Does It Really Matter If My Commercial Cleaner Uses Contractors?

"Does it really matter if my commercial cleaner uses contractors?"

It’s a fair question, and one that I hear quite a bit.

On the surface, you just want your site cleaned properly. Consistently. Without having to follow up or second-guess whether the job’s been done. And when that doesn’t happen—when the cleaner keeps changing, or standards start to slip—it’s easy to think the issue might be price, scope, or scheduling.

But in my 30 years of experience in this industry, the real problem often sits deeper than that. Often a commercial cleaner's failure to meet your expectations is a direct reflection of who’s actually doing the work, and how they’re being treated.

Here's what I mean by that. There’s a big difference between a cleaner who’s part of a team and properly employed… and a cleaner who's been brought in as a contractor and left to figure it out on their own. When a cleaner’s employed, they’re trained, supported, paid fairly, and connected to the people who can help them do the job properly.

When they’re a contractor, there’s often no training, no oversight, and no consistency, which means the standard you get depends on who turns up and how much time they’ve got.

🔎 Case Study: Car Dealership Achieves $480,000 ROI, 11% Productivity Gain with In-Tec

But clients like you don't see this part of the question. You only feel the result—a clean that’s never quite consistent, issues that keep coming back, or a lingering sense that something’s off, but no one’s saying why. This is precisely why this conversation matters.

Because yes, it does matter if your commercial cleaner users contractors. And in this article, we’ll walk through what makes an employee different from a contractor, how to spot the signs on your site, and the right questions to ask any cleaning provider. By the end, you’ll be able to make a more confident, informed decision—one that protects your team, your standards, and your peace of mind.

What's the Difference Between a Cleaner Who's an Employee vs. a Contractor?

Let’s start with contractors.

A cleaner who is a contractor is someone who’s brought in under an ABN, an Australian Business Number. Rather than being treated like an employee, they are treated as a separate business. So, when that individual cleaner shows up to your worksite each day, they’re responsible for providing everything they need (equipment, chemicals, safety gear) themselves.

Your contracted cleaners also don’t wear a uniform. They’re receive little to no training by the cleaning company you hired to own your organisation's unique cleaning needs. And no one’s really checking to make sure they’re doing the job properly. They work their own hours, clean how they like, and use whatever they think is appropriate.

🔎 Related: How to Tell If Your Cleaners Use Sham Contractors (+ Why It Matters)

What's more, your cleaning company can’t legally tell them what to do or how to do it; technically, they’re not part of their team. And that matters, because if something goes wrong—if the wrong chemical’s used, if a job gets skipped, if there’s a safety issue—you’re the one dealing with the consequences. Not the contractor. Not the company. You.

Now compare that to a cleaner who is employee.

I'll use In-Tec as an example.

How We Hire + Train Full-Time Cleaners at In-Tec

Then we train them. That usually begins at our facility, where they go through all the basics:

• What equipment we use
  
  
• What chemicals and cleaning solutions we use (and how to use them safely)
  
  
• What procedures we follow for cleaning different areas (offices, kitchens, and high-touch surfaces)
  
  
• Which cloths to use for what tasks (yes, that matters)
  
  
• And how we expect jobs to be done (not rushed, but done properly)

After that, your employed In-Tec cleaners trained again on your site. That’s where we show them the actual layout, walk them through the site-specific needs, and make sure they’re comfortable and confident in the work. For most sites, that on-site training goes for at least a full week — with follow-up training and check-ins after that.

🔎 Related: How to Evaluate the Accountability of Your Commercial Cleaner (+ Examples)

They wear a uniform. They’re easy to identify. They’re part of our team, and everyone knows who’s responsible for what. We supply everything they need to do their job properly: equipment, chemicals, cloths, PPE... all of it. They’re paid as per the Award, to the minute. And if they need to travel between sites? They’re paid for that, too—travel allowance, vehicle allowance, the lot.

And if something goes wrong? It’s on us. Not the cleaner. Not you.

That’s the point of employment. It’s not just about compliance. It's about care, structure, and ownership. The cleaner feels supported. You get a consistent standard. And everyone knows who’s accountable for delivering the job.

You Shouldn't Have to Manage Your Cleaners, That's Our Job

Let me give you a real example. I was speaking with a sales manager at a car dealership that is a cliemnt of ours. He’s worked across a lot of different brands over the years, so he’s seen it all when it comes to commercial cleaning companies.

When he first started at this site, he admitted he kept a close eye on us. He was used to chasing cleaners every day just to make sure things were getting done. But after a few months, he said something changed. He realised he hadn’t had to follow us up once. Every morning, he walked into the dealership and it was just… clean. Done right. No fuss.

