The Hellamaid cleaning team.
Hellamaid founder Ahmed Mezil shares why the Canadian cleaning company became a Living Wage Employer in Alberta, what it has meant for the business and its cleaners, and why he believes the people who clean homes should be able to afford to live in the cities they clean.
I'm writing as the founder and CEO of Hellamaid, a home and commercial cleaning company I started in 2017. Today we clean homes and offices in more than 60 cities across Canada, including Calgary and Edmonton, and we're proud to be a registered Living Wage employer with the Alberta Living Wage Network, as well as in Ontario and British Columbia, since 2023.
Cleaning has a reputation as low-wage, high-turnover work, and a lot of that reputation is earned. Many companies compete on price alone, and the easiest place to cut is the person doing the cleaning. We decided early on that we didn't want to build that kind of company. A cleaner who is worried about making rent can't give a client's home their full attention. A cleaner who earns enough to live in Calgary or Edmonton can.
The benefit is hard to put a number on, but we see it every week. Cleaners stay with us longer, so clients often get the same person visit after visit, someone who knows how they like the kitchen done and which rooms need extra time. Because people stay, training pays off, so we invest more in it. Families who book house cleaning in Calgary and house cleaning in Edmonton tell us consistency is what they value most, and paying a fair wage is a big part of how we deliver it.
The Hellamaid office team
I want to be transparent here too. Paying a living wage costs us more. Our labour costs are roughly 60% higher than they would be at minimum wage, in an industry where many clients compare quotes line by line. Some people have asked why we aren't the cheapest option in town, and I won't pretend every one of those conversations has been easy. The clients who stay with us understand that a fair price for the clean comes with a fair wage for the cleaner.
“Before Hellamaid I was working two cleaning jobs and still falling behind on rent. Now I work one job, and I have evenings at home with my kids. It’s the first cleaning job where I’ve felt like the work was respected.” - Maria, Hellamaid cleaner, Calgary
Cleaning is skilled work, and the people who do it are part of the communities they serve. We do this because we believe it's the right way to run a business, and because Calgary and Edmonton are stronger when the people keeping homes and offices clean can afford to live there. If you run a business in Alberta and have been thinking about becoming a Living Wage employer, I'd encourage you to reach out to the ALWN and start that conversation.
Written by Ahmed Mezil
Founder & CEO, Hellamaid