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Office Hygiene Policy 101: How to Ensure Your Workplace is Clean at All Times

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As every successful business owner or manager will tell you, having a clean and hygienic office is absolutely crucial. In addition to safeguarding your and your employees’ health, a spotless office boosts productivity, reduces the chance of workers taking sick leave, and leaves a positive impression on clients and partners.

While booking reputable office cleaning services in Charlotte, NC is a great way to ensure your premises are regularly cleaned by the experts, you also need to make sure your employees take workplace hygiene seriously.

The most effective way to do this is by creating an office hygiene policy. Read on to learn what a workplace hygiene policy is and how to implement one.

What are the basic principles of office hygiene etiquetteWhat are the basic principles of office hygiene etiquette?

A workplace hygiene policy is a written document that informs everyone at the office of what exactly is expected of them in terms of cleanliness. Every employee should be given a copy of the policy, while extra copies should be placed at highly visible locations (eg., next to the coffee maker or the water cooler).

Workplace hygiene policies commonly expect the employees to:

  • Wear clean clothes to work
  • Shower and brush their teeth on a daily basis
  • Keep themselves reasonably well-groomed
  • Wash their hands with water and soap after using the bathroom or eating
  • Wash drinking and eating utensils after they’re done using them (or put them in the dishwasher)
  • Refrain from touching or using their coworkers’ eating or drinking utensils
  • Put a tissue or a hand over their mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing
  • Wipe down their desk, keyboard, and computer mouse with disinfectant wipes after they arrive at the workplace
  • Refrain from eating smelly foods at the office
  • Refrain from touching their coworkers’ desks or equipment
  • Refrain from cluttering their desk or the areas between the desks
  • Wear a face mask if they’re currently sick with flu, cold, or a similar infectious disease

Disciplinary action should be taken against employees who repeatedly fail or refuse to comply with the above guidelines. However, this should only be done as a last resort, after you’ve already had a talk with the unhygienic worker and failed to resolve the issue privately.

Should employees be expected to clean the office?

Yes and no. As you can see in the rules outlined above, your staff should observe basic hygiene and keep their workstations tidy. They should also be expected to provide basic cleaning in case they have an accident (eg., they spill a coffee on their desk).

Everything beyond that is a job for professional cleaners. Unless the employees in question are full-time janitors, you should never ask them to mop or vacuum the floors, dust cabinets, wash windows, disinfect high-touch surfaces, or perform other time-consuming types of cleaning.

The reasons for this are as follows:

  • It’s demoralizing. Most people want to perform the tasks they trained for and advance their careers. The last thing they wish to do is to clean toilets during their work hours.
  • It slows down work. Your staff can’t do their jobs if they’re spending their time at the office with a mop in hand. This can result in huge productivity losses over time.
  • It’s ineffective. The average person lacks the training and the experience needed to perform in-depth (or even passable) commercial cleanings.

Should employees be expected to clean the officeWhere can I book premier office cleaning services in Charlotte, NC?

Most small and medium-sized businesses in America can’t afford to hire full-time janitors. Luckily for them, they don’t have to! Here at Whystle, we specialize in sending the very finest commercial cleaners in Charlotte straight to your company’s premises.

Take full advantage of our impeccable work ethic and total satisfaction guarantee while you take your family to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Reach out to us today!