The look and feel of an office can have a big impact on employee satisfaction and productivity. A messy and dirty office, for example, can reduce staff morale and make employees feel undervalued. To ensure this doesn’t happen, below are some effective ways to keep your office clean and pleasant to work in.
Keep Desks Organized
Keeping everyone’s desks organized is one of the best ways to maintain cleanliness in an office. Nobody likes an unsightly mess or piles of papers strewn across the desk. Where possible, ensure that staff are archiving, putting equipment away, and ensuring that their desks are neat and organized.
De-Clutter
De-cluttering is an important way to stay on top of unused junk, even in an office. To ensure your staff are also adhering to this practice, why not schedule an annual de-cluttering? This can include de-cluttering their desks as well as public areas such as the staff room and copy room. By making it an annual event, you ensure that it not only gets done, but that everyone pitches in together.
Clean As You Go
Cleaning as you go is another priority when it comes to office cleanliness. Encourage staff to clean up their dirty dishes, to keep their drawers and desks free from clutter, and to disinfect high-use areas around their desk. You could even set up a rota so that the staff room and shared refrigerators are kept tidy, as well. While you may have nightly cleaning staff, it doesn’t hurt to also do a bit of cleaning yourself, especially with Covid-19 still lurking around.
Don’t Forget the Garbage
Another important reminder is to throw out the garbage each day. If you don’t have a cleaning crew who do this every evening, make sure you and your staff take the garbage out so that it doesn’t smell overnight. Being mindful of garbage also includes ensuring that staff throw out smelly items such as banana peels into enclosed areas such as the kitchen, and not into an open bin in the office.
Keep Cables and Wires Tidy
Along with unsightly papers and mess around the desk, it’s also important to ensure that hanging wires and cables are tidy, as well. These can add clutter to an office space, especially if the area is small. Find ways to hide wires using surge protector bars and group computer wires together using cable ties.
Hire a Cleaning Service
Along with the tasks above, hiring a cleaning service to do a deep clean once a month is also a great idea. Professional janitorial services can ensure that carpets, floors, furniture, windows, and public areas are given a deep and thorough clean. Not only will professional cleaning services provide a comprehensive clean, but they can also ensure a higher degree of sanitization.
Discourage Desk Eating
Desk eating is another way to clutter up (and smell out) an office. To ensure that your office stays looking and smelling nice, encourage staff to eat their main meals in the staff room. While snacks such as nuts, chips, and fruit are ok, a hot, stinky curry is not!
