Case Study: Better Outcomes through Cleaning
Fresh Desk delivered cleaning services to Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) from 2022-2025 across approximately 7,200m² of office space. The partnership was designed to achieve two outcomes: excellent cleaning and better employment outcomes for cleaners. The relationship was initially enabled through Ākina Foundation and supported by procurement leaders within LINZ who were willing to back an emerging social enterprise.
Better Outcomes for Cleaners
Our primary objective was to improve the quality of work for cleaners through fair pay, wellbeing support, training, and workplace respect.
What we measured
Anonymous staff surveys on wellbeing and respect
Staff retention
Health and safety activity
Access to training and development
Use of wellbeing supports such as interest-free loans
What we found
Consistently high levels of reported respect from managers, teammates, and customers across multiple surveys.
More than $15,000 in interest-free loans provided to support staff wellbeing.
Living Wage employment throughout the contract.
Stable employment for a core team of cleaners over multiple years.
75% staff retention.
Workers described improved ability to participate in family life, travel, and manage household costs.
One of the strongest lessons from this partnership was that respect matters. Pay creates security, but dignity, trust, flexibility and recognition create workplaces where people choose to stay.
High-Quality Cleaning Through Good Employment
We believe quality outcomes for customers and quality outcomes for workers reinforce one another.
During the contract Fresh Desk delivered:
Daily cleaning
Day custodian services
Periodic and deep cleaning
Internal window cleaning
Carpet and upholstery cleaning
Performance indicators
90% average Quality Audit score
40 Quality Audits completed
34 Toolbox Hui delivered
42 Health and Safety reports completed
75% staff retention
Multiple years of worker wellbeing and respect measurement
These results suggest that investing in people can sit alongside strong operational performance.
An Open Approach to Social Procurement
Fresh Desk has spent more than a decade developing, testing and refining practical systems that support cleaner wellbeing, fair employment and service quality. These systems include Living Wage employment, worker voice surveys, recognition programmes, training pathways, health and safety practices, and wellbeing supports.
We regard this as part of our organisational expertise and intellectual property. At the same time, we believe the wider cleaning sector benefits when good practice is shared.
Our goal is not to be the only organisation delivering these outcomes. Our goal is to demonstrate that they are achievable, measurable, and compatible with high-performing cleaning contracts.
For organisations exploring social procurement, this partnership provides a practical example of how employment outcomes and service delivery can be pursued together.
Let’s work together