Maintaining a clean, hygienic, and organised workspace is essential for every business, including those with a shared desk policy. The cleanliness of the workspace impacts employee morale and productivity, contributing to your business success.
It can be challenging ensuring your office remains clean and tidy, especially with shared desks, when employees do not take responsibility for cleaning up after themselves. With more businesses focusing on a hybrid working environment, shared desks become common place within offices. Even if you have a professional cleaning service, you still need to ensure your staff are held accountable to clean up after themselves between professional cleans.
The Sloane Cleaning Services team have put some effective tips together to help you encourage employees to keep shared desks clean:
In order to encourage your employees to keep shared desks clean, you are going to have to set some clear expectations. It is a good idea to introduce a clean desk policy, outlining the standards for cleanliness, along with what employees are expected to do to ensure desks are spotless and hygienic before they leave.
Any expectations should be clearly communicated to your employees, including any new employees that start work with your business. Setting guidelines, reinforcing guidelines with notices, along with sending out memos to remind employees are some of the ways to encourage a clean shared desk policy in your office space.
In order to ensure employees keep shared desks clean, you can introduce a cleaning schedule. This outlines the cleaning responsibilities expected from each employee when they use the office. This can be when the desks should be cleaned, along with what needs to be cleaned, and what products to use. This should be done multiple times a day, every time an employee leaves the office, ensuring the desk is ready for the next employee.
You cannot expect your employees to keep shared desks clean if they are not provided with the right products and tools. Bins should be placed in convenient locations, and emptied regularly. Cleaning cupboards should be stocked with cleaning supplies, microfibre cloths, disinfectant, and paper towels. The vacuum cleaner, mop, or broom should be readily available to clean under any desk that may have dirt, spills, or crumbs.
While you may not have a shared desk being office manager or business owner, you should lead by example. You cannot expect employees to keep desks clean and healthy, when yours is dusty, dirty, and cluttered. When employees see you taking the time to clean and de clutter your own desk, they are more likely to do the same.
In order to ensure all your employees understand the importance of maintaining clean shared desks, you will want to communicate with them on a regular basis. Take the time to remind them of the importance of a clean desk policy, highlighting the importance, ensuring they understand that it benefits them, along with your business.
As long as your team work together to ensure clean shared desks, you will keep your office clean. Remind employees that they do not want to arrive at a dirty desk, so they should ensure this doesn't happen to the next employee using the same desk. There should be a clear system on what to clean and how for each employee before they leave the office.
Taking into consideration that the average office desk can have up to ten million bacteria, four hundred times more than a toilet seat. Desks are breeding grounds for germs and illnesses. When you have a shared desk policy in the workplace, the cleanliness of desks cannot be understated. In order to improve hygiene and safety in the workplace, you will want to encourage employees to keep shared desks clean. Do you need help keeping your office clean and healthy? Get in touch with the Sloane Cleaning Services team today to secure your free, no obligation quote.