Next-Generation Laundry Employee Evolution (Conclusion)

CHICAGO — Laundry technology constantly evolves, from the hardware to the software and beyond.

It used to be productivity was measured on a clipboard. Today, washers and dryers communicate via Wi-Fi, and adjustments can be made on a touch screen or even remotely.

And who would have thought the term artificial intelligence (AI) would become part of the industrial laundry lexicon?

This constantly changing technology means changes to the jobs available for laundry employees and the skills required in the future.

“We may see robotics taking a role in areas like sorting soil and folding with managers/supervisors relying even more on skills relating to equipment technology for measuring productivity, etc.,” says Sally Mazzola, senior human resources vice president for Core Linen Services.

“We may also see a need for technical engineers with not only mechanical and electronic experience, but software experience, as well.”

While touring some European plants, Umesh Vendargon, COO of Core Linen Services, witnessed increased automation and less heavy lifting/pulling, which leads to a reduction in injuries and claims.

“With the introduction of robotics, employees may see a shift in their job roles,” he says. “They may need to adapt to working alongside robots, monitoring their performance and handling any technical issues that arise.

“Employees will require training to operate and maintain the robotic systems effectively, learning new technical skills related to robotics, such as programming or troubleshooting.”

DEVELOPING FUTURE EMPLOYEE SKILLS

According to Deana Griffin, president of The Griffin Group and a member of the American Laundry News editorial advisory board, employees will need two types of skills for the new/evolving positions: soft skills and hard skills.

Soft skills include self-management, critical thinking, multi-tasking, foresight thinking, creativity, digital literacy, emotional intelligence, identification and problem-solving skills, to name a few.

Hard skills will include programming, control systems, operating systems, machine learning, robotic process automation knowledge, business process improvement, database skills, web technologies, generative AI, data analysis and more.

“A key factor to keep in mind is not everyone is good at acquiring new skills,” she points out. “In addition, it takes a long time to do so.

“Most employers should plan to offer internal training supplemented by online training, building relationships with industry experts and external consultants.

“I encourage utilizing well-known laundry recruiters as they have the expertise in locating, attracting, and presenting qualified top talent for faster and better results. Another component is knowing how to work with the recruiting firm.

“As competitive as the labor market is today, finding skilled workers is the most critical component for all business’s success.”

Griffin shares the following ways companies can locate skilled workers:

Must have a skills list—what are you seeking?
Utilize online job websites that focus on trades.
Always be connecting with people: The Clean Show, industry websites and forums, social media.
Partner with high schools, vocational schools, and/or university and college career centers.
Offer apprenticeships, internships and build connections with academic departments related to the industry.
Employee lead/referral program—reward with bonuses if hired.
Contact a skilled worker temp agency.
Utilize military/veteran transition centers.
Hire within the company.
Train and upskill current employees.
Contact your industry recruiter.

When it comes to training new employees, Griffin recommends the following:

Sign agreements with equipment manufacturers that can offer “hands-on” training and online 24/7 troubleshooting accessibility.
Visit the vendor for training and/or have them conduct a “hands-on” training at your facility.
The Clean Show is coming up soon in August 2025 in Orlando, which is a great way to connect with vendors, build relationships, see new products in operation and ask questions.

Employees in manual labor positions can be reskilled to their jobs more effectively, which means fewer of them will be needed, according to Griffin.

“When a job requires these new skills, a human for the job is the best option,” she says. “Efficiency through technology is a poor excuse to leave human beings jobless.

“Allow and/or encourage your employees to work remotely and embrace the digital age. If not, you will be left behind. Utilize modern technology to further your local or global presence.”

She shares that skills every person will need to get ahead and take on greater leadership roles will include:

Possess excellent communication skills—lead a conversation.
A deeper cultural understanding.
Having initiative.
A drive to compete when it comes to education and career opportunities.
Critical thinking—being able to think for yourself and solve problems in real time.
Adaptability.

“According to FORBES, referencing the article ‘Skills-First Approach to Hiring,’ this approach competes with the four-year college degree era by placing it in second place and skills at the top today,” shares Griffin. “Since the pandemic, leaders have ditched the four-year degree because it’s no longer necessary for jobs that pay top dollar.”

“It is really up to all of us how we educate others. Encourage governments to rethink education programs to generate the talent pipelines the industry would require and starting at an incredibly early age could be beneficial for the next generation of skilled workers.”

A few suggestions she offers:

Go to your local career centers and guidance counselors to discuss how to provide tools to the students for successful careers.
Coordinate groups to visit the plant.
Promote your company—start at a different entry point versus after they have enrolled in the military, college, university or trade school.
Schedule half-day shadowing programs at your facility—work release programs and vocational schools.

“It is our responsibility to motivate, educate, encourage and inspire our youth about the rental uniform and linen/textile industry to build the next generation of skilled workers,” Griffin concludes.

Various technical skills are required for these positions, Karl Fillip II, CEO of NOVO Health Services shares, the most important being adaptability to change and quickness to learn new things.

“As the pace of change accelerates, we need a team that can keep up with ever-evolving technologies,” he shares.

