Office cleaning does far more than meets the eye. It’s not just about making your office look spotless, getting rid of bad odours, and having a reliable member of staff to deal with pesky stains and spillages. A clean office can boost the productivity of your teams, create a fantastic first impression for new clients, and create an office space that your workers can be truly proud to work in.
A Good First Impression For Clients
When clients walk through the door to your office, it’s important that they get a good first impression. A messy, disorderly office space is indicative of a lack of organisation, lack of respect for your staff cohort, and can make your visitors feel uncomfortable. Imagine a taxi driver providing lifts for customers in a cluttered car – would you feel at ease? And would you want to travel with them again? Likely not…
In a study carried out by CMD, a cluttered workplace was deemed the most likely feature to create a negative first impression to visitors. Their research also indicated that personal clutter and obstructions were also likely to create a sub-par first impression. A lack of order and cleanliness within the workplace indicates to visitors that staff do not respect their office space or employer, and that employers provide inadequate working conditions for their staff, both of which can leave a lasting poor impression with visitors that could lose your business revenue.
Better Health For Staff
We spend approximately 40 hours per week in our offices, which means that plenty of bacteria can accumulate in these spaces over time. In fact, research suggests that the average office desk harbours 400 times more bacteria than a toilet seat! What’s more, 60% of office desks contain the Staphylococcus bacteria which can cause a range of illnesses including food poisoning and skin infections. This isn’t to mention the pervasive threat of Coronavirus which, although better controlled than a few years ago, remains a leading cause for workplace absences across the globe. As a result of the pandemic, 66% of employees demanded improvements to workplace hygiene, certifying the importance of a clean office.
Improved Productivity
With better health in the workplace comes increased productivity. Members of staff require fewer sick days and are less likely to pass illnesses on to co-workers in an office which has a high level of hygiene. This means that staff can perform optimally throughout the year without having to worry about workplace illnesses. This is equally as important for employers, who lose an average of £16 billion per year as a result of workplace-related sickness.
Similarly, a clutter-free workspace ensures that there is little room for distraction throughout the working day. Staff can focus on the tasks at hand as opposed to fretting over the state of their desk, or wondering when the bins will be emptied. In fact, a study by the Staples Corporation revealed that 77% of employees believed they produced work of superior quality in a clean office, and 94% generally believed that they were more productive. So, if you want your staff to work unimpeded by distractions, consider the power of a clean office…
Hazard Reduction
Many of us have undertaken health, safety and hazard perception courses at work in order to ensure that we are well equipped to avoid dangerous situations. But how can we keep ourselves safe in an office littered with clutter? An unclean, untidy office could be the most significant hazard of all!
Staff and clients will be more prone to slips, trips and falls in untidy offices where hazards are less visible. Furthermore, your office may be more fire-prone if it is cluttered with mess – especially flammable materials such as stacks of paperwork. If these flammable materials are stored close to electrical outlets or appliances, the fire risk increases significantly, and clutter may make it more difficult for staff to safely reach a fire exit in the event of a blaze.
Reduces Staff Tension
10% of office workers admit to never cleaning their equipment, with many believing that it is not their responsibility to undertake these tasks. This can cause tension within the workplace, with a select number of staff usually being burdened with cleaning duties. This can, over time, reduce the productivity of these staff as they spend time ensuring that the office and its facilities are in a clean, presentable working order. When cleaning rotas are implemented, the same issues arise – if one member of staff is off work, forgets to carry out their cleaning duties, or is kept late off-site, the cleaning work will go undone. This can create tension within the workplace once again as co-workers may become angered that certain staff members are not pulling their weight when it comes to workplace hygiene.
This, among many other reasons, is one of the primary causes for business owners to outsource their office cleaning responsibilities to a specialised company such as Virtu.
Explore CleanPlus+ Office Cleaning From Virtu
Here at Virtu, we know that a clean office isn’t all about aesthetics. It’s about creating a workplace to be proud of, a place to be safe and comfortable in, and a place where your staff can produce their very best work. That’s why we designed CleanPlus+, a comprehensive office cleaning service that is tailored to your unique business’ needs. We like to think of ourselves as your hidden heroes in a world of messy offices! To explore the ways CleanPlus+ by Virtu can transform your office space, simply fill out the form below.