The Hidden Impacts of Laundry Labor Costs

February 25, 2015 7:39 AM Comment(s) By Gabriel Mandujano

As with most businesses, salaries and benefits are the largest portion of your budget when running a medical-focused facility.  You employ nurses and doctors to care for your patients, administrators to handle your operations and admissions, and a host of employees keeping the building running smoothly: Cooking meals, cleaning rooms, and washing linens. These expenses feel fixed and a necessary cost of doing business, but they don't all have to be. Consider hiring an outside laundry and linen company, and you'll see laundry labor costs savings  on the personnel line of your P&L. Wash Cycle Laundry acts as both in-house and outsourced laundry services for a variety of medical, nursing, and behavioral health companies who have been able to re-invest their savings back into their facilities in meaningful ways.

Reallocate Staff Time, Maximize Impact

Who is currently washing the bed linens, towels, and patients' personals at your building? Is that one (or two or three) dedicated staffers? Or perhaps this is a function of a your housekeeping staff who is busy enough cleaning rooms, bathrooms, and common areas. According to the most recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Nursing Care and Skilled Nursing Facilities is the 3rd highest employer of Laundry and Dry Cleaning workers in the country and accounts for a mean wage of $21,590 per employee. And these labor costs account for 50%-60% of operating your own laundry on premises. Now imagine if washing, drying, and folding wasn't in the picture. Could you use these funds to hire another member of your nursing staff? Could your housekeeping team undertake one of those building improvements your team keeps dreaming about.  

Reducing Risk Reduces Spend

Having employees work in laundry, particular in the medical industry, introduces exposure to chemicals and equipment that can lead to worker's comp claims. Having an outside company take on these risks can reduce the cost of your insurance and the potential for claims. With insurance and benefits adding another 30% above the salary of an employee, that's even further savings to you can repurpose within your facility.  

Let Experts Be Experts

Caring for patients is your business. You want to focus your attention on those in need of medical assistance, their families, and your staff. And there are companies out there who are experts in laundry, believe it or not! With years of practice and hundreds of clients with a diverse slate of needs, an external laundry company knows the best solutions for stain removal, the most efficient spin cycle, and the fastest folding techniques.  

Outsourcing Laundry Stays Local

Don't fear the term "outsourcing" like you are sending laundry tasks off-shore! Laundry companies have to stay local, keeping your dollars going toward your community and employing your neighbors. Laundry companies may even hire your very same staff members, keeping them at work in your very own building, but just taking the burden of supervision off your plate. Plus, Wash Cycle Laundry's 80% retention rate of employees beats the 68% retention of laundry employees in Nursing Facilities reported by the American Health Care Association. Surely, a laundry-focused company can create a more stable job, while removing time at a nursing home focused on hiring and training staff.
Did you enjoy spending a few minutes daydreaming about never thinking about laundry again? Savings in labor are just the beginning of the benefits to outsourcing your laundry and linen needs. Wash Cycle Laundry provides outsourced and on premise laundry and linen solutions in Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington, DC.
Share -