Building and office cleaning isn’t the most complicated part of business; just because cleaning the workplace is simple doesn’t mean that mistakes aren’t made along the way. That’s why managers and owners should be vigilant about these commercial cleaning mistakes that can cost the company valuable dollars or disrupt employee productivity.
Not disinfecting during flu season
Illness can spread among employees at any time, however there is a higher chance during cold and flu season. Ignoring the spread of illness and empty workstations won’t make the illness go away; to the contrary, the problem is only going to get worse unless a company takes a pre-emptive approach. The cost of disrupted productivity and disgruntled clients can also start to mount.
During times when the flu and other illnesses peak, invest in a regular cleaning of all surfaces and spaces. Designate an employee or hire a commercial cleaning company to disinfect countertops, printers, kitchen appliances, door knobs, and other common areas where bacteria and viruses thrive. Regularly hire a company to clean heating and cooling ducts. Make sanitizers and cleaning wipes available to employees to stem the spread of illnesses in the workplace.
Putting off floor cleaning
Floor cleaning is an important part of the effort to minimize workplace injuries, specifically slips, trips, and falls. During busy season and peak operations, it can be difficult to find time to schedule an employee to take on the task. Without a deep clean, the build-up of dirt and grime can lead to a floor that requires an increased amount of labor to clean while increasing the chance of workplace injuries. The extra effort, supplies, and expense of workplace injuries can impact your bottom line, both in costs and disruption in operations.
The solution: schedule a regular deep floor cleaning for carpets and hard floors. To maintain normal operations (without disruption), contact a cleaning company to schedule a floor cleaning during off hours or during company shut-downs.
Disrupting productivity
Facility cleaning and preventative maintenance is a part of business. It is vital for employee health, building value, and long- and short-term budgets. While cleaning and maintenance are vital, neither task should interfere with daily operations. When cleaning and preventative maintenance need to be performed before or after business hours, such as parking lot maintenance and floor cleaning, do a cost analysis to determine the cost difference between hiring a commercial cleaning and maintenance company or paying overtime for an employee.
Too often, companies assume that utilizing employees is the cheaper option without looking at the big picture. As part of the analsis, determine whether outsourcing would cost less and cause less disruption in daily operations (often by performing the cleaning task or maintenance during off hours).
Not scheduling a regular deep clean
A deep clean of office and facility space are a necessary tactic in the battle against germs and in maintaining facility value. A regular deep clean is also easy to overlook, especially when time and budgets are tight. What ‘regular’ means differs from business to business; schedule a deep clean of the kitchen, restrooms, office areas, conference rooms, facility floors, and other common spaces depending on the amount of foot traffic and type of business conducted.
