A clean and tidy office isn’t a nice to have, it’s a must-have.
A must-have because it not only helps to increase employee productivity it also helps to improve mental health and reduce the number of sick days taken.
However, we understand work environments are busy places, and as such, they can become untidy very quickly, with dust and dirt building up over time.
Clear Choice, office cleaning, Sheffield, take a look at some of the leading causes of untidy offices and controls you can put in place to help.
Biggest factors of an untidy office
Coughs and Colds
Sickness in the workplace can be a big problem for employers.
Often once one person has a cold/flu, many more can catch it if proper precautions aren’t put in place.
It’s important to note, viruses like colds and flu can linger on surfaces that aren’t cleaned for 24 hours.
Solution: To stop the spread of bacteria and unwanted germs, regular cleaning of handsets, headsets, keyboards, desks, surfaces, emptying of bins from dirty tissues, etc. all become essential.
Food and Beverages
Spilt food and even beverages can vastly make areas extremely unhygienic. Whether you use the commercial kitchen, canteen, or you’ve grabbed lunch at your desk, it’s important to be aware of spillages and crumbs, etc.
With a third of employees not leaving their workplace at all during the day, this is especially important if you are grabbing lunch at your desk, where crumbs can get into keyboards, your mouse, smudges on phones and more!
With research showing that your average keyboard can hold more germs than a toilet seat – is it worth the risk?
Solution: Make sure essential office equipment is cleaned daily. Desks, benches, kitchen surfaces, tables, etc. should all be wiped clean using anti-bacterial solutions.
Some workplaces also recommend staff don’t eat at their desk and instead use communal areas where appropriate. However, if you do have to eat at your desk, placing a sheet of paper down can help catch those pesky crumbs.
Also, ensure that any communal fridges are cleared and sorted regularly, ideally weekly, to stop out of date food, causing further problems.
Documents
Post-it notes, papers, files, etc. are a big part of office life. However, they can also be one of the biggest factors in making your office and desk area look untidy. They tend to create clutter, and, if we’re honest, we probably don’t even know what’s on the bottom of the pile, let alone if you still need it!
Clutter also reduces employee productivity. Think about it. No one likes to work in a mess, and no one is probably at their best working in a said mess.
This is where clutter in this sense can also cause undue stress when you know you’ve seen that important piece of paper somewhere but now can no longer put your hands on it.
Solution: Use and opt for a filing system that works for you. Keeping everything in order, not only helps you to find things easier, but it will also reduce the clutter on desks so proper cleaning can take place. Spend a minute or two everyday sortings through your files and post-its, identifying which ones are needed and which ones you can discard.
Meetings
Meetings, meetings, and more meetings.
Within an office environment, meetings certainly seem to be the “in” thing. With meetings going beyond meeting with your own team, they also involve other team members, managers, senior leaders, and more.
With so many meetings taking place, we can keep meeting rooms tidy, but are they actually clean?
For example, have people been eating and drinking in the room, are their spillages, things left lying, and more?
Don’t let an untidy meeting room look chaotic and unorganised, affecting your professionalism and overall appearance.
Solution: Make sure you have protocols in place to ensure staff clean meeting rooms after they have been used. Taking with them all empty coffee cups, plates, etc. Also, make sure meeting rooms are cleaned as part of your regular cleaning maintenance.
Hiring a professional
To help relieve the stress of cleaning, to remove the negative effects of clutter in the workplace, and to let you get on with the day job, you need a professional cleaning company. A team you can trust. Who are trained to a high and professional standard?
You need Clear Choice.
Industrial and office cleaning solutions in Sheffield, Clear Choice, offer a cleaning service that is second to none.
An untidy office can have a huge impact on employee motivation and productivity, costing your company money and clients!
It takes time to declutter an office, but it’s worth it.
Clean Office with Clear Choice = Clean and healthy mind.
Reference video: Time Management and Productivity
