21/06/2019
Everyone knows that a clean workspace = clean mind. Having a nice tidy, organised workspace can directly affect productivity and your own mental health, according to studies. Having a good declutter can take up time but it is worth it in the end!
Unfortunately, it’s so easy to get into the swing of adding to an already untidy desk and office overall.
Meetings
One of the biggest factors is meetings – the set-up before meetings means that the workspace is usually spotless whenever the appointment is due. Then you have catering in and drinks throughout the meeting, and by the time everyone has left there is food still sat in containers, half-drunk mugs of coffee and tea dotted around and no-one has the energy to clear it away!
So generally, it sits in the meeting room, or it all gets collected and moved to a kitchen space to again sit and wait until the next meeting, or for someone to finally come along and clean it up.
Sickness
Sickness contributes massively to the cleanliness of the office. Apart from the obvious tissues left in the bin when someone catches a cold or a flu which start to quickly pile up, there’s also the invisible mess left as well!
Did you know that viruses like the flu or cold can linger on surfaces that aren’t cleaned for 24 hours. This way, they can be easily spread around the office as pens are borrowed, telephones are passed around or someone hops onto another computer quickly.
Paper
This might seem small but again can start to build up over time. Reports, sticky notes, notes scribbled on paper and documents that should be filed or shredded are common in the workplace, in fact there’s probably some on your desk right now! These need to be taken care of regularly and doesn’t take long – but most people don’t think to do so.
If you spent a minute or two each day sorting out what papers are needed and ones that aren’t and discarding these appropriately, this won’t turn into an issue.
Food
There are many studies into how many workers now skip lunch and work through this or bring in food and eat it whilst still working at their desk.
A third of UK employees [https://www.totaljobs.com/insidejob/price-lunch-breaks-research/] don’t leave their workplace at all during the day, and work right through their lunch most days. This results in a lot of food being eaten at desks, over a keyboard and mouse and left, smeared, across the desk/phone etc.
Not only do food messes look bad, they also smell bad and can cause health concerns for employees. Try encouraging sheets or paper to be laid down if workers prefer to eat at their desks and for food to be thrown away once it won’ be eaten. Introduce regular cleaning out of the fridge so food doesn’t go bad in here and deal with food spills as soon as they happen.
Lack of Proper Cleaning
The best way to ensure a clean workplace is to get a proper commercial cleaning service in your office, to ensure dedicated regular and thorough cleaning. If you would like to talk to Mrs Bucket about your commercial cleaning services then feel free to get in touch and we’d be happy to chat with you about your needs and how we can help.