Business owners have a lot on their plate. But, overlooking the effects that a clean office can have on employee productivity would be a mistake. Providing a clean office isn’t just about making the workplace look inviting to employees and guests. There are many real benefits that a clean office provides, and increased productivity is one of them. Here are some of the top ways how a clean office can boost productivity. Or, if you’re looking to up your office cleaning game, contact our team at 360clean for a free quote. We can’t wait to help you create a safe and healthy workplace!
1. Reduces Missed Days
Productivity naturally drops when employees miss work due to an illness. Fortunately, when an office is kept clean, it doesn’t only look better, it also helps maintain the highest level of sanitation. When a commercial cleaning crew ensures the office is sanitary, it also reduces the chance that bacteria and viruses spread among workers, customers, and the general public.
Not only does commercial cleaning help keep surfaces clean, but it also helps improve the air quality in the office by reducing dirt, dust, and allergens. All of this combined ultimately helps reduce the likelihood that your employees will get sick, which, in turn, reduces the number of days they miss from work.
What’s worse, illnesses can spread quickly in an office environment. When one employee gets sick, there’s a higher chance that other employees will get sick, too. Keeping a clean office can help to remove this barrier to productivity.
2. Improves Concentration
Let’s face it: everyone battles those mid-afternoon slumps after lunch. It’s a fact that during this time of day, it’s easy for employees to get easily distracted. One way that you can reduce distractions is by decluttering the office in a way that makes it more aesthetically pleasing.
Think about it: do you remember those times during school when it was crunch time and you had homework to complete? Many people can relate: it’s amazing how clean your apartment or home gets during these times! The same idea is true for your employees, too. By clearing out the clutter, there is less room for minds to wander after those mid-afternoon slumps so that employees can concentrate more clearly on the tasks at hand.
3. Increases Efficiency
How many times have you searched your home for something, be it anything: a sweater, a tool, or even a pen: it’s amazing how easy and how little time it takes to find these things whenever they all have a proper place. However, when we can’t remember where we put our cherished items, it can take way too long before we finally find them. Apply this same concept to your workplace. When things are kept in their proper place, it’s easier for employees to find what they need. And when they’re more quickly able to find what they need, it cuts down on the amount of time they spend searching around the office to find it.
This is especially important in office environments that deal with a lot of paperwork that is “touched” by multiple people across multiple departments. Law offices, doctor’s offices, and billing offices are all great examples of this. When efficiency is low, productivity naturally decreases as well. So, by keeping a clean and tidy office, you’ll be removing another barrier to productivity.
4. Reduces Stress
There’s no denying the power of a productive mindset. However, certain factors in your work environment can derail even the most productive of employees. Messiness and dirtiness are major stressors for many people. And while each employee likely has a different tolerance for messiness and dirtiness, all likely will be stressed at least somewhat if the office isn’t kept clean on a basic level.
Often, stress can lead to anxiety. And when it comes to cultivating a productive work environment for your employees, stress and anxiety can be two major issues. Luckily, there are a few things that business owners can do to battle this.
By keeping a clean office, you remove the opportunity for employees to get stressed out by their surroundings. By prioritizing the cleanliness of your office, you’ll also help maximize productivity.
5. Boosts Morale
Morale is one of the most important factors in whether employees are productive. When morale is high, productivity is likely to be high as well. However, that works in reverse, too, and in much more serious ways.
Companies go to great lengths to figure out ways to boost employee morale. They come up with complicated programs to reward employees for a job well done. They organize employee team-building outings. They arrange for in-office celebrations for anniversaries, birthdays, and accomplishments. Often, the last thing you hear about is keeping a clean and tidy office! But this simple and cost-effective action pays back in dividends.
When employees enter a clean office every day, they are more likely to have a positive attitude about what’s ahead of them. A clean office works in subliminal, under-the-surface ways to motivate employees to do well. A dirty office does the opposite: It has a direct, outward effect of causing employees to not care about what they do, since you as the business owner don’t care about the condition of where they work.
6. Increases Employee Retention
It’s a fact: if your office is not kept clean regularly, employees are less likely to want to stick around. Think about it: do you remember the last time you visited a relative or friend? Whenever their home is messy, you’re more likely to want to get in and get out as quickly as possible. However, when you visit a friend or family member who has taken time to ensure that your visit is comfortable, you’re likely to stay longer and also enjoy your time there.
For many, there’s no amount of reasonable money they can be paid to be forced to work in a dirty and/or unsanitary environment. When employees feel stressed, lack motivation, get sick often, or are just downright disgusted by working in a dirty office, they’re more likely to look for a job in greener pastures.
Employee turnover is a huge expense that not enough businesses focus on. The generally-accepted statistic is that replacing an employee can cost as much as 10 times what their salary is. Why not invest in keeping your current employees happy and healthy instead?
7. Maintains Integrity of Equipment
All businesses have some sort of equipment that helps employees do their jobs and keeps the office running smoothly. This can be as simple as a laminating machine for teachers to specialized manufacturing equipment for engineers and tool makers.
All of this equipment is susceptible to breaking down for a variety of different reasons. You may not think about it, but one of the top reasons that equipment breaks down is it’s not kept clean and free from dirt, dust, grime, and debris.
When an office isn’t cleaned properly, the dirt, dust, grime, moisture, and other elements don’t just stay in one spot; they travel throughout the office. They are transported from one area to the next through the vents. They make their way into the tiniest holes in computers and other vital technological equipment.
When this happens, the equipment is much more susceptible to breaking down and/or breaking completely. Maintaining this equipment is expensive enough as is. Having to replace it can be extremely costly, especially if you have to do it on a broad scale. However, you can help maintain the integrity of the equipment you need to run your business by ensuring your office is kept clean regularly.
8. Increases Customer Satisfaction
Customers don’t want to enter a place of business that isn’t clean. Depending on how dirty the office is, some customers may cringe while others may simply turn around and walk out the door.
This obviously could have a direct effect on your business’ sales, but how does it affect the productivity of your employees? Customers who are forced to enter your dirty office are less likely to treat your employees with respect. They may be more agitated, demanding, and frustrated with the employees they deal with.
This, in turn, could cause your employees to become angry, frustrated, and demoralized, among many other feelings. Ultimately, if your employees are thrown off their day by customers who are unhappy with the state of cleanliness of your office, then their productivity will be greatly affected.
Work with a Trusted Commercial Cleaning Company
The above are just a few of the many ways that a clean office can boost productivity. Compared to some of the other ways that companies seek to increase employee productivity, having a clean office is one of the simplest and most cost-effective methods.
While keeping a clean office may sound simple, there’s a lot that goes into it other than just dusting desks and vacuuming floors. If you want to have a consistently clean and sanitary office, you need an experienced and trustworthy commercial cleaning company. If you’re ready to boost productivity in your office, contact our team at 360clean for an individualized quote! We can’t wait to help you make your office a cleaner and happier place.