No matter the industry, the workplace environment influences employees’ performance, productivity, and overall health. Maintaining a clean workplace may help keep staff members safe, healthy and efficient. However, busy production schedules and increasing workloads may cause standards to dip.
Although it’s tempting to put off vacuuming, dusting, or other types of cleaning around the office, doing so may put employees at illness or even injury and may even impact performance levels. Maintaining a clean workplace is crucial for employers to reduce their workers compensation claims and keep efficiency and moral high.
Health – Break rooms are a breading ground for all kinds of bacteria. According to Kimberly-Clark, break rooms have been found to have approximately 20,951 germs per square inch. Parts of the break room that are usually touched the most, such as doorknobs, microwave oven handles and sinks, can be ripe with germs. Employers may want to clean these places on a frequent basis, and daily during flu season.
Another common health hazard of unclean workplaces is the germination of mold. Mold can release millions of spores into the air and can cause respiratory illnesses. mold thrives in warm and humid conditions, making it imperative that employers regularly clean worksite facilities, such as bathrooms, to reduce the chance of mold growth.
Happiness – Considering the average person spends around eight hours in their workplace, it makes sense that most people regard it as their second home. That being said, you want to make sure that your workers are comfortable while doing their jobs. By keeping the work environment well-maintained, you’re allowing your employees to be productive, efficient, and more importantly, happy.
Safety – When employees work in a messy environment, they may not notice all hazards, which increases the risk of an accident. When the office or worksite isn’t clean, it may increase the chance that a hazard will go unnoticed by a supervisor and staff members.
A clean and sanitized workspace signifies a level of professionalism and tells potential customers that you care about your brand and your employees. A happy employee is a productive employee, and as such, leaves a far better impression than a worker who has to deal with a messy workplace and unhealthy work environment. This is particularly important, as more and more brands are using their workers as a way to promote their products and services. By keeping the work environment clean, you’re ensuring that your employees are healthy and productive and ready to serve the needs of any client that walks through your doors.
