From a young age, we are taught to keep our homes tidy so that good habits will develop and become par for the course when applied to public buildings later in life. Chief among these is the workplace; when sharing an office with your colleagues for several hours a day, the least that can be expected of you is to preserve its tidiness, not just for your sake but for everyone’s.
Maintaining a clean office isn’t just about good manners, either. It can greatly help a workforce to become more productive, as distractions are removed and the air isn’t spoiled by malodours. Cleaner air reduces the likelihood of staff picking up illnesses that will rule them out of work, so less time is lost to absenteeism. Also, the absence of clutter makes it a hell of a lot easier to track down important documents which could very quickly get lost in stacks of papers. Indeed, it’s quite possible that someone would see a stack of papers and toss them into the trash, with nobody realizing that the binned items include a vital document.
Many companies hire cleaners to come in and keep the workspace in prime condition, but simple ongoing cleans by staff and management should help to increase productivity. At the end of each week, it’s a good idea to set aside even 15-30 minutes to perform a few routine cleans and declutters so that everyone can come back into a tidy office on Monday morning. Besides, it’s much nicer to work somewhere that’s neat and tidy than a place which looks like it’s under construction.
Cleaning Services Group created an infographic which explores the correlation between a clean office and a productive company. It’s a nicely presented and informative piece which contains nuggets of value for workers and managers.