Commercial Cleaning Workforce Rights & Responsibilities: Safe Work Interaction Education Programme

Lead organisation:

Building Service Contractors New Zealand

Commercial cleaners are one of Aotearoa’s largest and most diverse frontline workforces. They often work alone, outside standard business hours, and may experience language, literacy, cultural or power barriers that make it difficult to seek help or access reliable information. This project aims to provide a safe accessible source of support regardless of the wokers employer, location, language or level of experience.

This initiative will develop short, six multilingual online learning modules that provide simple, practical guidance on employment rights, Part 6A transfer processes, workplace expectations, respectful communication, bullying and harassment, and safe ways to raise concerns, respectful behaviour, incident reporting, and what to do when something feels unsafe or inappropriate.

The modules will be mobile‑friendly and designed for workers with English as a second language or low literacy, using real‑life scenarios drawn from cleaning environments. An anonymous digital assistant will also be created, allowing cleaners to ask questions privately in their preferred language and receive clear, plain‑language guidance linked to the learning content.

The resources will be available to all BSCNZ member companies and publicly on the BSCNZ website, supporting consistent onboarding across a highly fragmented sector. By improving access to culturally safe, easy‑to‑understand information, the project aims to strengthen confidence, reduce workplace stress, and support safer, fairer interactions for thousands of cleaners nationwide.