How to Encourage Employees to Their Workspace Clean
Just like tidy homes bring tidy minds, the old adage also applies in an office setting. Research shows that the cleaner our surroundings the less stressed and anxious we feel. But when it comes to our work, often cleanliness takes a back seat to regular daily duties, with workspaces becoming messy, cluttered and sometimes downright unhygienic, setting a less than ideal first impression when clients visit the business.
Dirty work areas also send a negative message about an employee's organisational skills and efficiency, even if they are an otherwise capable member of the team. Fortunately, there are a number of strategies for managers to consider adopting which will empower employees to take pride in their own surroundings. This combined with professional office cleaning will create an even better work environment.
Provide Storage Solutions
Especially in open plan offices, often work areas appear messy or disorganised due to a lack of storage. If desks do not include drawers, provide filing cabinets for paperwork and also ensure every employee has a pigeonhole to store their belongings during the workday. From book shelves, under-desk trolleys with slide out drawers and stationary supply containers, creating an organised office often starts with looking at ways to reduce visible clutter. Effective storage solutions are one of the best ways to ensure everything has its place.
Provide Cleaning Equipment
A clean office is only achieved with the right resources and that means providing staff with sufficient cleaning equipment to make it easy to clean common areas and their own workspace. Antibacterial wipes are a quick and easy way to clean desktops and other surfaces in the office. Providing sponges, spray and wipes, paper towels, bathroom cleaning supplies, bin bags and plenty of rubbish bins will ensure the excuse of 'nothing to clean with' is not used.
Incentivise Cleanliness
Some employees will need a bit of a nudge to clean on their own accord, and there are a number of ways employers can motivate employees by offering incentives to keep a clean office. This could be a casual Friday policy for a tidy office that week or an early mark if offices have been kept clean. The money on professional cleaning saved by employees all chipping in to a tidy office can then be reinvested back into the staff through a food or drinks kitty. Whatever the reward is, make sure it's something staff will want.
Create A Weekly Cleaning Roster
A weekly cleaning roster can ensure that on one day each week, one member of the team has a cleaning task to complete. This ensures everyone completes each job on a rotating basis with cleaning duties are spread fairly around the office. From vacuuming, wiping down benches, cleaning the kitchen, watering plants or emptying bins, rosters share the cleaning burden evenly and help to keep everyone accountable.
Reduce Paperwork
Businesses can reduce paper waste to help the environment and help foster a cleaner office by introducing electronic invoicing, ensuring all memos are sent through email and setting up double-sided printing. Electronic data storage through a cloud based system will also help to reduce paperwork which can easily find its way to the floor as well as clutter desks and fill bins.
Implement a Clean Desk Policy
Finally, at the end of each work day, ensure employees take the time to straighten their desks, keeping them free from coffee cups, plates, and tidy away paperwork and other items. If this is enforced as a workplace policy it may take some time to enforce, but ultimately it will become second nature. It's likely desks will also be kept generally cleaner overall as staff will want to avoid the time it takes to clean a messy desk before they can go home.
It may take a sustained effort to change the mindset of employees and encourage them to clean up after themselves on their own; however, the benefits of a tidy office apply to everyone, making any cleaning efforts well worth pursuing.
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