If like so many of us, you started your business off as a one-man-band, providing a service or selling a product using wholly online resources, then you may feel at home surrounded by overflowing bins and empty takeaway containers. I’m not suggesting that you’re a particularly slobbish person, that’s just the kind of commitment it takes to get a venture off the ground! As you expand, however, it’s important to keep up certain standards of cleanliness. Here’s why…
Good First Impressions
When you have a clean and tidy office, it will give off a great first impression to any potential customers or partners who may be looking around. Put yourself in their shoes for a minute. If you were considering switching over to a new supplier and got invited to their office, only to see overflowing bins and coffee rings covering all of the desks, you wouldn’t be all that inclined to initiate a deal, no matter how impressive their production capabilities were. To ensure you’re exerting as much professionalism as possible, you need to keep a clean and tidy office.
Healthier Workforce
Offices, in general, are a massive breeding ground for germs, particularly at this time of year. When you’re trying to get a brand off the ground, the last thing you need is half of your staff catching the same bug and taking a lot of sick days. You can avoid this costly scenario by keeping up standards of cleanliness in your office. A cleaner office will harbor fewer germs and bacteria, meaning healthier, happier employees, less sick days, and more productivity overall. If you’re taking care of your cleaning yourself, rather than paying for office cleaning services, make sure you’re not just targeting the bathroom. While this is going to stand more risk of harboring germs and harmful bacteria, it’s not the only place you should be cleaning. Other communal areas like reception and the staff room are also hotbeds for bugs.
Clean Offices Are Safe Offices
When you’re keeping high standards of cleanliness, it will make you and everyone in the workforce safer, and not just because they’ll stand less chance of catching a cold! When standards drop, and the office becomes full of slippery or sticky floors, tangled nests of wires, litter, and various other hazards, it increases the risk of an accident. This will not only take one of your employees out of action but can lead to a full-blown personal injury claim in worst case scenarios!
Happier, Harder-Working Employees
When everyone’s doing their bit to keep the office clean and organized, it will promote a greater sense of teamwork and cooperation, and encourage your staff to take greater pride in the company they work for. This will naturally lead to more productive workers, which will have positive impacts in all areas of the business. Furthermore, dirt and clutter are detrimental to a lot of people’s moods, and happiness has been proven time and time again to be linked to productivity. Need I say more?