersell yourself. Charge what you believe you are really worth, do the very best job you can to reflect your true value and hold your head up high whenever anyone queries your prices. After all an excellent cleaner is worth every penny!