A clean office is a happy office

Cleanliness is next to godliness, they say. The origins of this phrase may date back to the 16^th century but it hasn’t lost any of its sparkle. In today’s office environments, we would do well to remember that if we all chip in a little bit, our workplace will stay nice and clean for longer. Working in pleasant surroundings boosts morale, aids concentration and improves productivity. Life’s just better when the office is clean!

Office cleaning

Put a regular office cleaning protocol in place and you’re off to a good start. Daily or weekly, performed by your own staff or a professional cleaning company, there are many ways to make sure the office is given a regular ‘once over’ to stay on top of all hygiene requirements. This includes desks and work surfaces, IT and telecoms equipment, kitchens and bathrooms. Don’t forget carpets, curtains and upholstery – Apple Clean have 30 years’ experience in providing bespoke commercial maintenance programmes and are always happy to provide advice and a free quote.

Personal responsibility

It goes without saying that everyone in the office should be responsible for their own mess. From sandwich wrappers to dirty coffee cups, it’s not a big ask to expect every staff member to clean up after themselves. How about introducing a clean desk policy to make sure workstations are tidied up at the end of each day?

Taking responsibility also includes ‘communal’ tasks. Who empties the bins? Who changes the toilet rolls? Unless it’s part of your Office Manager’s remit to be ‘mum’ in the office, it’s best to draw up a rota to share the work around.

Hygiene awareness

Many germs are transmitted via touching, and the best way to minimise the spread is by keeping everyone’s hands as hygienically clean as possible. Provide antibacterial soap and perhaps a sign reminding everyone to wash hands after they’ve been to the loo. Think about having a hand sanitiser dispenser installed by the entrance or in the staff toilets to help keep nasty bugs at bay. Use hand wipes to clean down shared equipment, especially telephones and keyboards.

The paperless office

Not such a far-fetched idea, many offices now ‘go digital’ with their paperwork, which can drastically reduce the need for memos, procedures and all sorts of documents that would previously have been printed out. Of course, there will always be a need to keep paper copies of some documents, if only for legal reasons. But digital ‘to do’ lists and online filing systems that everyone logs into make it much easier to organise your physical desk and filing space and reduce clutter.