Office Cleanliness is Linked to Employee Morale

Clean Workspace = Happy Staff

You know that feeling you get when you’ve just done a deep clean of your home? The air is fresher, the surfaces shine and you feel at ease? That’s the effect a sparkling clean office can have too. Since employees spend 40 hours (minimum) in the workplace each week, it makes sense that a hygienic and healthy workplace is linked to higher employee morale. After all, healthy employees are happy!

How Can Cleanliness Boost Morale?happy staff in a clean office environment

A cluttered desk can make it nearly impossible to find what’s needed to complete a task. Employees end up wasting time searching through drawers and cupboards. Time wasted hunting down basic items and necessary documents is time that can be spent doing their important work. Clutter also has a very real impact on stress levels and the ability to concentrate.

A dank and dusty workplace that’s cluttered and hard to navigate also impacts employee motivation and productivity. In fact, a study done by Harvard University looked at student productivity when working in spaces with various levels of mess and clutter. Interestingly, this study found that the students who worked in a workspace free of clutter were able to work 7.5 minutes longer than those trying to work in a cluttered space. The research concluded that a messy workspace can “undermine people’s persistence in completing tasks.”- i.e. make it hard to concentrate and work effectively.

A similar study on the impact of cleanliness on employee productivity was completed by Horrevorts, Ophem and Terpstra of Wageningen University in the Netherlands. This study goes into detail about the effect of a clean, organized workspace on the influence of employees working in office environments.

Cleanliness Boosts Your Business’ Curb Appeal

Not only is cleanliness essential for happy and productive employees, a tidy office also presents your business in the best light possible. When customers and potential clients walk in, you want them to see a light and airy space that is clean and well organized. This shows them that your business has it together and you’re running a reputable company.

Think about the last time you popped into a store or an office. What was your first impression and how did this affect your feeling about the company overall? If employees were peeking out from behind piles of paperwork, fixtures appeared dusty and carpets stained or torn, you might not have felt particularly comfortable or welcomed. In contrast, you likely feel much more confident visiting a store or office that is clean and organized.

Cleanliness Helps Prevent Illness

In these unprecedented times, cleanliness is essential for keeping our friends and family healthy. Our work family is no different and at Mayfair Building Services, we know that your frontline workers are essential to your businesses’ well-being. Keeping common areas like reception areas, kitchens and bathrooms sparkling clean and germ free is key to preventing illnesses like Covid-19, various strains of the flu, food-borne illnesses or even just the common cold.

Clean carpets and tidy desks not only create a comfortable environment for your employees, they also improve air quality and the ability to focus. Poor air quality can lead to headaches, trigger asthma attacks, spread illness and just really ruin a person’s day.

According to Statistics Canada, workers based in Vancouver, BC were absent 7.9 days out of the year due to common illness. Illnesses picked up at work can be largely preventable with regular cleaning and maintenance. Items like phones, desk surfaces and even the coffee pot handle are all hot spots for germs. For more on this, check out our previous post on the dirtiest places in the office.

Cleanliness Reduces the Risk of Accidents and Injury

Items left on the floor, debris on the carpet or spills in the kitchen can all lead to slips and falls, as well as potential injury to your staff members. As with illness, this can result in unplanned time off, which can end up impacting their income and ability to work (as well as your bottom line). In the end, workplace accidents create stress and anxiety for everyone. To prevent this, any tripping hazards should be cleaned up right away.

How to Maintain a Clean Workspace

Educate your employees on the importance of keeping their desks and workspaces clean. Particularly where employees desk-share, encourage them to wipe off and sanitize their desktop, keyboard, mouse and phone after every shift. Encourage everyone to remove their food from the staff room fridge and if it’s an option, sweep up any messes created between your cleaning appointments. Make sure the coffee pot is washed out, the dishwasher is turned on, any dirty rags are sent to be laundered and countertops are wiped and sanitized.

Your employees can also ensure that any loose documents or folders are filed often, to prevent piles from building up and toppling over. This will all take about 5 minutes to do before everyone heads home. This quick and easy daily refresh will make a big difference and make it so much nicer to come back to the next day.

A Clean Environment Will Generally Stay Clean

When the office is sparkling clean and decluttered, visitors and employees are much more likely to be influenced to keep it that way. Papers will find their way to the recycling bin much quicker, spills will be swept or mopped up when they happen and most people will want to keep the workspace feeling as great as it does right after a thorough cleaning.

Need a clean sweep? At Mayfair Building Services, we’re experts in commercial cleaning and provide everything from floor cleaning to industrial construction cleanup. We focus on making your workplace as healthy and clean as it can be. Whether you need a one-time, daily, weekly or monthly deep clean, we have been experts in the commercial janitorial industry for over 30 years in the Metro Vancouver region. Contact us to book your appointment today.