If you spend your working life in a small space, such as a cubicle, or shared office, you know how important cleanliness is, especially during the cold and flu season. If one person gets sick in an unclean space, it seems like everyone comes down with the same thing. Even worse, about 45% of workers have seen fellow employees leave the bathroom without washing their hands. If you work in a corporate space, it’s highly likely your company employs a cleaning service, but any cleaning is imperative, especially in your own area.
Why is It Important to Have A Clean Workspace?
General Maintenance
As you probably know, your office or cubicle is often used for more than work, especially in a high-powered environment where efficiency is encouraged. At least 85% of employees eat in their office–both a time and money saver–but that means crumbs or other food debris get stuck in your office. Even if your trash is emptied regularly by janitorial services, crumbs and other debris can get stuck between the keys of your keyboard, scattered around your desk, etc. Other employees (over one in three) have admitted to doing tasks such as clipping their nails in the office. If you’re sick, coughing and sneezing occurs regularly in your space, spreading germs all over surfaces like keyboards, phones, and door handles.
Professional Appearance at Work
Additionally, believe it or not, you may be judged by how clean (or unclean) your workspace is. The staffing firm Adeco surveyed over 1000 workers and 57% admitted to having judged a coworker on the cleanliness of their workspace. If you want to keep a professional and responsible attitude at work, remember that every little thing counts!
Productivity
According to a survey done by the Office Cleanliness Monitor, 64% of office workers (out of a group of 1,000) found a connection between a clean work environment and how often an employee called in sick. They stated that longer hours with the average amount of cleaning done was one of the main things that led to unsanitary work conditions. In addition, almost 70% of workers said they believed a clean office increased the productivity of the employees. (Think about the effect a cluttered desk or overflowing trash can has–overwhelming, claustrophobic, and disorganized!)
What Can Be Done About Office Cleanliness?
If you don’t feel like your office is regularly being attended to by a cleaning service, ask your supervisor to see what can be done about regular office cleaning, especially regarding the carpets, which many people don’t think of. Carpet cleaner is a great way to get allergens and other debris like food or dust out of the workspace. A commercial cleaner or even regular janitorial services should be able to provide this cleaning service. Ask co-workers to do their own cleaning–keep disinfectant wipes at your desk and regularly wipe down the mouse and keyboard of your computers, phones, chairs, door handles, and computer screens. Make sure tissues and hand sanitizer are available around the office and encourage people to clean up their messes.
