YourBusinessWithJamesCaan2016 - 194

How clean is
your office?

A hygienic workplace leads to a happier, more productive team

aving a clean working environment
not only gives a good impression
but also helps improve productivity,
boost morale and reduce absenteeism.
But you don't want to have it
permanently on your to-do list, so
paying for a cleaning company may be
worth the investment.

likelihood that employees will trip, fall,
or hurt themselves and ﬁle health
insurance or even liability claims
against you. According to the 2015
Labour Force Survey by the
government's Oﬃce for National
Statistics, there were 611,000 accidents
at work resulting in injury in 2015.

HIGHER PRODUCTIVITY
AND ACCURACY

Organisation is crucial to help your
team do their jobs to the best of their
ability. With research showing an
interruption that lasts just 4.4 seconds
can triple the rate of errors on the
return to work, it is important to
minimise any distractions in the oﬃce.
Keep everything in reach so staﬀ don't
have to get up to look for any
equipment as a few minutes searching
for something adds up over a week
and will turn into a lot of lost time.
To keep productivity high, keeping the
oﬃce clean should be a high priority.
Reducing any germs means your team
will feel healthier, which is important
considering that productivity drops 50%
when they are feeling ill at work.

FEWER INJURIES

If you make sure you have a safe place
for everything it will reduce the

194

The cleaner the
workplace the less
likely people are to
feel ill and take
time oﬀ sick
LOWER ABSENTEEISM

With the annual cost of sick leave costing
£29bn a year (CIPD 2013), clean work
surfaces, staﬀ rooms and toilets help
promote better health and hygiene.
Dirt and germs build up and the cold
and ﬂu virus can last for up to 18 hours on
hard surfaces, so disinfecting regularly
should stop anything spreading.

CLEANING ESSENTIALS

Big question: how do you keep the
oﬃce properly clean? There are a few
must-have products to help you get rid
of any clutter and keep the workplace
clean and organised all year round.
All purpose cleaner and
disinfectant Use both products
together to clean and disinfect any
surface to reduce germs. An all-purpose
cleaner will remove the dirt and then
disinfectant will get rid of bacteria.
Microﬁbre cloth Keep surfaces free
of dust with a microﬁbre cloth that
will stop any dirt being released back
into the air.
Vacuum cleaner Vacuum cleaners
need to be used on all surfaces -
particularly carpets. Industrial models
have special ﬁttings for cleaning walls,
ceilings, ledges, machinery and other
hard-to-reach places.
Storage space Keep cleaning supplies
handy for both cleaners and staﬀ. By
storing them in one place they'll be
available when cleaners need them and
when there are spillages in the oﬃce.
It also pays to keep harmful
chemicals out of reach.

WORDS: ABI HARMAN | PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTERSTOCK

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