Running your own small business is a wonderful way to make a living. Small business owners are all exemplifying the American dream and blazing a trail for ambitious would-be entrepreneurs trying to make it behind them. Still, even a small business needs a workforce, and it’s fate is tied to the health, wellbeing and productivity of the people who work there.
A clean and tidy office is essential to small businesses for two reasons. First of all, clean tidy and well organized surroundings help employees to stay focused, positive and motivated. Secondly, when your office is clean, tidy and sanitary it’s less likely to be a breeding ground for harmful bacteria which can at best hinder employee productivity and at worst render members of your team unable to work.
The Challenges Of Keeping A Small Office Clean
When you have a small, intimate workspace this raises further challenges when trying to maintain a clean, tidy and productive environment. When you have a small office, it’s much easier for the space to look cluttered and untidy. Moreover, with multiple employees sharing a small space, there’s much more scope for germs to be spread between team members.
To protect your workforce and bolster workplace productivity it’s essential that business owners and managers know how to keep a small office clean and tidy…
Go Paperless Where Possible
Mountains of paperwork littering employees’ desks are not a great look in any office. But in smaller offices, cluttered desks can look chaotic. What’s more, when desks are buried under sheets of paper, they’re harder to get to to clean, meaning that their surfaces may become home to harmful bacteria.
Try and adopt paperless operations wherever possible, or at the very least ensure that each employee has a desk tidy, in tray and out tray and uses them daily.
Make Employees Responsible For Cleaning Their Own Desks
A responsibility shared is a responsibility halved. When employees have autonomy over keeping their own workspaces clean and tidy, the business of keeping the office clean becomes much easier.
Make sure employees sanitize and wipe down their desks every day. Electronics should also be cleaned and phones should be sanitized as these are a common breeding ground for bacteria. Dust and other allergens can accumulate in keyboards so make sure employees wipe theirs down every day and use a can of compressed air to remove stubborn dirt from between keys.
Employees should also take turns vacuuming the space at the end of every working day.
Empty Waste Baskets Often
Many offices use waste baskets to discourage littering. However, when these go days without being emptied they can become highly unsanitary, especially when they contain used paper towels or food wrappers with bits of food still clinging to them. Empty them out daily to stop problems before they happen.
Maintain A Clean, Tidy Break Room
One area of office cleaning that’s frequently overlooked is the break room. A small office likely has a fairly diminutive break room used by multiple people at a time. With that in mind, it’s even more important that the break room be kept clean, tidy and clutter free.
It may also be worth using a diffuser filled with essential oils to help employees to feel calm and relaxed so that they return to their desks energized.
Target The Problem Areas
Wherever employees eat or go to the bathroom it’s essential that efforts are concentrated to keep the space clean and sanitary. Bathrooms should be cleaned regularly at least once a day and all employees should have access to hand soap and sanitizer to ensure that they keep their workspace clean.
Likewise kitchens and food prep areas should be kept immaculate using antibacterial cleaning products. Microwave ovens can become real problem areas and should be cleaned regularly or they will become contaminated by food waste. Employees should also share the responsibility of cleaning their plates, mugs and cutlery.
Know When It’s Time To Call In The Professionals
Running your own small office means having to wear many different hats, and having your attention pulled in a dozen different directions at the same time. As such, you may benefit from using a professional cleaning service like SwiftClean. They can handle all aspects of small office cleaning so that you and your team can focus on doing what you do best.
What’s more, their terms are flexible so you won’t need to worry about paying for services that are surplus to requirements. You can get a skilled, highly trained and 100% vetted cleaning professional as and when you need one. So you can enjoy a clean and tidy office without needing to worry about crippling your cash flow.