A lot of business owners have had to deal with the question of opening up after being shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic and all the health and safety implications that come with it. Aside from the social distancing rules that need to be put in place, there’s a great emphasis on cleaning and hygiene than ever before. As such, if you’re looking to keep your workplace clean, there are a few improvements you may want to consider making.
Don’t let clutter win
To some degree, letting your employees have control over their own workspace is a good idea. Allowing them to format their space in the way that allows them to work best and even allowing them to personalise that space can do wonders for both their practicality and their sense of connection to their physical workspace. However, it’s important to set rules about how much clutter is allowed on their desks. Gentle reminders about keeping their desks tidy of too much, such as paperwork, binders, and trash can do a lot of good.
Choose cleaner surfaces
A lot of workplaces might make choices like having carpets to improve the sense of comfort and the like. However, your choice of surfaces can also play a major role in just how clean the office stays and certain fabrics and materials trap a lot more germs that are harder to clear. Smooth and finished surfaces like vinyl flooring tend to be a lot easier to clean, alternatively. Make sure that you aim for surface tops that can simply be wiped clean, rather than needing to invest in a carpet cleaner.
Leaving cleaning goods out for use
Washing hands and wiping down surfaces is going to play a huge role in making sure that the office stays hygienic. However, aside from simply encouraging employees to do this, you can also make it a lot easier. You can make sure that every desk is supplied with hand sanitiser, and have an easily accessible cleaning station that provides them access to things like anti-bacterial wipes that they can quickly use of their desks and keyboards when they’re about to sit down to it or leave the office for the day.
Ensure good circulation
One of the best ways to make sure that dust, dander, and other bits of dirtiness don’t start clogging up the surfaces of the workplace is to make sure that particles in the air don’t get trapped in the same place. Your workplace likely already has its own ventilation and air conditioning, but you should make sure that you’re giving it the maintenance that it needs. For instance, you need to change the air filters on your HVAC appliances to make sure that they’re effectively able to keep dust out of the air, rather than simply circulating it around the office.
Of course, in order to ensure proper hygiene and cleanliness, the work of doing the actual cleaning still needs to be done. The above tips can make it easier, but they don’t do the cleaning for you.
