Site facilities operative
"The best thing about my profession is that I can see the results of my work right away. I like physical work and the fact that the days are different. Cleaning helps to preserve the value of properties, and cleanliness ensures a healthy environment for property users."
- Sandra Mattila
- Site facilities operative at Lekitek Oy.
- Qualified as a site facilities operative from Tampere Adult Education Centre.
- Five years of work experience in the field.
Briefly explain what you do for a living.
I work as a site facilities operative, which means that I clean different sites.
How have you ended up in the profession of your choice?
I have always been interested in professions where you can see the results of your work. As a site facilities operative, I feel that I am doing meaningful work that makes people’s everyday lives easier. I enjoy that my work requires good physical fitness, and I get a lot of exercise.
Describe your typical working day or week.
A typical working day begins with maintenance cleaning at a site under my responsibility. The day includes various cleaning tasks, such as cleaning toilet facilities and doing the laundry. Sometimes a site has ordered a more thorough cleaning, which brings variation to my everyday work.
What kind of work environment or working hours do you have?
My work environment varies by site. At the moment, I clean a secondary school, an office, and apartment blocks.
I work on weekdays, and my shift is always between 6:00 and 14:00.
What kind of competence or qualities are required in the profession?
Site facilities operatives are required to have good customer service skills, and the ability to schedule and plan the different stages of cleaning. Knowledge of different surfaces, cleaning agents, and their correct dosing is also important. Good physical fitness and pressure tolerance are essential qualities.
What is the best thing about your profession?
The best thing about my profession is that I can see the results of my work right away. I like physical work and the fact that the days are different. Cleaning helps to preserve the value of properties, and cleanliness ensures a healthy environment for property users.
What are the downsides of the profession or what seems challenging?
The drawbacks of the profession are low pay and low appreciation. Cleaners are expected to be invisible, but the work result must be impeccable. Sometimes people’s comments can be offensive. Many people assume that I work as a cleaner temporarily until I seek more training or find a better job. In addition, someone may think that everyone can clean, even though professional cleaning and domestic cleaning are two different things.
What would you tell a person considering the profession of a sustainability manager?
When doing physical work, you stay in good physical condition, and you do not have time to get bored during the working day. If you value cleanliness, independent work, and varying working days, I recommend working in the cleaning sector.
How do you see the future of your profession?
I hope that our profession would get more appreciation in the future. Site facilities operatives cannot be fully replaced by robots, so I believe that there will be plenty of work in the future as well.