Cleaning has a direct impact on your shared workspace environment. Research has found office buildings have 4,800 dirty surfaces, with computer keyboards and refrigerator doors among the worst offenders. Dirty spaces are unsafe and distracting for you and your team. When your employees feel uncomfortable and unsafe, they are less likely to be productive.
With shared areas becoming a new normal for office space, it is more important than ever to make sure that your employees have the resources they need to do their job. There are many benefits of having a clean shared workspace.
Maintains a Professional Appearance
To maintain professionalism within your office, you need to prioritize cleaning shared workspaces. Say you have 200 employees working for you and all of them use the same shared space. With so many employees, that workspace is bound to get dirty.
To keep your office clean and look professional, consistent cleaning and maintenance are required. A tidy and professional-looking office and workspaces can improve your reputation as a business and positively impact your employees.
Improves Collaboration and Productivity
Shared workspaces are becoming a new norm with many businesses because they are a great way to encourage employees to collaborate and improve productivity levels. The best way to remove the concern of bacteria, clutter or germs around the workplace and keep the high productivity levels is by keeping the area clean.
Consider all the great work your employees can do with a productive space to be engaged and involved, potentially reducing absenteeism and sickness.
Prevents the Spread of Germs
Though shared workspaces create an open area encouraging collaboration, there is also an increased chance of spreading germs from employee to employee through shared surfaces and equipment. This can be a major problem with hot desks or spaces around the office shared most often.
Employees are more concerned than ever about working in a clean, hygienic environment. Research shows 70% of survey participants will likely ask future employers about the office’s safety and hygiene routines and how they are implemented before accepting future jobs.
Providing a hygienic shared workspace is highly important to keeping employees safe and satisfied with their work environment and attracting new talent.
How to Maintain Cleanliness For Shared Workspace
You now understand the importance of having a clean shared workspace, but how can you maintain this cleanliness at the workplace? Transform your business space into a clean work environment with these three tips:
1. Have Proper Ventilation
The first thing you need to do is have a proper ventilation system that promotes adequate airflow throughout the space. Without a proper ventilation system, germs and bacteria can linger around enclosed spaces. Despite proper and regular cleaning practices, a poor ventilation system can undo all of your cleaning efforts. This must be a high priority for maintaining cleanliness.
If your workspace is new, it’s still a good idea to take another look at your system. For older buildings, you want to ensure you address this before starting other cleaning practices. You might find that simply upgrading some parts of your system, like fans or ducts, might get the job done. Sometimes, you may just need to make sure the system is set to circulate outside air instead of the inside air. If possible, keep your windows open to bring in fresh, outdoor air.
2. Implement Regular Cleaning Routines
Find ways to encourage employees to practice regular cleaning of their desks and personal items. This might not always be easy to do, and depends on your organization, company culture and workspace. The best way to get your employees to participate in cleaning is by implementing policies. By implementing a clear policy for your employees to follow, you can show that everyone plays an important role in this goal.
Avoid making the mistake of only implementing the policy. As the employer, you need to also explain why cleaning is important, how to follow certain guidelines for cleaning, and take the time to educate employees about your company’s hygiene and safety goals.
You also need to make sure all employees have access to cleaning supplies and disinfecting products. A good idea would be to have desk wipes at all of the hot desks or near the kitchen at your shared workspaces. It’s hard to encourage employees to disinfect their space if they don’t have the right supplies.
3. Hire a Professional Janitorial Company
Your next step should be to hire a janitorial company or any cleaning service provider to do regular cleaning and disinfection for the workspace. If you are successful in getting your employees to participate in cleaning practices, that’s great! However, with the growing seriousness of bacteria and germs, regular professional cleaning is required for a shared workspace. If you don’t have an existing cleaning service provider taking care of your shared space, now is the time to consider one.
Some of the benefits of janitorial services for shared workspaces include:
- Saving time and space: Instead of finding the time for employees or staff to clean around the office during the day — which takes away from valuable productivity time and could create distracting clutter or noise — professional janitorial services can clean your workspace at the best time for you and your team.
- Getting a thorough clean: A janitorial service is trained in providing the best, most thorough clean to all areas of your office, including those hard-to-reach or invisible spots where dust or grime could build up.
- Professional assistance: Some materials around your office, like upholstery or wooden furniture, require special care. Trained professionals know the best methods for cleaning each item in your office with a gentle hand and safe cleaning agents.
Contact The Facilities Group for Your Shared Workspace
If you are looking for a cleaning service provider, The Facilities Group provides comprehensive and professional cleaning services to organizations across 50 states. Learn more about our cleaning services for shared workspace or contact a representative through our online form.
