Let’s be completely honest with each other: for many business owners, contract cleaning falls low on their list of priorities. This unfortunate circumstance most often comes from incorrect assumptions about the necessity of a contract cleaner and the costs involved.
In reality, contract cleaning services are about more than simply keeping a workplace looking ‘neat’ and have some very real effects on employee health. Don’t believe us? Read on to find out how a lack of professional cleaning could be affecting your workforce (and why it’s important to acknowledge that).
- Allergies
Lots of sneezing happening without so much as a hint of pollen? Find yourself saying ‘bless you’ until your throat is hoarse? You can bet that’s down to dust allergies overtaking your team – and it’s even worse if there is a hint of pollen outside. Although they don’t seem life threatening, dust allergies could lead to more pressing health problems, as well as making the office a far from appealing place to work. And let’s not forget the number of germs being fired into the air at 100mph – they’re not helping other staff to stay healthy!
- Contaminated Cooking
Obviously your employees aren’t cooking up a gourmet three course meal during their lunch break, and the office kitchen doesn’t exactly need to be kitted out like Gordon Ramsay’s personal work station. That being said though, there’s still the possibility of illnesses and even food poisoning which arise from an unclean food preparation environment – unwashed dishes, festering leftovers and surfaces which haven’t seen a wipe down since the last new starter arrived are all culprits of kitchen contamination.
- Mould-Induced Illnesses
Once mould has settled into a building, it becomes a massive chore to remove it forever (though regular cleaning can vanquish those spiteful spores). Having mould growing anywhere in your workplace should be a red flag due to the danger it poses to anyone suffering from asthma or who has any other breathing issues. If it becomes worse over time, you could end up seeing a spike in chest infections in healthy employees too. Left untreated, mould can make for a poisonous atmosphere to work in.
- Illnesses Spreading Like Wildfire
‘No one uses the kitchen to cook’, you might say. Or perhaps you’re thinking ‘no one in my team has asthma’. That’s great, but it doesn’t detract from the harm an unclean office is doing to your workforce. Common diseases – like colds and the flu – are easily spread in an unclean environment. Desks that aren’t regularly cleaned become breeding grounds for the bacteria and viruses which help common illnesses to thrive and spread between hosts, and every unclean surface plays its part in propagating more illness. Come winter time, your workplace could very easily become overrun with coughs and sneezes, spreading more diseases.
- Poor Performance
All of these health detriments lead to one inevitable conclusion: sick days. Days spent in bed, smothered in Vix vapour rub and wrapped up in blankets for your employees, and days where work is being missed and productivity slips for the business. Or if an employee is feeling up to braving the office environment (and sharing their germs with the team), then they’ll have the joy of working whilst ill – in which case, output may still be happening, but it will also absolutely be slowed down. When you’re not feeling your best, it’s reflected in you work – and eventually in the business’ performance.
Help! My Workplace Isn’t Healthy!
Too many of these effects hitting too close to home? Calm down, take a deep breath (outside) and relax: an unclean office can be fixed. With consistent, high quality care and a strategic combination of professional cleaning products, you can turn your workplace from an illness-factory into a glowing beacon of productive health and wellness.
To get started, simply get in touch with Merco – the only cleaning contractors in Greater Manchester with a 100% reliability guarantee. Don’t wait for the first sniffles of a cold – drop us a line today!