Before moving your staff back into the office, it is advisable to have the office deep cleaned. This is where our professional facilities management team at Clean Care Mobile will be able to assist.
Coming up with a safety plan where all the important areas need to be attended to and maintained is the very first step in encouraging a healthy office environment. Once the first step is taken care of, it is important to maintain a high level of cleanliness and enthusiasm in the office or workplace. Once an office safety plan is put into effect, ensure it continues to be the norm and if everyone assists, this will be easy to maintain.
Make the environment healthy as part of your overall wellness culture within the office and promote the ideas in a guide whenever the opportunity arises.
Pinpoint Hotspots That Transmit Viruses and Bacteria
- Which areas in your workspace experience the most traffic and how are specific spaces in the office used
- Find ways to maximise spaces as part of managing the cleaning of your workspace
- Make a mental inventory of all the spaces in your office – know which areas are touched often in each space
- Areas that are frequently touched usually include countertops, tables and desks, the backs of chairs, doorknobs and door handles, light switches and cabinet drawer handles
- Many areas are often touched by individuals such as keyboards, mice, front desk and reception areas, the office phone, lift buttons, desk stationery and more
- The office kitchen is another area that should be tackled and needs to be included in the safety plan. The office kitchen should be placed as a high priority when it comes to your cleaning and safety plan
- Areas that are frequently touched in the office kitchen are appliance handles and appliance controls – these are the microwave, toaster, dishwasher, fridge and other appliances
- Wall switches are also touched regularly
- The bathroom’s high-touch areas include toilet handles, taps and towel dispensers. Opt for “touch–free” dispensers, towels, etc
- Other areas to consider when compiling your office health plan include meeting and conferencing rooms, whiteboards, tables, chairs, remotes and other controls that drive technology
Once deep-cleansing has been undertaken by our professional cleaners, keep your office environment immaculate to keep viruses and germs at bay.
Put a schedule of cleanliness in place with proper disinfection and practices that should be followed by all staff members. This is a step in the right direction in maintaining the hygiene of your office environment and will go a long way in ensuring all staff members are kept in good health.
No cleaning schedule will be the same, differing from one office environment to the next, although practicing daily cleanliness is vital for all businesses.
The cleaning of all surfaces that are touched regularly and the deep cleaning of chairs, upholstery, carpets, and soft furnishings frequently will go a long way to keeping germs and viruses in check.
When to Up the Cleanliness Ante
- Increase the disinfection of offices when there is an outbreak of viruses – we are facing a pandemic of epic proportions with the COVID-19 outbreak; therefore, cleaning should be done more efficiently, regularly and taken seriously
- It is advisable to increase office cleaning during the cold and flu season, too, or at the beginning of each new year
- The start of every school term is another time that cleaning should be accelerated as kids often get colds and flu during these periods
- Whenever there are meetings in the office, large gatherings or other events, sanitising thoroughly is important
- When someone in the office falls ill and is sent home, it is a good idea to sanitise all surfaces
As the stringent lockdown eases off and workers are returning to most work environments at the beginning of June, cleanliness is of paramount importance in the workplace. Many companies are still opting to work remotely, but for many, returning to the work environment it is unavoidable.
Remember – reinforce the washing of hands, keep sanitisers at the door and all common areas in the office such as the kitchen and the bathroom and get rid of all cloth towels. Ensure there are bins at the ready to dispose of paper towels. Paper towels don’t hold the threat of harbouring harmful germs and viruses. Cleanliness is king in a time of uncertainly as the world begins to open, but the real threat of catching the COVID-19 virus still lingers and many individuals are fearful and uncertain. Washing hands, wearing masks outdoors, ensuring sanitisers are in place, social distancing, and keeping the workplace clean with rules that should be adhered to will keep you and your staff as safe as possible. Our new normal is nothing like we experienced our world before, and cleanliness, rules of hygiene plus the assistance of Clean Care Mobile’s professional facilities management teams and products will ensure the work environment is as safe as feasibly possible.
