KETTERING, Ohio – Cleaning companies are getting more business because of COVID, but some are struggling to find enough people for the job.
When Darwin Hawkins cleans, he says it really doesn’t feel like a job at all.
“It’s like my family, second family,” said Hawkins.
He’s been on the job for almost 30 years.
“Once you do it, and you do it every day, you can do it with your eyes closed,” said Hawkins.
But the pandemic changed everything.
“It was like tumbleweeds rolling around the campus, so quiet,” said Hawkins.
Many things shut down in 2020, but when things opened back up, the cleaning company where Hawkins works, Alpha and Omega Building Services in Kettering, had a growing list of clients who wanted everything disinfected.
The problem is there are not enough workers.
“A lot of times, COVID has scared off a lot of people,” said human resources specialist Kortni Alston.
Alston says they have 56 open positions they’re struggling to fill.
“We get a lot of applicants sometimes, but we don’t get the follow-through. They’re not answering the callback or responding to our emails to get them back in,” said Alston.
That means managers like Erica Pogue and Donald Thompson are picking up the slack from being short-staffed.
“I do two to three different accounts a night to fill in,” said Pogue.
“It’s a challenge, it’s always a challenge when you learn different spots different areas,” said Thompson.
Hawkins said it’s his team that keeps him going through all of those challenges.
“Love it, it’s a part of me,” said Hawkins.
For more information about Alpha and Omega and to see job openings, click here.
