Rick van der Gaag is Project Manager for Entrepreneurship at Schoonmakend Nederland. Rick: “We represent the interests of nearly 500 entrepreneurs in the cleaning and window-cleaning sector. This includes negotiating collective agreements, political lobbying and ensuring the sector is strongly positioned. This enables our members to provide valuable work for 125,000 cleaning staff and to operate successfully in a healthy business climate.”
When Rick joined Schoonmakend Nederland almost five years ago, he brought with him over 10 years’ experience in trade associations. In his view, the dynamics within trade associations are very similar. “We are sociable, committed and work a lot with family businesses,” Rick continues.
The great thing about Schoonmakend Nederland is that they are there for the collective but also for the individual. For instance, they offer a collective agreement and a legal helpdesk that answers members’ queries on employment law (meaning you don’t have to call your accountant or solicitor, saving you a significant amount straight away) as well as on business management issues. And if the helpdesk doesn’t have the answer to hand? Then there’s a whole network ready to step in.
The collective is, if possible, even stronger. Because the trade association has a coverage rate of almost 70 per cent – meaning that more than two-thirds of all cleaners in the Netherlands work for a member – they are the only party on the employers’ side authorised to conclude the collective agreement for the sector that is declared generally binding.
Commercial cleaning, refurbishment, window cleaning, hotels and more
The trade association for the Dutch cleaning sector is committed to the entire spectrum of the industry. “In addition to regular cleaning, the sector encompasses various specialisms. Different requirements and preferences apply to each specialism. When it comes to reconditioning issues (restoring buildings after fire, storm and water damage), speed is often of the essence (to limit the extent of the damage). With window cleaning, working at height and ensuring this is done safely and responsibly is a key concern. That is precisely why the Certification Schoon quality mark is a requirement for membership of Schoonmakend Nederland."
This quality mark does not check how clean the windows are after a window cleaner has been there or the amount of dust on a desk, but guarantees the process and the organisation. Matters must be in order, partly due to the chain liability that the sector faces. Among other things, this prevents the exploitation of employees and ensures that companies genuinely comply with the law.
Schoonmakend Nederland also offers prospective membership. Companies that have not yet achieved the Schoon Quality Mark have one year to meet the requirements of the mark. A NEN4400 requirement is often what still needs to be sorted out.
The market monitor
One of Rick’s responsibilities is the market monitor, which was introduced this year. This benchmark is distributed to members 13 times a year, providing data you can really use to steer your business. This can relate to turnover, but also to sick leave. “In our sector, staff account for around 80 per cent of costs. But if you only know that absenteeism stood at 6 per cent in Q3 of 2021, you have nothing to compare it with and you don’t know how the company is doing. That’s why our members provide data on gender, pay bands, age, type of employment contract and more. This isn’t just useful for the members themselves, but also when negotiating the collective agreement mentioned earlier,” says Rick proudly.
“We’ve noticed in particular that young entrepreneurs are keen to share data. They’re very open with one another and understand that whilst you might move faster on your own, you get further together. They’re competitors, but they don’t bite each other.”
What keeps the entrepreneur awake at night?
In addition to the market monitor, Rick is responsible for the member benefits programme. The focus here is on what keeps entrepreneurs awake at night. “We don’t want to offer too many member benefits; we’re not a supermarket. What we offer must be relevant and genuinely make a difference. This often involves speeding up processes or digitalisation. Think of assistance with buying or selling a business, or general terms and conditions and grants, but also insurance and issues with the tax authorities. That’s why TrackJack’s mileage tracking fits us down to the ground,” says Rick.
“We have many business owners with large teams. In our sector, you can easily end up with dozens or even hundreds of employees. And that’s when CO2 emissions and mobility start to play a role, especially with the upcoming legislation.”
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