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Dave Harting, CEO of commercial and residential cleaning services firm Crystal Clean, is straight out of central casting to play the exasperated executive over the region’s stubbornly low unemployment rate.
The Fort Myers-based firm is growing 20% to 25% a year — but it’s missing out on more work. No surprise, considering Lee and Collier counties posted a 3.5% unemployment rate in February, Florida Department of Economic Opportunity data shows. “We could easily grow over 30% a year if we had the personnel,” Harting says. “We’re out there trying to find people and it’s really tough.”
Harting, in response, has introduced a new benefit at Crystal Clean: free English classes to its 90-plus employees, most of whom speak Spanish. Harting says Crystal Clean is the first commercial and residential cleaning company in Southwest Florida to offer English-language classes as an employee benefit. He also notes this is the tightest labor market he’s seen serving commercial and residential clients since he founded the company in 1981.
Employees who are bilingual in English and Spanish can often earn 20% to 25% more immediately because they can communicate with both clients and employees. “They bring more value to the company,” says Harting.
Recruitment is just one benefit of English-language classes, Harting adds. Another positive aspect is employees who can communicate effectively with clients provide superior service. “Our team members feel empowered when we remove the language barrier,” Harting says. “Effective language skills let them anticipate client needs and respond quickly.”
Longtime schoolteacher Laura Herrera teaches English to employees on Mondays and Fridays at the company’s headquarters. Herrera’s 15-year experience teaching students in Florida and Colorado helped her craft a curriculum that can help Crystal Clean employees be proficient in English writing and conversation within one year.
“I test them every time they come in,” says Herrera in a statement. She began teaching at Crystal Clean in January. She gives employees homework and encourages them to practice their English in their daily lives, such as while shopping or listening to the radio.
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