What Each Option Actually Means
Before comparing, it's worth being precise about what these two arrangements actually involve — because the day-to-day reality is very different.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Every key factor, scored honestly. The score bars show relative advantage.
| Factor | Option A — Cleaning Contract | Option B — Employ Directly |
|---|---|---|
| True all-in cost (per hour) |
$45–$65/hr ✓
|
$38–$50/hr apparent; $52–$72 real
|
| Admin burden | Minimal — one invoice | Payroll, super, leave tracking, WHS |
| Cover if cleaner is sick | Company provides replacement | Your problem to solve |
| Equipment & supplies | Included in contract price | You provide and fund |
| Legal employer obligations | None — company is the employer | Full Fair Work obligations apply |
| Workers compensation | Held by cleaning company | You must arrange and pay |
| Superannuation | Company's responsibility | You pay 11.5% on top of wages |
| Quality control | Company manages standards | You supervise directly |
| Flexibility to scale | Add/reduce visits easily | Complex to adjust hours |
| Termination process | Notice period in contract | Fair Work notice / redundancy |
| Sham contracting risk | None — clear engagement | Risk if engaging sole trader |
| Best for | SMBs, flexibility, lower admin | Large sites, daily full-time need |
Strengths of Each Option
Why Choose a Cleaning Contract
No payroll tax, no super, no leave entitlements, no WC insurance. The cleaning company handles every one of these — you pay one invoice and you're done.
If your assigned cleaner is sick, on leave, or leaves the company — the cleaning business sends a replacement. Your office doesn't go uncleaned because of someone else's absence.
Professional-grade vacuums, mops, eco-certified products — all brought by the cleaning team. You don't need a cleaning cupboard, a budget for supplies, or a storage space for equipment.
Moved to a bigger office? Reduced to three days a week? Adding a deep clean before a client visit? Adjusting a cleaning contract is a phone call. Adjusting an employee's hours is a contractual and HR process.
Established cleaning companies train their staff, use systematic checklists, and often carry quality audits. You get professional standards without managing the training yourself.
A reputable Perth cleaning company carries $10–$20 million public liability insurance. If a cleaner damages property or causes an incident, you're covered — not personally liable.
Why Choose to Employ Directly
You manage the cleaner personally. You can set specific routines, adjust priorities in real time, and have the cleaner accommodate your team's specific working patterns and preferences.
A long-term direct employee builds deep knowledge of your specific workplace — where things are kept, which areas need extra attention, and the culture and expectations of your business.
A direct employee can be given broader responsibilities — restocking supplies, setting up for events, minor facility tasks — that would fall outside the scope of a cleaning contract.
For organisations needing 30–40+ hours of cleaning per week on a permanent basis, a full-time direct employee can become cost-competitive with a contract once scale is factored in.
Some businesses with high security requirements prefer to employ their own vetted, cleared cleaner rather than have contractors from an external company accessing the premises.
A direct employee becomes part of your team. For some businesses, particularly those with a strong culture focus, having your cleaner genuinely part of the workplace community matters.