For a long time, it seemed as if window washing jobs were destined to continue declining. As with many manual labor jobs in the 21st century, they were beginning to disappear from most cities. However, there has been a resurgence of window washing jobs lately. Why is that? What’s driving the increased demand for window washers? One major driving force is tech.
The Tech Industry
The tech industry is obviously known for innovative, modern, and contemporary ideas. That applies to more than just their technology; they also apply it to their buildings. For modern buildings, glass is as good as it gets. Skyscrapers such as Salesforce Tower, the headquarters for Salesforce, are being made with more and more glass. The increased amount of glass allows the building to reflect sunlight and shine like a beacon during the day. It also affords employees with natural sunlight.
Research has found that employees are happier and more productive when they can get natural sunlight. The tech companies pride themselves on keeping their employees happy and productive. That means that they do everything they can to increase that. Lastly, the glass allows them to save money on lighting. However, they have to keep it clean.
Cleaning a Skyscraper
To clean a skyscraper, window washers work in teams. They are hoisted up the side of the building in large baskets. Typically, the baskets have high railings, and they are strapped to the basket. They then wash from top to bottom vertically. Washing from top to bottom allows them to catch any drips as they run down the window. Washing a large skyscraper such as the Salesforce Tower can take a window washing team months.
That can take even longer if the weather gets bad. Every city and company are different but most of them have regulations about when they can and cannot work. Typically, they cannot work if the wind is too strong. Also, it’s not worthwhile to try to clean windows when it is raining hard or the temperature is below freezing.
The surging tech industry and their focus on productivity and innovation has led to an old industry becoming brand new. Now is a great time to get into window washing because those innovations tend to trickle down. Even if you don’t wash windows for massive skyscrapers, the innovation and trends they spark will eventually filter down to smaller businesses. Smaller companies, law firms, and so on will start using more glass.
