Commercial Cleaning: Keeping your Business Clean
The holidays are a busy time of year. You have end of the year tasks stacking up on top of normal operations. There are taxes to be prepared, budgets to be calculated, and plans for the next year to be considered. For many businesses, the holidays are also linked to increases in sales. (And none of this is intended to ignore the fact that you’re personally busy during the holidays: parties, shopping, and more parties.) Just reading this probably has your heart racing! But in the midst of the stress and chaos (and hopefully joy) of the holidays, it is important to remember to stay on top of the everyday, sometimes mundane, tasks: like business cleaning.
Why it is important for keeping your business clean?
Making cleaning a daily priority is important! (see our November post: A Clean Office is… for additional reasons why cleanliness is so important.) Keeping business cleaning as a high priority is smart business for several reasons:
Dirty business may turn customers away
Your business is your most important calling card. In their research, business analysts Dr. Dennis Gioia and Dr. Kevin Corley have discovered that when it comes to perceptions a clean business can be more important than doing good business. The appearance of your business can make a lasting impression that can impact the way a customer perceives your product or services. For example, if you have a dusty or cluttered lobby, then the customer is likely to perceive your output as lacking an attention to detail. So business cleaning is a necessary task for good business.
Employees will be more productive
A clean office has greater employee output and satisfaction. Dr. Jeffrey Campbell of the Center for Facilities Research has discovered that a cluttered office is linked to employee high levels of stress and frustration with lowered levels of productivity. And business cleaning is more than simple organization. An employee who cannot maneuver the filing system is likely to experience this stress. But so is the employee who notices the lamps are dusty or the baseboards are dirty. Business cleaning can provide a workplace that employees can be proud of, which makes them happy workers with high productivity.
Prolong life of equipment
Clean office equipment, cared for with the proper janitorial supplies, can have lasting benefits that speak to your bottom line: saving you money. The experts at techpro.com have identified that keeping your business cleaning is a necessary part of the regular maintenance of your office machinery, such as computers and copiers. Dust and debris can slow down the operating speed of your equipment, reduce the operating life of your machinery, and even void the normal warranty of your office equipment. All of these can cost you a lot of money. It is important that you stay on top of business cleaning so that your equipment can work hard and long for you.
Safety
We know that we have mentioned it before. We cannot repeat it enough. A clean business is just safer, for you, your employees, and your customers. (For a reminder, please visit our previous post Winter Tips for Your Business and Employees.) And business cleaning could not save your more than in the safety of the people who enter your business. Legal expert Joseph Perkins claims that in America businesses are involved in more than 15 million lawsuits each year, which averages out to one new claim every two seconds. Having a clean business can be your protection from such stressful outcomes.
How to keep your business clean?
Because business cleaning is such a high priority, you should follow these cleaning tips to increase the janitorial services of your office:
Delegate cleaning to employees
You are unlikely to have a single person who can complete all of the janitorial services in your office. You could try splitting the work up across multiple employees. Working together can make keeping the office clean a more reasonable task.
Keep track of cleaning responsibility
As with all delegation, the key to success is accountability. You want to stay organized in your delegation. Keep a list with all business cleaning assignments available for you and all of your employees. The list should include answers to the following questions: What is the task? who is responsible for it? What is the schedule for completion? Remember: not all business cleaning tasks need to be completed daily. Some items may be on a weekly or monthly schedule. By staying organized in your delegation, you can guarantee that all business cleaning will get accomplished.
Keep cleaning supplies handy
In order for business cleaning to be a daily task, the supplies must be in a place that is convenient for employees. If someone notices the restrooms are untidy, but the supplies are inaccessible, then he or she is unlikely to do anything about it. In fact, you can store the supplies (hidden from customers) in a location that could remind employees about their assigned duties and expected obligation to keep the workplace clean. Put it somewhere they are likely to see them. And remember to have the correct janitorial supplies. Ask your employees what supplies they need in order to complete their tasks.
Do daily inspections
Checking on the cleanliness does not need to be as difficult or dramatic as that sounds. You do not need to get certified by the health department to do daily inspections. Instead of taking on the perspective of a drill sergeant or health department representative, walk through your office as if you were an employee or a customer. And ask yourself, “How does our business cleaning impact my perception of this company?”
Hire commercial cleaning company
Hiring a commercial cleaning company is smart business. These cleaning services can save you money by prolonging the life of your machinery, increasing the productivity of your workers, and keeping your customers satisfied. (For more reasons to hire a commercial cleaning company, see our blog post: Commercial Cleaning Services: Benefits of Outsourcing Your Cleaning.) The real reason you should hire a commercial cleaning services to complete your business cleaning…you deserve it. You work hard to provide your employees with a safe and happy work environment. And you guarantee your employees a good product. By this time of the year, you have worked hard and deserve a break. And a good commercial cleaning company can provide just that. Outsourcing your cleaning services can be just what your holiday needs!
