A clean and hygienic business is the minimum that customers have come to expect from any establishment. They want to see that a business and its employees are clean. Yes folks, that’s way before they even enter the building. Then much less spend any money there.
The consequences of poor indoor air quality and workplace hygiene leave a bad impression. One that’s difficult to scrub away. In the meantime, it might be a great idea to start scrubbing everything else.
1. People Are Constantly Taking Sick Leave
Poor hygiene means that germs spread, and when germs spread, people get sick. Sick people can’t work, which means that productivity goes down while insurance rates rise. This creates an impossibly expensive situation, especially for small businesses. It’s also worth noting that employees who come in sick lead to customers getting sick as a result of exposure. If you constantly have germs around the workplace, things need to be frequently disinfected. You’ll also need to talk to your employees about staying home when they’re sick.
2. The Eco Friendly Crowd Notices
If the workplace itself seems filthy and wasteful ha!
Think about me (conjecture from the Green Living Guy). Ready. Go! Like Joe Rogan in Fear Factor or today it’s Ludicrous.
Anyway, let’s start here. Back in 1998, I studied indoor air quality for schools with working for NYSERDA. This then became the Green Schools Program. I Sh… you not!
It looks worse than this photo below! Which is mold and man or madam can you smell it!
Imagine the smell of this little area on this post. Now imagine walking into a classroom inside of Albany area (that has become the LEADER in Green LEED And Indoor Air Quality) and there’s this rug. They said it smells right here. So the fellow person from EPA, the Lead contractor on the job and I lifted the carpet after moving the chairs to see mold all over and thick. So thick. It’s because the roof leaked back then. Not anymore and they have certainly learned.
I worked with the EPA and know what to smell for. I’m telling people now. We’ve got reach on this post of 12M and growing. Now back to the story here!
So people who are environmentally conscious are going to notice your bad practices!!!
Then!!! They’ll want to shop with a company that has a better green policy. If your dumpsters are overflowing with recyclables and the trash cans are full to the brim, the whole place is going to look like a garbage dump. Having trash everywhere and giving the appearance of non-concern about that isn’t going to bode well with people who are socially responsible. Even if your place has been bleached down from top to bottom, the sheer appearance of wastefulness and lack of maintenance will rise to the forefront.
3. Your Employees Are Getting Hurt
There are several ways an unclean workplace can lead to employees being injured. One is that waste creates hazards that may lead to slip and fall incidents or tripping. Another is that any chemicals used in the workplace wind up coming into contact with the skin or eyes of your employees. They might even inadvertently ingest something contaminated. If the workplace feels unsafe, people are going to leave.
4. Customers Stop Taking You Seriously
If your employees themselves give the appearance that they are unhygienic as individuals, they’re poorly representing you. If body odor, bad breath, and lackluster grooming habits are becoming an issue among employees (which is common among manual labor workers like landscapers, construction workers, and plumbers), people will begin to associate your company with their appearance.
5. Improper Waste Management Makes Working Difficult
A dirty workplace is often congested. The lack of a clear waste management system will assure that your workplace never becomes clean and hygienic. It also means that people will need to climb over garbage bags to get to the stock room. Things that aren’t trashed might get mixed in with things that are trash, and before you know it, you’ve thrown away products or important paperwork and filed away the junk mail.
How to Fix It
Both your employees and your workplace need to be hygienic in order for your business to function appropriately. If your employees routinely become dirty across the course of work, it never hurts to install a combo washing machine and dryer or provide a few showers and backup uniforms on site. Your employees may feel as though they have no choice but to be unhygienic because they can’t go home and change.
As far as the workplace goes, things need to be regularly disinfected. Waste systems need to be organized, the floors need to be swept, and all the major chores need to be tended to on a daily basis. Implement a waste management program, and if necessary, hire an outside cleaning company to come in regularly to do the dirty work.
It’s also highly recommended to have your carpets cleaned every 12-18 months. Carpet fibres are the perfect home for all sorts of pollutants and contaminants that become airborne when your employees walk on them. By having your carpets cleaned by a professional carpet cleaning company you can ensure that your carpets are hygienically clean, dramatically reducing the chance of any respiratory or health issues for your employees who suffer from allergies or breathing problems.
Once you’ve developed a system that works for you, maintaining a hygienic workplace is only a matter of maintenance. Do the hard work once, stay on top of it, and things will stay the way you want them.
About Amanda:
Amanda Singh is an eco-conscious blogger, a green living advocate, and a sustainable traveler. At the moment, Amanda is working as a team leader and content creator at Sitecraft, a professional supplier of recycling and waste management equipment. Feel free to follow her on her Twitter.
