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Cleanliness standards in the workplace have never come under so much scrutiny

The arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic led to restrictions being put in place that have changed everyday life as we know it. Many people are now working from home and the onus is on them to keep their work station clean. Those who have returned to their company’s offices have done so with the utmost caution.
Now, more than ever before, the importance of workplaces being clean at all times is unquantifiable. Offices are consistently undergoing deep cleans and employees have been encouraged to follow hand-washing and other such protocols to maintain hygiene standards.

But not all business premises are as easy to keep clean:

Some office environments are easier to keep clean than others; one such workplace where it is more challenging to maintain cleanliness standards is on a construction site. The very nature of the work means that messiness and dust is a guarantee.

However, even a building site contains areas where high standards of hygiene can and should be maintained. These include meeting points, rest areas and toilets.

Employees who have recently returned to work in the construction industry following lockdown could be forgiven for feeling anxious. Health and safety on building sites has always been associated with the wearing of hard hats and protective boots. However, the maintenance of hygiene standards is now equally important.

How to help ease employees’ concerns:

From the perspective of a construction worker, the sight of their workplace being consistently cleaned and tidied by a professional cleaning company would be enough to lift the spirits.

It would not only mean building site employees are working in a safer environment, it would ease their fears of contracting the virus, decrease their anxiety levels and help them to focus on their work.

As is the case in all workplaces, personal hygiene is the responsibility of each individual and once they are keeping up their end of the bargain, plus they see that their employer is pulling out all the stops to provide a clean and safe work environment, staff morale will remain in a good place.

If you would like a free quote for cleaning a site or an after-build clean, get in touch with ACC. We cover the North West including Manchester City Centre and further afield areas like Wigan and Bolton.

Apart from obvious health & safety reasons for keeping office spaces and windows clean and clear, it also makes sense logically, because when things are clean and clear, they look and feel better, which frees-up our energy to see things more clearly.

First Impressions Count

When we think about it, no matter how much we try to deny this, first impressions always count. So, when dust, dirt or lack of general cleanliness is left to accumulate over time in a building, not only does it have a negative impact on the people working there, it can create a lasting impression on new visitors, clients and customers who arrive for the very first time.

Whilst those working in the environment may have gotten used to a dusty carpet, smeary windows or ‘that strange odour’ in the Reception Area, those arriving for the first time are highly likely to notice it – thus, blinding them to the positives of your business; or at the very least, clouding their view.

Direct Their Focus

What would you like visitors, clients and employees to focus on? Tired and murky environments can create tired and murky views!

On the flipside, everyone notices (or sub-consciously feels) a bright, clean space because it looks inviting. Even if spaces are not ultra-modern but are clean, welcome visitors and employees, alike, unconsciously allowing them to see the good in your organisation.

Healthy businesses

Cleaning away dust and dirt after builds may be obvious to project management within construction, yet perhaps there’s also a good reason why we say that any ongoing cleaning adds sparkle! We are all made of energy, so when that same energy becomes stuck or stagnant in our environment – with the ongoing accumulation of dirt – it can become difficult to see past that.

Lack of cleanliness is a distraction for any organisation. It can leave everyone feeling sluggish – whether they notice it immediately or not – and just as it’s unhealthy for people to turn up to work unclean, unkempt and dishevelled – not to mention unhealthy for business – it’s exactly the same for the environment and space those employees work in.

It’s an easy assumption to make that cleaning an environment only gets rid of bacteria. However, did you know that investing in regular deep office cleans can improve the productivity of yourself and your employees? Let’s find out more.

Employee sick days

A clean office means that there are less harmful bacteria hanging around communal areas and desk workspaces. Because of this, yourself and your employees are less likely to catch something while working, leading to a smaller likelihood of calling in sick.

This improves productivity because your employees are healthier and getting more work done on a more regular basis – not to mention the paperwork that’s involved with sickness management.

Employee retention and satisfaction

It’s common knowledge that employees will work more productively if they’re in a clean environment; clean desk spaces mean more area to work within, as well as less clutter leading to less time spent searching for items such as important documents.

Not only this, but cleaner offices could also improve your employee retention rate as they’re more impressed with the work environment. This, in turn, aids productivity as you’re able to spend less time and resources investing in the recruitment of new employees, and more time spent working alongside your current employees to get more jobs done.

Equipment quality

One of the lesser-thought about the benefits of keeping your office clean is the impact it has on the surrounding equipment. For instance, if one office is dusty and full of bacteria, equipment such as printers, computers, and copiers could operate at a reduced rate as the extractor fans and wiring gets affected.

