Can a Cleaner Workplace Boost Productivity?

October 10, 2017
cbsadmin

Well-run organizations are always looking for ways to get the most out of their employees. Unsurprisingly, encouraging productivity can make employees excited about their work.

The best way to do this? Keep your office clean.

In this month’s post we’ll outline how keeping a clean office helps with productivity. We’ll also highlight tools you can use to keep your organization clean and tidy.

5 Ways Cleanliness Can Boost Productivity

Every company runs their office differently. Some are more professional, while others are a little more progressive and casual. While both methods can work great, the one thru-line in any productive office is a clean, well organized workplace.

Cleanliness…

1. Improves Health

Any time an employee is out of the office sick, productivity is down. Cleaning regularly limits germs and bacteria and greatly reduces the likelihood that your employees will get sick. It will also help out your employees suffering from allergies, as regular cleanings reduces the amount of dust and allergens in the air.

Keep productivity high by keeping sick days down!

2. Keeps Employees Focused

In order for an office to be running on all cylinders, everyone must be focused on their work. If your team is surrounded by disorganization and clutter, you are putting them at a severe disadvantage.

Not only will a cluttered workspace force you to spend extra time looking for items you need, it will cause distractions as you’ll be constantly trying to make sense of your surroundings.

Messy or disorganized resources will cause:

Finding files in filing cabinets more difficult, turning an easy task into a long process.
Printer or copy machines to have issues and not last as long since unkempt machines are liable to break.
Collaboration to be more difficult, as cluttered conference rooms and shared work spaces will make it harder to find a place to work.

3. Encourages a Stronger Company Culture

Do you want to keep employees happy and make them feel as if they are part of a family? Do you want the best candidates to be excited about working for you?

It all starts with your office. Presenting yourself as an innovative, professional organization is hard if it is not clean, tidy, and beautiful. A clean office will also boost moral and keep your employees happy.

While a lot of businesses focus on stand-up desks and amenities like free coffee, likely the thing your employees (and potential employees) care most about is feeling comfortable in their workspace. If they can’t, it will be hard to keep them on and motivate them to push your company forward.

You want your employees to be proud of where they work. Start by providing a good office for them to thrive in.

4. Reduces Stress

Disorganization and clutter will stress you out. If your employees are stressed, it will be hard for them to focus on what they should actually be doing. It will also mean having to take more breaks to cool off.

If employees have to fight over who is taking out the trash, it may lead to resentment and frustration, causing workplace tension with other employees. Even just being surrounded by clutter can cause you to feel uneasy, limiting concentration.

Don’t put your employees’ mental health at risk by stressing them out.

5. Prevents Accidents

Accidents are unavoidable. That does not mean you shouldn’t try to limit their possibility.

Messy offices where spills are allowed to sit for days and messes are regularly left alone increases the likelihood someone will slip and fall, injuring themselves.

Not only is this dangerous for the employees, if they end up suffering an injury it will cause them to miss time. Even further, this will cost you company resources to pay for any medical expenses or lawsuits that pop up as a result.

No one wants to work in an environment where they are worried about injury.

4 Tips to Help Keep Your Workplace Clean

While it seems easy to just keep your office clean and organized, it’s often a lot more difficult to actually execute. We’ve found that there are a couple organizational tools that will greatly increase your chances of keeping your office clean.

1. Schedule Cleaning Days

Encouraging your employees to take responsibility for their personal area will go a long way towards keeping a tidy office.

We recommend scheduling a 15-minute block once a week where employees are encouraged to clean their own personal work areas. This could include:

Wiping down the surface of their desk
Organizing any files in their area
Dusting and cleaning their keyboard
Wiping down and de-cluttering any common areas they regularly use

Make sure to supply them with consumer cleaners like wet wipes, dusters, and air spray.

Not only will this go a long way in making your office clean and decluttered, it will also make employees accountable for their space and encourage them not be as messy in the first place.

2. Speak to Employees Who Have Dirty Desks

Every office has someone (or several someones) who are is a little messier than the rest.

While we discourage shaming anyone, don’t be afraid to remind your employees in private about the importance of a clean work environment. They likely don’t even know they are being messy, and this will help them realize their habits could be affecting others.

3. Encourage Employees to Keep Track of Food

Refrigerators are a hot spot for unclean offices! With so many people bringing in different food, items are bound to be left in the fridge.

We recommend instituting a rule where any unmarked food is thrown away one day a week. This will force people to declare their food, and prevent a situation where something goes bad and starts to stink.

4. Hire a Janitorial Service To Keep Things Clean

While employees themselves are a big part of keeping an office well kept, even more important is having a reliable Portland area janitorial service to keep your office clean and sanitary.

While employees can keep their own area clean and be responsible for organization, you need a trusted, professional service to keep your office in the best possible condition for your employees to be at their best.

A commercial janitorial services company will do the heavy lifting necessary to keep a well run organization firing on all cylinders, including

They’ll make sure your office is sanitary and pristine so your business can run smoothly and be the best it can be.

Hire a Janitorial Services Company That’s Served the Community for Over 5 Decades

Cascade Building Services has been cleaning office and commercial spaces in the Portland area for over 50 years. Nobody know office cleaning and janitorial services like we do. Offering service 24 hours a day, 365 days per year, we’re sure to have a solution that will work for your business.

We can help promote a productive and clean culture for your business. Contact us today to learn more about what we can do for you.