Office Hygiene: 3 Problem Areas Business Owners Should Know About
Keeping the workplace clean isn’t as easy as some people think. There’s a lot of hidden grime that can get caked into the things you use everyday, and if there’s no proper clean-up, it’s only going to build and build.
It’s why we want to highlight the 3 problem areas down below. If you’re a business owner, they’re likely to be hygiene risks within your office. Double check, make sure they’re clean, and enjoy an infection-risk free workspace.
How Many Germs are on Your Keyboards and Touch Screens?
We touch them hundreds to potentially even thousands of times per day, whether we’re typing or scrolling (or both). And seeing as hands are one of the worst infection vectors known to man, there’s every chance your workplace keyboards and touch screen devices are crawling with germs.
It’s possible that there are even 3000+ bacterial microbes living on your keyboard – and that’s per inch.
Instituting a policy where employees need to wipe down their keyboards, mouses, and any work devices before handing them back could be key to keeping this number from growing. Providing anti-bacterial wipes and sprays will probably be the most reliable way to make sure employees follow this rule in the long term too.
Are People Washing Their Hands?
You can’t police the way your employees use the bathroom when they’re at work, nor should you really want to.
However, there could be an issue around employee hygiene upon leaving the toilet and going back to work. Not everyone remembers to wash their hands, or they may not even care about handwashing in the first place.
The best thing to do here is post reminders in the bathroom, both above the sinks and on the back of the door. This way there’s two instances where an employee is checked on their personal hygiene, and you can also make it very clear what the consequences of poor hygiene will be.
How are You Keeping Track of Your Cleaning Rota?
One final problem for you to think about! It’s all well and good getting your office clean and tidy, but how can you be sure everything has gotten done? Well, by tracking the cleans, including when they happen, what gets done, and who inspected the work.
Using software for cleaning companies is a great choice for this, whether you keep your office cleaning in-house or outsource it to a third party. You can set up templates based on whether you’re doing a daily, weekly, or monthly clean, as well as easily add and remove tasks as they are needed.
Quick and simple, and you can be better rest assured that your office is as hygienic as you actually need it to be.
Office hygiene can become a problem, even when you’re sure you’re doing everything possible to keep your workplace clean. Problems can still exist, and most commonly in the 3 areas above, so it’s best to double check how well you’re staying on top of them.
