The physical and mental well-being of employees is incredibly important to maintain a driven and focused staff, who will provide efficient and quality work. Dark, dirty office space is a sure-fire way to reduce the quality of life for your employees, increase staff turnaround, and add stress to your team.
Especially in these times of a global pandemic, it is imperative to maintain a well-balanced office environment, that is sanitary, inviting, and will contribute to the overall well-being of employees.
Physical Well-Being
The physical well-being of staff should be a priority for any management team or a business owner. During these times of a global pandemic, a clean office has never been so important. Workers are often stressed out due to deadlines and workload, especially if they are covering for co-workers that are required to self-isolate. The quality of work produced by the staff can become sub-par if they are preoccupied with the physical cleanliness of an office environment.
There are multiple cleaning services offered by professional commercial cleaners, as the folks behind southerncrosscleaning.com quoted, “Commercial cleaning services are at the core of our business. No matter what type of business you are operating – we’ll be able to clean it. Our focus is to take the hassle out of your cleaning needs, so you can focus on what’s important to you – running your business”. Investing in good cleaning services is investing in your business. Professional cleaners offer multiple options to ensure employee and customer safety and sanitization, which overall improves the quality of work and life of staff and management alike. Outbreaks of COVID-19 can decimate an office if it is spread between the employees. Not only will this dramatically affect productivity, should multiple employees be gone on quarantine at the same time, but it is also incredibly important for the health and safety of their families at home.
With safety protocols like wearing personal protective equipment, social distancing, and appropriate cleaning, we as a global community, are working towards protecting our families and the families of those around us. Office cleaning for essential workers is imperative, not only from a business perspective but from a community perspective as well. Don’t let a dirty office space help spread the virus, and employing professional cleaners is a great way to ensure the health and safety of all people working in and visiting the office environment.
Mental Well-Being
The mental well-being of employees is directly affected by the cleanliness of an office. Certainly, with COVID-19, mental stress has increased exponentially in our modern society, and the office environment is a huge contributing factor to this problem. No one wants to be stressed out while walking or taking a commute to work, worrying if today is the day that they get infected and take COVID-19 home to their kids because their office is unsanitary.
If employees are constantly stressed and worrying, there is a marked decline in company productivity. Cleanliness in an office and an overall air of comfort in an office environment is essential to ensuring employee happiness, stability, and proficiency.
In a study of employee satisfaction and office environments, N. Kamarulzaman et al assert, “employees who are more satisfied with the physical environment are more likely to produce better work outcomes. Temperature, air quality, lighting, and noise conditions in the office affect work concentration and productivity. Numerous studies have consistently demonstrated that characteristics of the physical office environment can have a significant effect on [the] behavior, perceptions, and productivity of employees” (2009).
Professional Image
Try to walk into your office space and look at it as a customer or vendor might see it. Is the entryway clean and tidy, or is it dirty and dusty? Is the reception area well lighted and well-staged, or is it a collection of random pamphlets, ripped notices taped to desks, and a limited area for customers to wait, due to the clutter of boxes of overstock items? Do the employees look happy, or are they unhappy, unkempt?
The first impression is always the most important, without cleanliness in an office, you are not putting your best foot forward to prospective or returning clients. Like they always say, first impression lasts.
The office environment plays a huge role in how successful any given business may be. Don’t let an unclean office affect your profit margins and employee productivity. By utilizing cleaning services, offering mental health support to employees, and ensuring proper sanitization items during the global pandemic, your employees will be healthier, happier, and more productive.