One of the business owner’s top jobs is managing a business and his office staff. Furthermore, the office environment also deserves to be looked into at regular intervals. A clean and proper workplace significantly impacts employee productivity, performance, and well-being. This is why you must ensure that the workplace is in adequate shape and regularly checked for proper maintenance by phs.co.uk.
Eventually, your primary goal is to make the employees happy and leave the best first impression on the customers and prospective employees most of the elite businessmen, directors, and company shareholders would never compromise on the ambiance and clean, clutter-free look of their office. It’s not only the product that they are selling, but they also carry a brand and its name which is vital to maintain. A disorganised workplace can be a dip to your potential and existing business.
For big multinational companies, staff satisfaction is of the utmost importance. They look into every difficulty that the staff might be facing. In many countries, companies have daycare areas for their staff infants, who are accompanying their working parents.
Google, with 2,000,000 square feet (190,000 m2) of office space, YouTube, and Facebook have built out-of-the-box offices by providing small retreat and relaxation areas that are equipped with mini-golf, some pool tables, and many other indoor activities within the premises of the office. They have created a remarkable difference in the productivity of their employees and job satisfaction by providing the leverage to get revamped during working hours for further outstanding work.
1. Prevents Sicknesses
It has often been seen that once the workload increases and the productivity level reaches higher than usual, cleanliness gets almost totally ignored. The tight office schedule and meeting deadlines make it difficult to spare some time for you to realize the untidy environment you are in. The gruesome environment gives birth to several viral diseases, infections, and safety hazards. Employees working in a messy environment are at a greater risk of a safety hazard. According to the Occupational Safety and Hazard Association (OSHA), a safety hazard is anything in the workplace that may cause harm. An unhygienic workplace causes germs and bacteria to spread, making employees sick and absent from work, putting the business at a loss.
2. First Impression
For any business to grow, the first impression that impacts upon entering the workplace leaves an everlasting mark on your clients. There is a very famous saying,
“You never get a second chance to make a first impression”
Similarly, any place that we see for the first time registers inside our brains as an everlasting memory. This is stored in our sub-conscious mind, sending signals that end up in a judgmental verdict. It is imperative to regulate proper maintenance rules at all times without leaving any loopholes and adopting them as a company policy.
3. Reduces the Loss of Cost and Time
Nobody likes getting sick, but an unhealthy workspace and infected environment could arrest anyone into the trap of getting ill on and off. This would eventually mean that a more significant number of employees would be going on sick leave. Hence, the business will be highly affected, giving reduced profit margins. An unhygienic office space puts employees at risk of getting infected with germs and allergens due to the dust and debris inside and in the vicinity of the office. Proper disinfecting companies and dust-removing organizations could be hired at nominal rates to put a lid on such dangers.
4. Brand Image
It does not matter what business you are in. A clean working environment depicts superior standards and quality products. Whether it is a restaurant, car showroom, or daycare center, your clients will mostly judge you by your office space's setting, ambiance, and hygiene conditions. Don’t let your future customers walk back with a negative opinion.
5. Employee Satisfaction
On average, an employee spends around eight hours a day in the workplace, and sometimes, work requirements make him or her sit for long hours to meet the deadlines. A clean work environment allows your employees to be productive, efficient, and satisfied, leading to greater happiness. Employee satisfaction is the direct display of your brand and business ethics. If your employees are unhappy or dissatisfied with the office environment, they will not be productive and could present a negative image to your clients.
6. Environment-Friendly Approach
You must create environmental awareness within the organization and educate your employees on maintaining a clean and tidy workspace. To be a responsible inhabitant of this planet, it is essential to follow the four R’s - reduce, reuse, recycle, and respect. Proper fumigation, water filtration systems, and air purifiers can help improve the air quality inside your office space. Businesses that comply with the environment-friendly approach are in greater limelight, appreciated, and followed by other companies.
7. Attracts Customers
In any business, welcoming prospective customers most reasonably into a clean and tidy office significantly affects the outcome. Presentation in the customer relationship is vital, and clean, environment-friendly office space gives such positive vibes that the prospective customer turns into your long-retained customers. It also reflects your efficiency of work and makes your customers feel comfortable.
8. Reduces the Negativity
A clean and healthy environment brings out positivity from the inside and spreads around like wildfire since it is contagious. Adding indoor plants reflects positivity, emits good vibes, and helps filter out excess carbon dioxide and pollutants in the air.
9. Reduces Employee Turnover
An unhygienic workplace and an infected environment leave the working employees in despair. Companies that do not take measures to provide a satisfactory office environment and a healthy and hygienic workspace struggle to retain their current employees. Unhygienic conditions lead to unhealthy staff, which makes them unsatisfied, and hence, more significant employee turnover affects the businesses negatively with lesser productivity.
10. Essential to Safety
A messy office environment can be a hazard for employees, resulting in slips, trips, and falls. This was the second leading cause of nonfatal occupational injuries or illnesses involving days away from work in 2013. A cluttered office environment with equipment in the wrong place or an emergency exit may pose a significant safety threat. The OSHA’s walking-working-surfaces standards state that all workplaces should be clean and appropriately maintained.