🔎 Related: Why ESG Alignment with Your Commercial Cleaner Matters (+ Examples)

One day, he asked me, “How are you doing this? What’s the difference?”

And I told him it’s what I call the three Ts: Tools. Training.  Time.

All of our team members are trained properly. We give them the right tools to do the job. And just as importantly, we give them the time to do it properly. That’s what makes the difference.

Why Does This Difference Matter to You

This conversation of employee vs. contractor for your cleaners isn’t just about who’s doing the cleaning. It’s about who’s accountable for it, and what happens when things go wrong.

• When your cleaner is a contractor, there’s no real oversight. No clear line of responsibility. And no guarantee they’ve been trained, supported, or even told what your standards are. That’s how things get missed. That’s how little problems turn into recurring issues. That’s how trust breaks down.
  
  
• But when your cleaner is employed? You’re not relying on one person’s guesswork or goodwill. You’re working with a team that’s trained, supported, and backed by systems that make sure your standard is delivered every single time.

And if you’re the one responsible for the site—your team’s safety, your compliance obligations, your business’s reputation—this isn’t just an operational detail. It’s a core part of how you manage risk, protect your people, and ensure the work being done under your name is done the right way. You need to have confidence in the partners you hire (including your commercial cleaners), and the promises they make.

🔎 Related: The Promises We Make (+ Keep) to You at In-Tec Commercial Cleaning

Are There Really Risks Associated with Cleaners Who Are Contractors?

The short answer is yes.

Let’s start with the practical side. If your cleaner’s a contractor, there’s no control over what they use to clean your site. That means they could be using harsh chemicals like bleach, incorrect vacuums, or machinery that hasn’t been tested and tagged. It might not cause issues right away. But over time, it can absolutely lead to damage on your site.

But the bigger risk of you having cleaners on site who are contractors is a legal one.

You should avoid cleaners who only use contractors, because in most cases, that means they’re engaging in a practice called sham contracting. Sham contracting is when a business misclassifies an employee as an independent contractor to dodge the legal obligations that come with having staff. Instead of paying proper wages, superannuation, sick leave, and annual leave, they underpay their workers (a flat rate, typically in cash) so they can sidestep the law.

🔎 Related: Why You Should Want a Contract with Your Commercial Cleaner

Make no mistake, sham contracting is illegal. It’s a loophole that dodgy operators have been using for years in our industry to underpay workers, avoid training them properly, and skip out on providing the right equipment and supplies.  

More importantly, as of January 1, 2025, the laws have tightened even further. It is now illegal to knowingly underpay someone, and if a company gets caught, the businesses that hired them could also be held responsible. So if your commercial cleaner is engaging in sham contracting, you’re not just dealing with an unethical company. You’re potentially exposing your business to legal action.

How Do You Detemrine If Your Commercial Cleaning Company Uses Contractors?

By now, you understand why it matters whether your cleaner is employed or contracted. In addition to the devastating effects it has on the innocent cleaners who are trying to make an honest living, contracted cleaners open you up to legal risk, as well as service quality and consistency issues.

But here’s the hard part: how do you actually find out what’s happening behind the scenes? Whether it’s your current provider, or you’re reviewing quotes from new ones, how do you know who’s on your site — and how they’re being treated?

🔎 Related: 6 Commercial Cleaning Cost Factors That Influence Pricing (+ Examples)

You might think the answer is simple: just ask them. While I understand the instinct to be direct, the reality is most commercial cleaning companies will tell you whatever you want to hear in response. I’ve seen it in tenders, in RFPs, in quote requests. People ask:

“Do you partake in sham contracting or modern slavery?"

And of course, the answer they always get is no. Not a single cleaner is going to say, “Yeah, we love sham contracting.” They’re not going to tell you they’re underpaying workers or outsourcing jobs to companies they don’t control. They’ll say the right thing, tick the right box, and keep the real story hidden.

So what do you ask instead?

Here’s what I recommend:

“We want to engage a cleaning company that operates in a compliant and ethical manner. What systems do you have in place to prove that you don’t use sham contracting or modern slavery? And can those systems be independently verified?”

That’s the key. You’re not just asking for their word. You’re asking for proof. And that proof should be something that can be checked by an outside, independent party.

If you asked me that question, I’d give you a copy of our independently audited sham contracting audit, the one we do every year. Not because we have to, but because I was sick of being in an industry where people lie, and I wanted to be able to prove we were doing the right thing. I’ll even give you the contact details of the firm that does the audit. You can call them up and say, “Hey, In-Tec gave me this, can you stand behind it?” And they’ll tell you: yes, it’s legit. They’ve reviewed our payroll, our records, everything.

So if you take one thing from this, let it be this:

Don’t ask, “Do you use contractors?” Ask, “Can you prove you don’t?”