COVID is a nightmare! But this isn’t an article about COVID. Or only about COVID. It’s about the surprising benefits that clean offices have on businesses.
The estimated work hours lost each year to cases of flu and seasonal colds are staggering. Conservative estimations can place the number at around twenty hours for every person who works in your office. More liberal estimates push that number to forty hours per person working in an office. That’s a total of five working days per year per person. With COVID, those numbers skyrocket.
Worse still, those pesky germs last a day on many surfaces and transmit easier than a catchy tune hummed in an open-plan office. However, regular office cleaning and disinfection are highlighted as important strategies for reducing transmission.
So, if adding back five working days, or more, per staff member, hasn’t sent you running for the number of a disinfecting cleaning service (it really should weigh not only your wage bill but also in the profit generated in healthy working hours), read on to find out why office cleaning can boost employee productivity and employee happiness.
Happiness Leads to Productivity
Did you know that a visibly clean environment imparts a sense of lawfulness and well-being? There have been numerous studies that have spawned thousands of initiatives across the world that show that a clean environment lowers crime and makes people feel safe. A clean workplace can have the same effect on staff. It encourages unity and a sense of pride in the employee’s organisation.
So if cleanliness can impart a sense of well-being, it might be appropriate for you to know that happy workers are twelve percent more productive than the baseline average. Now weigh that potential future profit against the cost of regular cleaning, and you might see just how much of an advantage office cleaning can be.
Safety: COVID, Flu, and Other Sicknesses
As more and more employees return to work after an extended Work-From-Home scenario, the onus is on employers and building managers to make people feel safe. The link between surface transmission and sickness is well established. Fortunately, clean offices and regular office cleaning can mitigate some of this risk. This ties straight back to employee happiness. Employees who feel that their management values them and looks out for them are more likely to stay at their companies long-term and increase the value they generate. Show your staff you care about their safety and well-being.
The Fifth Horseman: Long Covid
The NHS provides a fairly shocking write-up on Post COVID syndrome, citing that those affected can suffer for up to twelve weeks! That’s nearly four hundred and eighty working hours. If even one staff member is affected, it can have a disastrous effect on a whole department.
In short, serious economic benefits and repercussions surround health-promoting, clean working environments. If you’re in the London area, consider booking a consultation with DJ Maintenance to devise a plan to keep your offices safe, productive, and happy.
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