Hygiene Standards Impacting On The Return To The Office
More people than ever are now back physically working in the office, following the 2020/21 COVID-19 pandemic and its instruction to work from home, but an alarming number of those people are complaining about hygiene standards in the office, to the extent that one in five people refuse to use the toilet at work. And overall, poor hygiene standards are starting to impact on employee productivity.
The results of a study carried out by global hygiene and health company Essity, has revealed that 30% of people think washroom hygiene is poor in their workplace. Respondents have referred to pooling water left unattended, paper towels from overflowing bins left on the floor, expired soap supplies, locked windows preventing any ventilation, and toilet rolls not properly sited in dispensers and hence being handled more than necessary.
Managing and preventing all these issues are standard features of a well-organised and professional cleaning regime implemented by an office cleaning company such as Apardion. A comprehensive daily schedule will address all these issues, with regular monitoring throughout the day and frequent replenishment of relevant supplies. The issues of poor hygiene referenced here are signs of neglect and poor management of office cleaning. In terms of people refusing to use the toilet facilities in the workplace, this can start to impact on how a business operates, in terms of:
- Employee concentration
- Employee productivity
- Employee health issues
- More contamination and potential absenteeism in the workplace as people aren’t carrying out regular hand hygiene
COVID-19 hygiene habits still being followed
The good habits many of us embraced during the pandemic are still being undertaken in many cases, according to the Essity study, with people still regularly hand-sanitising, still making their own hot drinks rather than accepting them from others, and still changing out of work clothes when they arrive home to avoid spreading bacteria. However, increasingly employees are feeling letdown by their employers not implementing a thorough and professional office cleaning schedule.
In addition to the dim view of toilet and washroom facilities, 34% said that kitchen facilities were poor (citing dirty fridges and microwaves, overflowing bins, grimy sinks and mouldy food left in fridges) while 24% said communal areas are also poor. And the most revealing finding of all, is that 60% of respondents said they would feel more productive in a clean environment.
This should trigger employers into action, particularly with more people gradually returning to office work, rather than working at home. According to figures released by Hays Recruitment Agency, 43% of people have now fully returned to a physical presence in the office, and only 18% fully work from home, the rest enjoying a hybrid arrangement of mixing the home with the office. But it is important to note that the COVID-19 pandemic has left a lingering fear of infection, and with offices being a breeding ground for spreading bacteria, it is essential that business owners accept their responsibility to provide a safe, comfortable and hygienic workplace and to implement a high quality office cleaning service.
A professional office cleaning service for your business
At Apardion we can work with you to design a flexible cleaning system that is thorough and effective, operates in a practical way that doesn’t disrupt your daily operations, and targets the issues that impact on employee health and wellbeing, but also general productivity and morale. Clearly the findings of this Essity survey have revealed that office cleanliness is a high priority for employees, and in many cases it can start to affect their daily work output. The strict hygiene routines and practices employed during the pandemic are not necessarily being followed through now, and with more people returning to the office, this could become a major problem for your business.
So contact Apardion today and we can visit your business premises and carry out a thorough risk assessment. This will identify your welfare, cleanliness and hygiene needs and ensure we can implement a comprehensive programme of workplace cleaning which will start to reflect better on the high standards you want your business to project.
