In the last couple of weeks I had two very different conversations with two very different clients.
The first was someone we’ve worked with for a while. Since 2021 on one site, 2022 on another. They’ve always been happy with the service. Recently, some of their team went to market to get quotes. When I met with the client, they were upfront about it, told me who the competitors were, and gave me the space to explain the difference between what we offer and what those quotes represent.
He said, “I want to make sure we understand the facts before we make a decision.”
He wanted to know if those companies used contractors. If they were compliant.
If there was a catch. In other words: “Ethics matter.”
Now contrast that with the second conversation.
The second client also gave us notice recently. The reason they gave us was vague—but if we’re being honest, it’s about cost. And I get it. I’m a business owner too. I understand the pressure to find savings wherever you can. But I also happen to know that the companies, our competitors in this part of the commercial cleaning industry are all running sham contracting models.
The kind that underpay workers, avoid entitlements, and pass all the risk downstream. I think they know it too or at least should as I did warn them.
So I ask you this, especially now, as we head into the Easter weekend:
This isn’t about religion. It’s about values. It’s about accountability.
But yes, there’s a reason I wanted this to land on Easter Thursday.
For many of us, Easter is a time of reflection. It’s a season where we’re reminded of sacrifice, of doing what’s right even when it’s hard. Whether you’re religious or not, that idea means something.
Pressure and uncertainty don’t erase our values. They test them.
So here’s the question:
When did we start justifying setting our ethics aside in the name of “good” business?
I’m not accusing anyone of being unethical. That’s not what this is. But I do think a lot of good, decent people in business have been backed into a corner. Budgets are tight. Pressure’s up. There’s always a cheaper option. And somewhere along the way, they made a decision that went against their own values, but told themselves it was just a temporary decision and they will fix it later - maybe.
That’s how it happens. Slowly. One cost-cutting choice at a time. One short-term win at a time. Until we’re telling ourselves it’s strategy, not sacrifice. When really, we’ve just convinced ourselves it doesn’t matter.
And when you’re under pressure, that’s easy to do. You tell yourself it’s just business. It’s not personal. You’re doing what you have to do. But that kind of thinking only works if no one’s left to deal with the consequences.
When you take a commercial cleaning quote that’s 30 to 40% cheaper than the next one, you have to ask, who’s picking up the tab?
Because when the cost is that much lower, it’s not because someone found a magic way to clean faster. It’s because someone’s getting underpaid. Undertrained. Or exploited. And that someone WILL only be the cleaner responsible for looking after your workplace.
This isn’t an abstract idea or a “nice to have.” We’re talking about a real person, your cleaner, who’s living the cost of that cheaper quote. Possibly a young person trying to get their first job. Possibly someone cleaning three sites a night to support a family. Someone who might be supplying their own chemicals. Wearing the risk. Doing four hours of work and only getting paid for two.
To you, it’s business. To a cleaner, it’s their life.
The other day, I asked ChatGPT what Marcus Aurelius might say about this idea of where business ends and ethics begin.
Here’s what I got back:
“We deceive ourselves when we pretend our duty exempts us from decency. If your hand strikes another, it matters little whether you call it business or blood. I do not speak against commerce. I speak against cowardice wearing the cloak of professionalism.”
These words, although a generative thought experiment, stuck with me.
Maybe they will for you, too.
As we head into this long weekend, whether Easter holds religious meaning for you or not, there’s no missing what the season represents: reflection, sacrifice, doing what’s right even when it’s hard.
So I’ll leave you with this:
Your ethics matter.
They matter when it’s easy.
They matter when it’s inconvenient.
They matter when the quote is higher.
They matter always.
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