Imagine you have just entered the front door of your workplace. As if for the first time, you take a moment to look around the office and the condition it was left in from the previous day and you cannot believe what you see. It’s cluttered, disorganized, and an untidied chaotic mess.
Stacks of paperwork, old coffee cups, empty food wrappers, and other items are strewn across desks and tables. Every desk’s monitors are covered in notes, reminders, and memos. There is also a general lack of hygiene, with dust and dirt on the floors and furniture.
As you take in the scene, you actually feel a sense of anger and frustration. You may think to yourself “Can no one pick up after themselves? How has this become acceptable?”
READ ALSO: How To Build Influence and Make Money via Online Marketing
The truth is that it’s not acceptable for the workplace to be in this condition. But in every business no matter the industry, such standards are set by upper management and it is upper management that must lead by example. A clean and safe working environment is essential for employees to be productive and motivated. A dirty and unsafe workplace can result in decreased morale, lower productivity, and a higher rate of absenteeism.
Therefore, it is important for employers to maintain a clean and organized workplace and provide adequate resources to ensure the health and safety of their employees. If employers don’t buy the argument that a change needs to be made in the office environment’s cleanliness standards, maybe these studies will produce a change of mind.
Study After Study Proves Cleanliness Affects Productivity
There have been several studies conducted that show how cleanliness impacts employee productivity in the workplace.
One such study, conducted by the University of Arizona and published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, found that a clean workplace improved employee performance and satisfaction. The study included a sample of 40 employees from a variety of industries and concluded that a clean and orderly work environment was associated with higher levels of job satisfaction, increased levels of concentration, improved morale, and enhanced productivity.
Another study, conducted by the American Institute of Cleaning Sciences and published in the International Journal of Business and Management, examined the impact of workplace cleanliness on employee productivity.
READ ALSO: 400+ Free Resources & Tools for Business Owners, Entrepreneurs, Freelancers, and Bloggers
The study found that a clean workplace led to improved employee productivity, better customer service, and higher levels of job satisfaction. The study also found that employees in a clean workplace were less likely to call in sick, and were more likely to stay in their current positions.
Finally, a study conducted by the University of California at Berkeley, and published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, found that employees who worked in a clean environment reported better physical health and higher job satisfaction. The study concluded that a clean workplace helped to reduce stress levels, improve morale, and increase overall productivity.
Overall, the findings from these studies suggest that cleanliness has a positive effect on productivity in the workplace. A clean and orderly work environment can lead to improved morale, increased job satisfaction, and better overall performance.
Creating a Cleaner, More Productive Work Environment
Luckily for you, creating a clean workplace is not a complicated or expensive task. It’s also not a huge adjustment to make or too overwhelming for your employees to adhere to. Creating a cleaner, more productive office is simple:
- Implement a cleaning schedule and assign daily or weekly cleaning duties to employees so that no single individual is responsible for cleaning the office, but everyone is equally responsible and sharing the load.
- If assigning employees to clean tasks is not suitable for your company, have a professional commercial cleaner come in at least once a week. Finding the right crew for your building’s cleaning needs is easy! Say you are located in Denver; simply type into your search engine window “commercial cleaning service in Denver” and find the cleaning company with the highest and most customer review ratings!
- Ensure that all communal areas, such as the kitchen, are kept tidy and hygienic. Have hand sanitizer stations installed in these areas to encourage your employees to practice proper hygiene? Place recycle bins and waste receptacles in easily accessible areas.
- Provide adequate storage space for employee belongings and enforce a policy that all personal items must be stowed in these storage spaces during work hours to reduce clutter.
- Provide employees with cleaning tools and supplies that they are encouraged to use as often as their desk or workspace requires.
READ ALSO: How to Venture into FOREX Trading and Succeed
There are numerous ways you can both provide and encourage a cleaner environment, but scheduling an all-staff meeting to specifically outline the cleaning practices you’ve decided to implement isn’t such a bad idea. This meeting would help to get everyone on your team on the same page and in short order.
Happy Employees Make for a Thriving Business
If you are looking for a way to improve the health of your business or to see better performance from your employees, you are a smart business owner. But sometimes, you don’t have to overcomplicate this process. Sometimes, the best thing you can do for your business is to make the easiest, most practical decisions; in this case, providing a cleaner work environment.
Happy employees are required for a business to truly thrive because they are more productive, motivated, and have a higher level of engagement. They are more likely to go the extra mile to make sure a job is done right and customers are satisfied. They can create a positive company culture, which can lead to increased employee loyalty and better customer service.
Making your employees happy isn’t an expensive or overwhelming task. You can increase the happiness of your employees by simply taking a thorough look around your office. If it is in great need of a good deep cleaning, then what you should do next is obvious and easy!
