A Guide To Why A Clean Workplace Is Important

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Having a clean workplace is not only important for health and wellness, but it can also help promote productivity and efficiency. Every business, no matter the size, should strive to keep its premises clean, tidy and organized for its employees, as well as for the benefit of any customers or clients who come to visit. How would you feel if you walked into somewhere that was untidy and unclean? If you think this would affect the first impression you’d have of the premises, then this could be what customers and clients think when they enter your workplace. 

Studies have shown that a clean work environment has become more and more important when it comes to employee and customer satisfaction. Companies are finding that, if they want to improve both the efficiency and productivity of their workplace, then it is helpful for them to understand the importance of maintaining a clean and organized workplace. With that in mind, let’s look at why a clean workplace is important. 

What Is Workplace Maintenance?

Workplace maintenance, or housekeeping, involves the process of organizing and cleaning materials and areas to help improve and streamline the functionality of the workspace. This helps businesses create safe and protected environments where employees can work without risk of accidents or injury, but it can also help to improve employee productivity and motivation levels. 

Workplace maintenance is important in almost every workplace, but there are some industries where it is much more important and beneficial. This can include warehouses, garages, and construction sites, where the regular use of dangerous materials or heavy equipment can put employees at risk if not properly cleaned or organized. For standard office jobs, however, just regular cleaning or organization can be hugely beneficial. 

It doesn’t need to be employees who are responsible for the cleaning and organization of the workplace. While it is important to encourage employees to take care of their own desks or spaces, businesses should consider facilities management in Yorkshire workplaces so that a more thorough and regular job is undertaken. 

The Importance Of Workplace Cleanliness 

• Proper workplace cleanliness can hugely influence employee productivity, well-being, and performance. When employees are free from distractions, such as clutter, they are able to better concentrate on their work. No one can feel motivated in an unclean or untidy workplace, so workplace cleanliness is important to keep staff productivity high. 
• A clean workplace also promotes better health for employees. A clean space helps reduce the spread of germs, illnesses, and infections through proper and regular sanitation of shared and communal spaces. 
• A clean office is a much safer workplace and it reduces the chances of potential hazards and accidents. 

Which Areas Should Be Regularly Cleaned?

In a workplace environment, there are some key areas that should be regularly cleaned and disinfected. These include:

Entrance and Reception Areas

The entrance and reception areas of your business should be high on the list of areas to keep clean, as they are one of the first areas that people – staff, visitors, clients, and customers – will visit and see, so you need to ensure that a good impression is secured almost straight away. 

Ensure that windows and doors are clean and the glass is kept shiny and streak-free. Encourage the removal of rubbish with bins by the doors. If the reception is a busy area within your business, clean the floors at least twice a day to keep them presentable. 

Main Touchpoints

Since the pandemic, more emphasis has been placed on sanitation and infection control. It’s important that you make sure main touchpoints are frequently cleaned and disinfected throughout the day, including door handles, rails, work surfaces, shared eating and communal tables and desks, elevator buttons, and phones. 

No one wants to put their hands on unclean or unsanitary surfaces, and at the end of the day, they shouldn’t have to, so make sure that these main touchpoints are cleaned and disinfected regularly. 

Toilets

Understandably, toilets and shared bathrooms should be cleaned throughout the day. It’s not only important for visitors who may be visiting, but for your staff and employees, too. Studies have shown that around 94% of people would feel uncomfortable if the toilets were unclean. 

Carry out regular cleaning checks throughout the day, ensuring that there is plenty of toilet roll and that there is none on the floors or in cubicles, that there is plenty of soap and hand sanitizer to hand and that air fresheners are filled and regularly dispersed. Ensure that hand towels are stocked up, or check that hand dryers are in full working order and if there are shared shower facilities, check that these are free from mold and that there is no stagnant water left on the floor surface.