If you are a business owner then you need to keep your business’s office clean. Not cleaning your office means you could expose your staff to dangerous pathogens or germs.
If your staff get sick because they are forced to work in a dirty office, then they could take legal action against you.
The most common course of action taken by employees exposed to dangerous germs (and who are injured because of them) is a compensatory claim.
The simplest way to avoid such claims is to keep your office clean. Here is how you can do that:
Recycling Furniture
The tatty old furniture isn’t going to make your office dangerous (at least in terms of viruses and bacteria) but it can definitely make it look unprofessional.
Unfortunately, old furniture is something that’s common in most offices. If you are guilty of hoarding old furniture in your office, then hire an office furniture recycling service, and pay them to get rid of everything that’s no longer fit for use.
Then, buy new furniture. If you are on a budget you can buy used furniture for your office, as long as it looks new and presentable. It should be noted that if your old furniture is very damaged, jagged edges and rusted metal could pose a threat to your employee’s safety.
Hiring Cleaners
Make sure that you hire cleaners to come in and clean your office once or twice a week. Ideally, you should also have a janitor, who works full-time.
If the office you own is inside of a much larger complex (and you only own a single room) then the office’s management company will probably have a janitor on staff, who will probably clean your office for you when you aren’t around anyway. If not, then you need to hire your own janitor or cleaning company.
Deep Cleaning
You should pay a company to deep clean your office once or twice a month. Deep cleaning will ensure that all germs, viruses, and bacteria hiding in your office are eliminated.
Deep cleaning involves cleaning every single corner and crevice in your office. You usually need to pay a specialist company to perform deep cleaning.
Deep cleaning can be expensive but is a worthwhile investment. Make sure the company you hire is qualified, experienced, and has access to quality equipment.
Viral Transmission
Another thing to consider is the transmission of viruses. Preventing viral transmission in your office is perhaps more important now than ever before.
People have become very scared of viruses, post-COVID. Winter is just around the corner too, which means flu season is nearly here.
Analysts predict that this year’s flu season is going to be the worst in generations. You can prevent viral transmission in your office by requiring staff to wear masks, use antibacterial hand gel, and also putting up protective barriers inside of your office, separating employees’ desks.
Employee Tidying
Ask your employees to tidy up after themselves. If your employees do not tidy up after themselves, then your office will always be dirty.
Make sure that you punish staff who do not clean up after themselves. Each day, inspect employees’ desks and ensure that they are clean.
Also, if any messes do suddenly appear, check the cameras and find out which employee was responsible for causing the mess.
To be honest, you should not have to ask employees to clean up after themselves, they should just do it anyway. If there are any employees who are reluctant to clean up, make sure that you punish them.
Harsh Chemicals
When cleaning your office, try to avoid using harsh chemicals. Studies have shown that chemicals like bleach can be extremely bad for people’s health.
Exposure to these chemicals can cause illnesses and diseases to become manifest in the future. Fortunately, there are an absolutely huge number of natural chemicals on the market, available to buy today.
Investing in these chemicals will ensure that your office is both clean and safe. Such chemicals can cost a little more, but they are a worthwhile investment. Do some research before buying chemicals so you can find the ones best for your office.
Antibacterial Gel
Antibacterial gel is another fantastic investment to make. Having antibacterial gel stations set up around your office will ensure that employees have a way of cleaning their hands, without having to go into the bathroom to wash them. Antibacterial gel is very affordable and widely available.
Investing in some for your office will be an effective way of keeping everything clean, and also preventing viral transmission. You can put antibacterial gel stations beside each door so that when people touch door handles, they can disinfect their hands afterward. Viruses can be spread by door handles.
Waste Bins
Waste bins should be placed all around your office. By providing waste bins, you ensure that rubbish is properly disposed of, and not stuffed inside people’s drawers (or hidden anywhere else).
It’s not uncommon for people to just throw waste in places they think that people won’t look when bins are not available.
Make sure that your bins are regularly changed and cleaned, as in once a day. If they are not, then the rubbish thrown inside of them could begin to rot and attract pests.
If you have rubbish bins filled with rotting food stationed around your office, sooner or later somebody will get sick, and a pest infestation will form.
Using Dumpsters
Lastly, make sure that you have dumpsters outside of your office. Having dumpsters will give your office’s janitor somewhere to throw your used bin bags.
Unfortunately, if your office is part of a larger complex, you might not have access to a dumpster. If not, then speak to the management company and ask them where you are supposed to discard your rubbish.
If they do not provide you with somewhere then you might have to reach out to your town’s waste authority and ask them to give you a dumpster.
If you are responsible for managing an office, then you need to keep it clean. Keeping an office clean can be very difficult, though. If you have never had to manage an office’s cleanliness before, then follow this post’s advice and guidance, and implement the tips listed here.
