Why Hiring a Janitorial Service With EMPLOYEES (NOT Contractors) Matters
When businesses hire a janitorial service, the focus is often on just PRICE, but how a janitorial company staffs its workforce—EMPLOYEES vs. independent CONTRACTORS and/or sub-contract to other companies—can have major legal, financial, and operational consequences for the client.
Choosing a janitorial vendor that employs W-2 employees rather than using independent contractors protects your business in ways many companies don’t realize.
Here’s why it matters.
1. Legal Compliance Protects You, Not Just the Vendor
Janitorial work is one of the most heavily regulated industries in California. Labor laws, Cal/OSHA safety rules, workers’ compensation requirements, and wage regulations all apply.
When a janitorial company uses independent contractors improperly, the client can be exposed to risk through:
Joint-employer liability
Wage and hour claims
Workers’ compensation disputes
Cal/OSHA safety violations
A janitorial company with properly classified employees assumes full responsibility for:
Payroll taxes
Workers’ compensation insurance
Safety training
Labor law compliance
That separation protects your business from unexpected legal exposure.
2. Better Training = Safer Facilities
Employee-based janitorial companies are required to provide:
Safety training & Individualized training to your facility
Chemical handling instruction
Bloodborne pathogen training
Emergency procedures
Ongoing supervision
Independent contractors are often not trained consistently, if at all.
For your facility, this means:
Fewer slip-and-fall incidents
Safer chemical use
Proper wet-floor signage
Better restroom sanitation
Reduced injury risk to staff and visitors
A trained employee workforce directly reduces liability inside your building.
3. Experience Operations Accountability and Consistency
Employees are:
Hand Selected, Trained, Supervised & Managed
Trained to high company standards
Subject to discipline and corrective action
Covered by company policies and procedures
Contractors, on the other hand:
Are NOT trained or one company sub-contracts another that doesn’t operate and deliver as advertised
Often work independently
Most of the time will not follow consistent procedures
Are harder to hold accountable
Frequently rotate in and out
With employees, clients get reliable service, consistent, quality, and accountability—not guesswork.
4. Insurance Coverage Actually Applies
Employee-based janitorial companies carry:
Workers’ compensation insurance
General liability insurance
Employer-paid safety programs
If a contractor is injured on your site and is misclassified, the injury can become your problem, not the vendor’s.
Hiring a janitorial company with employees ensures:
Injuries are covered properly
Claims don’t get redirected to the client
Insurance policies respond as intended
5. Ethical Employment Matters
Businesses increasingly care about:
Fair wages
Safe working conditions
Legal employment practices
Corporate responsibility
Employee-based janitorial companies provide:
Lawful pay practices
Safety protections
Training and supervision
Stable jobs
That reflects positively on the businesses that hire them.
6. Compliance Today Prevents Problems Tomorrow
California continues to increase enforcement around:
Worker misclassification
Janitorial industry regulations
Workplace safety standards
Hiring a janitorial service that already operates fully compliant with employee-based staffing future-proofs your business against:
Regulatory changes
Surprise audits
Client-side liability
The Bottom Line
A janitorial service with employees is not just a cleaning vendor—it’s a risk management partner.
By choosing a company that:
Uses properly classified employees
Invests in safety and training
Carries the correct insurance
Operates in full compliance