“Most operators have seen that staffing the technical maintenance jobs has become a challenge over the past several years,” he says. “As a result, we often hire from outside the industry. This presents its own challenges as you need a program to train new hires on equipment specific to our industry.

“Additionally, you need a program that continues to reinvest in and develop your team, creating an internal pipeline of qualified candidates.”

Mario Stagliano, managing partner of Arway Linen & Uniform Inc., says future laundry employees will need greater computer skills and abilities for the technological aspects to come.

“Our investment in employees along the way as technology and automation innovates or evolves has to understand the components of that versus having someone who’s been with me 10 years who loads and unloads a washer by hand,” he points out.

“Our focus is going to be a more skilled employee, even if they cost more. You can have one guy run five tunnel washers, but I have 11 conventional washers that I need six, seven guys to run and those five tunnel washers can do five times the amount of weight in the same amount of time.

“I’d rather invest in someone who can understand how to use the technology of this automation.

“When I mentioned maintenance and engineering, they also have to be even more skilled. I think our focus will shift to technologically inclined people versus we just need somebody to pump a bag on the table and sort this linen as quickly as possible.”

One method Stagliano advocates to find or train employees with more advanced skills is to partner with local technological schools.

“It’s easier to find unskilled labor than it is to find maintenance and engineers who understand our type of equipment,” he says. “If somebody’s mechanically inclined, they could learn, but it’s going to take a little while.

“There’s not a pool of these types of employees out there. We’re a niche business. We have niche pieces of equipment.

“A year and a half ago when we were learning a little bit about the equipment that we’re investing in for the new space, its electrical, its technology, the computers, I was getting overwhelmed because it’s not my strong suit. Our thought is what would be great to find is someone who’s young and may want to come out of a trade school who can build a nice career.

“My partner, Mark Harad-Oaks, said let’s contact these tech schools and see if they have any programs or job fairs or anything like this, which led us to take it a step further to say to some of these higher-ups in these tech schools, here’s what we’re doing, here’s the type of equipment.

“We would love to sponsor some off-site field-trip-type training on the job internship programs because there would be nothing better than somebody coming out of a tech school possibly interning with Arway who would love to build a career.”

Griffin says that a good leader will find other roles for displaced workers within the organization. This can be approached through re-training or re-tasking.

However, it depends on the speed and cost of automation and how company processes transform. The skill is still valid, but it has been re-tooled.

As with all business decisions, it will mostly depend on the financial calculation of cost for a human to perform the work compared to the cost of purchasing a machine to perform the same job, Griffin points out.

“Employees are expected to perform several diverse types of jobs,” she says. “With this being factored in the calculation, I believe humans will be competitive sources of labor for the next 40-75 years.”

The recent development is that software can automate office workers’ jobs as well, shares Griffin.

“Accountants perform parts of their work automated through technologies such as robotic process automation,” she says. “Plant workers won’t become totally redundant, but their work will become streamlined so fewer of them are needed. The point to be made here is automation will not only replace ‘unskilled labor.’”

“(Manual labor) jobs will not go away anytime soon,” agrees Fillip. “The new technologies will simply make these jobs safer and easier to perform.”

“There will continue to be a need for feeding ironers until that gets automated. Same with soil sorting,” shares Stagliano.

MANAGING FUTURE LAUNDRY

With evolving laundry jobs and skills, management and supervision must also change.

“Supervisor/managers have to adapt to the technology changes before being able to lead a new employee base,” Stagliano says. “If management is older, then there may be a challenge to get them caught up. We will transition some of these people.

“When you talk about supervisors, management of our new business model, it’s going to be people who are starting from the ground level who are going to help us and have the ability to learn a new model and be motivated for a new model and step into a role—I see how this new model has changed from what we’ve done in the past. Let me step in and use whatever experience I have to help streamline, whether via automation or things like that.”

Fillip says there is better real-time visibility into what is happening in a facility because of new technologies. This makes it easier to measure and course-correct throughout the day.

“One could argue that this allows for a reduced supervisory staff; however, we believe that technology should only supplement what our management staff does and certainly cannot replace what they do,” he says.

“The direct interactions between our leads/supervisors/managers and their staff are key to our success. Our team will need to be well-versed in the tools and technologies we provide in our facilities.”

Griffin points out that embracing innovative technology, automated systems and AI software can help business innovation, but it can’t replace emotional intelligence and human leadership.

“At MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), researchers have found that AI models may make harsher judgment calls than humans would,” she shares.

“Automation of technology has and will allow leaders and employees to perform other roles. For example, work remotely, operate programs and set machines for out-put.

“Work closely with technicians from equipment manufacturers with the newest and latest automated machinery. Instead of relying on your own knowledge, reach out more frequently for answers through AI tools and ChatGPT.”

“At the end of the day, we are still a people business, and new technologies will not change this,” Fillip points out.

“The most important core competency we have in operating our laundry facilities will continue to prioritize strong leadership and interpersonal skills supplemented by the ability to fully utilize the various technologies available to our leaders.”

Click HERE to read Part 1 on evolving technology and the next-generation job market.