Is cleanness a priority in your office? If not, you’d better think twice if you want your employees to be more productive.
It’s no doubt that a clean workplace has a major impact on employee productivity and satisfaction. Many studies have proved it and, let’s be honest, we can all confirm it too. A clean space is simply more inspiring than a space with strange smells and a lot of dust, dirt, and food stains all over the place.
And, businesswise, you should know that an unclean office also affects your business as it is the reason of at least a few of the nine work days the average employee loses due to sickness every year.
Now, we all are Marie Kondo crazy and Mrs. Hinch mad at our homes, right? But what about our workplace? Do we give as much credit to cleanness as we give when it comes to our homes? Well, studies show that we should care about a clean workplace just as much as we care about a clean living space. So, with spring almost here, it is time to put our rubber gloves on, get all the cleaning products we need, and start decluttering our offices.
Ask your employees to get rid of the junk
Empty glasses and coffee cups, broken pens, food packaging, agendas, old documents, and many more, are just of the few things that every office employee has on their desk. And, in the beginning, this doesn’t sound that problematic. Yet, as the junk starts to pile up on the desk, your employee’s productivity and health will suffer for sure. Moreover, your employee’s reputation among their coworkers may also be suffering since a study from Adecco found out that 57% of workers admit judging one of their coworkers based on the cleanliness of their workspace.
So, first thing first, spring clean should start with asking your employees to get rid of all those things they don’t need anymore and declutter their desks. Although it should go without saying that each employee should be cleaning their own workspace regularly, some may forget about it, they might be too busy to do it, or they might just not feel bothered by the pile of junk.
Divide zones
Imagine an office where employees work where they eat or store the documents that they work with underneath their desks. It sounds like a huge mess, right? Well, that’s because it really creates a mess both visually and physically.
In order to have a clean and organized office, you need to set up different zones for various functions and purposes. Let’s say, for example, that your employees need a computer space, a storage area, a meeting space, and a recreation space. It would be absurd to think that you can solve all their needs by stuffing the office with all the equipment for storage, meeting, and working.
However, many employers do so, believing that they will reduce their costs by not having to rent a larger office space. Yet, in fact, this only affects their employee’s productivity and, eventually, their profits. Not to mention the safety hazards involved that can happen in such a busy and unorganized office.
So, organizing your office by spaces and zones will help you stay organized and be more efficient about cleaning. Simply put, the best way to tackle the mess is to break it down into sections and clean each area at a time.
Hire a cleaning company
Although it is common sense for each employee to clean their own workspace, the spring cleaning means more than just dusting off the desks and the computers in your office. Spring cleaning is about cleaning even the most hidden corner in the office to remove any sign of dust and dirt.
Therefore, you should also hire a professional cleaning company to clean your work environment inside out. From dusting off every piece of furniture to cleaning and disinfecting the floors, windows, the restrooms, and the kitchen space, the cleaning professionals will make your office shine.
One more area that is often forgotten about is the exterior windows. Most people forget that the exterior windows also need to be cleaned properly to allow natural sunlight to come inside the room. And, since natural light is extremely important for your employees’ overall wellbeing, you may want to consider hiring a Spider Lift to help the cleaning professionals clean the exterior windows as well.
Bring plants inside
Spring cleaning isn’t just about literally cleaning dust, dirt, and junk from your office. It can also be about improving the work environment to make it more inspiring for your employees. And, the researchers from the University of Exeter point out that bringing plants inside the office might be an excellent idea to help your employees become more productive.
Now, adding plants inside the work environment can bring two major benefits to the table. First of all, according to a NASA study greenery at the office can remove indoor toxins in the air. Thus, improving air quality significantly for your employees. Secondly, the study mentioned above from the University of Exeter found out that plants make workers more physically, cognitively, and emotionally involved in their work.
Update the office equipment
Heard your employees complaining frequently about the old printer that is giving the headaches? Or maybe you have heard your employees complaining about experience back or neck pain? It may be time to consider changing the office equipment such as desks, chairs, printers, kitchen equipment or anything that is no longer functioning perfectly and you think it is a stressor for your employees.
For example, if your employees are frequently complaining about back and neck pain, it may be time to replace that old office furniture with office ergonomics.
New equipment will bring a breath of fresh air into the office. Plus, it will make your employees feel that you care about improving their workplace experience by providing them with the necessary equipment.
A clean work environment is essential for increasing employee productivity. Thus, this spring, make sure you take spring cleaning more seriously.
