Annual Report 2023_FINAL_2

Excellent Service
Excellent Stewardship
Operations Division Annual Report - FY23
Departmental Highlight:
Custodial Services
HISTORY OF A JANITOR
The word “janitor” has its roots in
Roman Mythology. Janus was the
Roman god of doors, gates and
portals. Janitors were once a revered
occupation, known to be the “keeper
of the keys.”
Early pictures of the cleaning crew
at Texas Tech University give us a
glimpse of what this trade initially
looked like- it was predominately
male employees whose focus was
on basic tasks to keep the university
looking its best. In the early years of
our history, cleaning our campus was
easier- fewer buildings and
fewer students meant less spaces
to keep clean.
As our campus has grown both in
area and number of students and
employees, the custodial staff has
also had to adapt and grow to keep
up. In response to this need, Texas
Tech Custodial Services implemented
the (OS1) cleaning method. This is a
comprehensive cleaning system that
simplifies cleaning by introducing
in-depth training, standardization
and the concept of team cleaning
which helps employees have a more
balanced workload.
(OS1) THE FUTURE OF
CUSTODIAL SERVICE
James Peel, associate managing
director over Custodial Services,
said that the (OS1) cleaning model
on campus is working to change the
perception of what custodial work is;
that this is a legitimate trade and
that the employee must have
knowledge about chemicals and
the cleaning process.
“It is almost an art the way they do it
[clean]” Peel said.
To be a certified custodian under
the (OS1) model, employees must
complete a day and a half orientation
that goes over chemicals, equipment
use and processes for proper and
safe cleaning on campus. For
example, employees learn about the
standardized color-coded cleaning
process the type of space is being
cleaned will dictate which color mop,
rag and cleaning product is used.
Charles Leatherwood, senior
managing director with the
Operations Division praised the
custodial staff ’s efforts with (OS1)
and stated that the department
continues to benefit from the ongoing
training provided by the program.
“They exemplify professionalism,
knowledge of their skill, organization
and standardized procedures which
helps keep our campus healthy and
clean” Leatherwood said.
The team has also implemented an
equipment check-in and check-out
process for all cleaning machines.
This has ensured that broken parts
and equipment are replaced as
soon as possible so the staff can be
successful in their job responsibilities.
(OS1) CLEANING APPROACH
One way the (OS1) cleaning approach
is different from other programs is
through their philosophy of cleaning.
The (OS1) cleaning philosophy
goes beyond mops and cleaning
supplies to the holistic view of the
employee. One of the bedrocks
of the program is “Treat Cleaning
Workers as First Class Citizens.”
Texas Tech works to achieve this by
creating a professional workspace for
the custodial staff. This shows that
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