How clean are your employees’ work areas? The answer might surprise you. Even the most organized people may not regularly clean their desk. Without soap, water, or sanitizer sprays, their work surface eventually becomes a haven for bacteria.
Your Work Areas Are Dirtier Than You Might Think
People touch things. They get sick. They bring in bacteria from their spouse or children, and they spread it throughout the office. These are devices that are commonly on someone's desk, yet rarely cleaned. Some of the dirtiest things in the office include:
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Keyboards. People touch keyboards all the time and rarely invest in a computer-keyboard cleaner. A person may come in from outside and immediately begin typing, and they won't wash their hands afterward.
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Mice. Like keyboards, mice are touched all the time by dirty hands. Mice are rarely cleaned and hardly ever replaced, which leads to them becoming dirty and discolored over time.
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Office phones. An office phone can be shared by multiple employees but is also rarely cleaned. Germs can spread from person to person if a phone is shared, as people are talking directly into the device.
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Smartphones. Smartphones have been proven to be one of the dirtiest devices people commonly interact with. Smartphones are thrown into bags, tossed on tables, touched by hands, shared, and then held up to faces.
Spreading Germs Throughout the Office
There's a reason why half the office often calls out sick during flu season; they're getting the flu from each other. When people don't clean their office spaces, bacteria can thrive. Bacteria will continue to grow and spread around the office until almost everyone is sick. While a business can take care of common spaces, employees must also be encouraged to take care of their own desks.
Keeping Employees Out When Sick
Employees frequently come in when they're sick, whether they don't want to be perceived as lazy or they just don't realize they're ill. When employees come in sick, they spread infections to other employees, and dampen the productivity of the entire office. Employers should encourage employees to take sick time off that they need; in the long run, it saves the company money.
The Benefits of a Clean Desk Area
A clean desk doesn't just improve general health. It also improves productivity and efficiency. A clean, organized desk area will make it easier to find documents and important information. Office workers will waste 40% of their workday, largely due to disorganization. Further, 27% of employees feel disorganized when they're at work, and 91% felt that their productivity could improve if they were more organized.
Cleaning Supplies and Storage for Your Office
The easiest way you can ensure that your employees are taking care of their offices is to provide them with the materials to do so. Purchase cleaning supplies and storage for your office, so it's all readily accessible. Create time for employees to organize. At least once a month, you can have a day dedicated to deep cleaning, during which employees clean their offices and organize their things.
A healthy office is a happy office, and you can improve both the healthiness and happiness of your offices by encouraging clean, well-organized desks. Browse the products at ELEVATE Marketplace for some great office organization ideas.
