You must have heard the saying “tidy home, tidy mind.” The same goes for a workspace, but it can be difficult getting employees onboard. Keeping the office clean often takes a backseat when it comes to usual duties, leaving workspaces with a tendency to get cluttered, messy and often dirty. This is not the ideal first impression you want your clients to see, and it is also very unhealthy for your staff. If your employees are struggling to understand the point in keeping their workspace clean, here are some ways to encourage them.
- Write a policy: If you clearly spell out what is expected from your employees with regards to cleanliness, there can be no arguments or dissent. Include it in your employee manual and circulate it in a memo.
- Provide incentives and rewards: A great way to motivate staff is with rewards and incentives. You’ll first need to ask the team what incentives would be welcome, and you could encourage healthy competition between departments. Why not offer an extra hour at lunch for the department that has the tidiest workspace each week?
- Offer up a compromise: This could mean you hire out some of the dirtier jobs to a contractor that provides a cleaning service Orange County NY, leaving the more straightforward and less dirty jobs for your employees.
- Provide adequate cleaning equipment: If your employees have the right cleaning products at hand, they’re more likely to undertake simple cleaning jobs. Ensure there is a supply of antibacterial wipes, for example, so that they can clean desktops and other surfaces in the office.
- Providing suitable storage solutions allows your employees to keep their workspaces tidy and free of clutter. Include filing cabinets, bookshelves, under-desk trolleys, and stationery supply containers.
- Introduce a weekly cleaning roster: This is a great way of ensuring everyone gets involved. With a weekly rota, you can allocate cleaning tasks to individual members of the team and ensure everyone takes their turn in keeping the office clean.
- Reduce your reliance on paper: It wasn’t all that long ago that people were thinking about paperless offices, but even though much of our information is now digitalized, there is still a big demand for paper. Reducing paper waste will not only help foster a cleaner office, but it will also help the environment too.
- Implement a clean desk policy and allow people time at the end of the day to ensure they straighten their desks.
- If your employees have specific cleaning tasks included in their job description, they are going to be more likely to complete them. Make it part of the review process and give praise when appropriate.
- Leading by example is a sure-fire way to get your employees on board. If your desk is organized and clean, your staff are sure to follow suit.
Keeping the workplace clean and tidy is essential for everyone involved in your business and creates a good impression for any visitors or clients. Getting everyone onboard is vital if you don’t want to do it all yourself.
Sam Goldman
Tel: (845)-554-5351
261 Liberty Street, Newburgh NY 12550
49 Woodlake Drive, Middletown NY 10940