And of course, employees could treat the equipment in the same manner as you treat their workspaces. If you demonstrate that you care about the environment they work in by investing in cleaning services, then they’re more likely to respect the equipment – this leads to a longer lifespan of your assets and, in turn, higher levels of productivity.

If you want to invest in professional commercial clean-up services for your office, building site, factory, school, or hospital, then look no further than Associated Cleaning Contractors. We offer professional cleaning services for a variety of industries, including specialist cleaning for those areas that desperately need some TLC and we cover Greater Manchester and Lancashire from Bolton to South Manchester. Get in touch for a free quote. 

A clean workplace can not only make your business look more professional and appealing to customers, but it can also have a significant psychological impact on your staff.

Let’s look at a few ways a clean workplace can affect the mental health of your staff:

Boosts morale

Some of the negative impacts of an unhygienic workplace include an increase in the number of workplace injuries and increased staff turnover. If your employees are constantly getting sick from breathing in dust and germs and injuring themselves on clutter and tools lying around, they’ll not only have to take more time off work but they’ll also start to lose interest in being a team player. Being able to breathe fresh air, use a clean bathroom and kitchen and easily navigate their workspace will boost staff morale immediately and encourage them to work harder and contribute to the success of your business.

Sensory stimulation

Everything that we see, smell, touch, taste and hear has an impact on how we perceive the physical environment around us and how we absorb new pieces of information. Excess clutter, foul smells and filthy work surfaces can lead to a mental block due to overloading your staff with sensations that will distract them from their day to day tasks. A clean and tidy work environment, however, will clear the minds of your employees so that they don’t have to worry about anything other than the job at hand.

Reduce stress

Our jobs are often one of the main causes of stress in our lives, and as a business owner, you’re responsible for the wellbeing of your staff. In order to lift some of the stress off the shoulders of your employees, creating a clean, tidy office space is a great place to start. An environment clear of clutter is proven to subconsciously lead to feelings of calm, so hiring a professional clean-up service can help free your staff of added stress so that they can feel relaxed at work.

For professional commercial cleaning services that will benefit your staff and set you on the path to business success, get in touch with our team at Associated Cleaning Contractors today.

A happy workforce is a productive workforce. There is also a considerable amount of pressure on employers to be aware of their team’s health and wellbeing for other reasons too. Not least, to reduce absenteeism and staff churn!

Before you rush out and organise lunchtime yoga sessions or price up corporate gym packages, providing your team with a caring culture and positive work environment could be easier than you think. Start with making a thorough premise clean-up one of your HR priorities.

Clean workplaces and staff welfare

There is a strong connection between employee wellbeing (feeling comfortable, well looked after and content) and your Health & Safety obligations.

Of course, your first priority is to protect staff and visitors from the risk of injury, but there are less obvious negative connotations to skimping on the cleaning tasks! If your team are operating in less than perfect conditions – with visible dirt or cluttered workspaces – there is a natural tendency to be more distracted and unsettled.

Not to mention the fact that modern-day workers are far more aware of the risks of infections and contaminates. The humble flu virus is the least of our concerns thanks to much-publicised new strains and superbugs!

A clean work environment is far less stressful and provides staff with the assurance that you are tangibly investing in their health and safety.

Let there be light – and fresh air

Improvements to the physical environment within your workplace can lift your staff’s spirits and work rate in other ways too. For example, optimising light quality and clean air will logically boost the health and wellbeing of your office team. We all feel better when we can see out of clean windows, and regular building deep-cleans manage all forms of pollutants brilliantly.

One of the short cuts some employers make is to expect their team to ‘self manage’ staff break rooms and other ‘behind the scenes’ areas. Yet, communal staff areas can be the most likely places to play ‘pass the germ’. How many mould spores are lurking in the staff toilets too?

Investing in regular deep cleans and tidies for staff areas is another way you can show your commitment to employee wellbeing. It costs a lot less than sending them all to a spa weekend for better health!

A clean environment is important not only for the productivity of your employees but also for the positive image of your business, and regulatory compliance. For most organisations, cleaning is a job delegated to some custodian employees and even in some instances, regular employees are given the additional tasks of performing the cleaning.

While there are numerous excuses your employees could offer you not to do the cleaning themselves, below are some serious risks and liabilities you expose yourself by asking them to do it.

1. Requirements for liability insurance

When doing your own cleaning, there are several liability risks you need to consider; these include possible injury to your workers and visitors due to slippery floors or other incidences such as poisoning by cleaning agents.

Hiring a cleaning service will ensure that the proper safety measures are in place, proper signs are displayed and importantly, that there is liability coverage in place to cushion your organisation from possible charges.

2. Compliance with OSHA

It is a regulatory requirement by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that the business working environment is kept in a sanitary, clean and serviceable condition. Since this is the duty of the employer, they should not only ensure that cleaning is done, but that it is done in compliance with OSHA regulations.

