Most people do not really appreciate them and we have launched our campaign to change that.
‘Since last year we have been planning to launch a social sensitivity campaign to make the public aware of the socially indispensable, yet almost invisible, work of cleaners’, said Ferenc Kis-Szölgyémi, CEO of B+N Referencia Zrt., Hungary’s biggest cleaning and facility management company. The groundwork had been laid for long months but by the time we were ready, COVID-19 had reached the country. ‘The 45 thousand cleaners in the county have always deserved our heartfelt appreciation, but in these times they deserve it a 100 times more. We employ 4100 cleaners who are doing a great job cleaning transportation vehicles, hospitals and office buildings. The majority of our society take cleanliness for granted but do not appreciate the people who make it happen. With our campaign “Look round and see” we want to show an alternative approach.
Does cleaning have prestige?
The Hungarian Central Statistical Office examined 173 occupations in terms of social prestige according to different aspects: for example how much power or influence they entail, how much one has to learn for them, how useful they are for society, how trendy or appealing they are nowadays. According to the subjective judgement of the respondents cleaning is among the ten lowest-prestige jobs. It is ranked 163rd coming ahead of only road sweepers, leaflet distributors and unskilled workers. Although professional cleaning is nothing like cleaning at home: it requires a firm knowledge of chemicals, technical skills and physical endurance day ba day. On top of that, this work is a matter of trust. You wouldn’t let a total stranger into your home unchecked either.
They are fighting the virus too!
We need a clean environment around us to prevent the appearance and spread of diseases, and it needs everyday care and attention. With the emergence of the coronavirus, disinfection has become even more important in cleaning. Cleaners are also among those who cannot do their work from home, they have to do their best in the current circumstances too.
‘It is cleaners who make our everyday life comfortable’, says Erika Kókai, B+N Head of Marketing. ‘We have got used to the order and cleanliness around us so much that we simply take it for granted but fail to notice the people who make that happen. It is our responsibility to increase the public appreciation of this profession because if everything stays the same, soon nobody is going to be left to clean the country.’
Source: 24.hu
