ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

For cleaning services business and social enterprise Breedweer, the key objective is to bring as many people as possible into employment. The commitment it demonstrates won it the 2022 European Cleaning & Hygiene Award for Investment in Training.

Social enterprise cleaning services company Breedweer is based in the Netherlands and headed up by Jack Stuifbergen, a man with a vision of making a true social impact with his business. This is a company that is not just about cleaning and facilities services. Stuifbergen is spreading a wider message around the business community and the wider world – that message centres on diversity, inclusion and offering opportunities to all.

Breedweer employees come from all sections of society and many of them come from difficult backgrounds. Stuifbergen explains: “At Breedweer, everyone matters. It is important to say that our main goal is to bring as many people as possible from a vulnerable position into employment, where they are able to support themselves independently.”

How does the process work in practice? “All our employees are offered a personal development plan, in which we map out what an employee needs,” says Stuifbergen. “This can be development in
the field of language (low literacy is a major problem in cleaning), but also the development of professional skills (for example, specialisations).

“The most important thing we want to offer our people is development to MBO level (minimum level 1). With this programme we are able to give staff a recognised MBO diploma, where they have a skill for life, whatever they choose to do. So every person can become what they always wanted to be. How cool is that?!”

Every single person, at every level of Breedweer, is offered the opportunity to develop through the company’s academy. “In this way we continually progress our people and hopefully bind them to our organisation. More importantly, we get happy employees,” Stuifbergen adds.

The implementation phase for a new employee with a client starts by taking the time necessary to train and educate. All employees get the recognised IBL course which teaches them everything they need to know about contract agreements, work methods and the use of materials and machines. Because up to 60 per cent of cleaners in the Netherlands have a low literacy level, all work manuals include icons and pictures, and Breedweer also works hard to help them achieve a higher level of reading and writing.

“As we work with people from disadvantaged groups, a different approach is necessary to get and keep them on the right track,” Stuifbergen says. “Therefore we have a ‘buddy’ system - they help our employees from disadvantaged groups. We also have extra start-up guidance in the first weeks. ‘Buddies’ take care of instructing, giving extra information and helping adjustment in the workplace. So for our clients we can guarantee a perfect cleaning result right from the start.”

A core belief throughout the Breedweer business is that everybody has a talent, and development of each individual’s particular talent is one of its main goals. That’s why each employee has their own plan and that plan is reviewed and updated during performance appraisals.

“We give everyone the opportunity to participate in the labour market again, regardless of skin colour, age, origin, religion or disability. Our teachers are busy every day educating our employees to help them reach their potential. We are proud of what we do and proud that we give substance to broader sustainable development goals whereby prosperity at the broadest level is the ultimate objective.”

Clients too appreciate the ethics of Breedweer’s business. “What we see is that our customers specifically choose us because of the impact we make,” continues Stuifbergen. “After all, we don’t sell cleaning services, instead we’re always promoting our social impact. Customers specifically ask about the impact we are making on development of people so it is clearly a priority for them. And we often receive comments such as ‘It’s great that you’re doing this, it’s great you are giving people this opportunity, and it’s impressive that your people are so well trained’.”

Stuifbergen decided to get involved in the European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards because he would like other companies in the professional cleaning sector to make similar commitments to offering their employees such important opportunities in personal development. “We would like to put development on the map across the sector,” he says. “Winning the ECH Award is great recognition for us, for what we do every day.”

breedweer.nl

www.echawards.com