While employees may fail to appreciate the serious legal implications of not following guidelines, cleaning services use professionals who will ensure that all health and safety regulations are followed, preventing any legal consequences by OSHA.

3. Decreased productivity of workers

In businesses where the employees do their own cleaning, their productivity and morale are reduced as they will be spending their time on duties that they were not primarily hired for.

Hiring a cleaning service will ensure that your employees stick to the duties they were initially hired for, maintaining their productivity.

4. Overhead costs

Doing your own cleaning also comes with overhead costs. These include the cost of cleaning equipment and their maintenance, the cost of hiring the custodians, and costs of workers’ compensation insurance. A cleaning service takes all this off the manager’s back as they come equipped with their own material and workers, ready to take care of any liabilities that could occur when cleaning.

The reasons given above should make it clear to managers that the best way to go is hiring a cleaning company to handle their dirty work for them. Besides avoiding the resulting risks and liabilities involved in cleaning your own business, you will be able to enjoy the professionalism and accountability brought by these cleaning companies.

If you require help with any routine maintenance or industrial cleaning for your organisation, feel free to contact Associated Cleaning Contractors who guarantee you hustle free cleaning services that will be worth your money. Browse our website for the latest cleaning insights to keep you updated with the trends in the industry.

Choosing the right paint for your walls can be as important as selecting the right employees. Apart from health and safety considerations, as well as regular clean-ups, colour has a significant influence on your work environment because it tends to influence the productivity of your workers. The ambience of an office plays a critical role in determining employee productivity, and colours play a vital role in setting the appropriate atmosphere that will motivate employees to be productive.

The following are some of the essential colours that infuse a positive effect in the workplace, thereby inducing the productive capacity of employees.

Red

Red is the right paint colour for your office environment, especially for those in duties that involve physical activities, such as customer care settings. However, the colour can also cause anxiety and anger, so intense shades of the pigment should only be used as accents and muted, with the darker tones featuring in the background. Stimulating shades of red are excellent additions in departments such as sales.

Orange

Orange is one colour that helps employees in an office environment to ignore the various distractions inherent in such a setting. The colour stimulates concentration, enhances organisation and boosts productivity. However, the brightness and intensity of the colour will determine how soothing or stimulating the shade will be.

Yellow

Yellow is acclaimed for its ability to stimulate creativity and boosting people’s moods. Painting your office walls with yellow will encourage creative thinking, stirring your employees’ minds to generate innovative ideas. You can also use a soft blue or green colour scheme accented with yellow tones.

Green

Green is the best paint colour for offices that have employees who work long hours. However, too much of the hue can be harmful to employee productivity. You should consider pairing an alluring shade of green with orange or yellow to give your office environment a sense of balance.

Blue

Most colour specialists consider blue to the most productive shade because it stimulates mental activity. You can paint your office with a light shade of blue and spice it up with hues like red, orange or yellow to boost productivity, mood and attention span.

If you require help or advice to redecorate your office, contact ACC today. Our professional painters and decorators can provide solutions that are tailored to your specific requirements.

It’s not just our house that needs to be kept clean for everyone to be happy and healthy; considering the amount of time each day that people spend in the office then it’s just as important that this environment is kept clean. However, it’s unrealistic to expect your office staff to focus on cleaning, as this detracts from their actual job.

Here are three reasons why getting your office cleaned professionally can boost your business.

1. Workplace stress is dramatically reduced

The office is usually a stressful environment; with loud noises from telephone calls and the intensity of constant emails, a dirty office is the last thing your employees need. Clean and tidy environments are proven to improve the mental wellbeing of those who use them, and this will have positive impacts on your staff’s happiness and efficiency.

2. Better first impressions

Whenever someone comes to your office for a meeting, they will get an impression of your company through the office environment. A clean and clutter free office will give off an air of professionalism and is likely to help your first meeting result in a more positive outcome for your business. Regardless of who you are meeting, whether it be a potential new client, an existing business partner, or if you are receiving an official inspection, a clean office will do wonders for that all-important first impression.

3. Boosted productivity

Staff tend to work better when there are no distractions. While there is little you can do about some of these, one thing you have direct control over is the distraction of dirt. By having a clean office, there are fewer distractions, which means that office productivity should improve. Also, by removing dirt and mould, the sickness rates of your office are also likely to decrease, something else that will boost your business’ productivity rates. As such, any investment you make into professional cleaning will quickly be recouped and then overshadowed by improved employee wellbeing.

At ACC, we provide professional commercial cleaning service to offices and factories. All of our contracts are bespoke, designed specifically for your needs. For more information about how we can help you, please contact us.