Today's offices are shifting to hybrid work environments, hot desking, collaborative areas, and shared workspaces. Shared workstations have proven to increase efficiency and productivity, but with double the traffic, thee is an extra responsibility to bear in mind, maintaining cleanliness and hygiene. Workspaces should be clean and healthy, as this directly impacts health, employee satisfaction, morale, and productivity.
There are a few things a business can do to improve the hygiene of shared workstations in open plan offices. These include:
In order to maintain a clean and healthy workspace, consistency is key. This means having a regular cleaning schedule in place. Cleaning schedules should outline the frequency of cleaning, cleaning tasks, and responsibilities, ensuring all areas of the open plan office is thoroughly cleaned and sanitised to promote a healthy workspace.
As you are offering shared workstations in an open plan design, it's important to encourage employees to adopt a clean desk policy. This fosters a clean and hygienic work environment, helping to keep the office clean, healthy, and neat. A clean desk policy encourages employees to keep their workstations organised and tidy, free of clutter, ensuring it is ready for the next employee that uses the workstation. Workstations should be sanitised regularly to reduce the risk of bacteria, germs, and allergens. A top tip is to provide employees with disinfectant sprays and wipes, enabling them to wipe down the desk after use.
Shared workstations often have high traffic areas as there are so many employees coming and going throughout the day. High traffic areas should be identified and cleaned daily. This includes high touch points, such as light switches, telephones, computer keyboards and mice, door handles, kitchens, break rooms, and wash rooms.
Using the correct cleaning products is important to maintain cleanliness and hygiene. It also helps enhance the lifespan of expensive equipment. Some of the cleaning products you should have readily available include:
Every office is unique and your shared workstations in an open plan office is different to other offices that operate in the same way. Ensure that your cleaning practices are reviewed regularly and encourage employees to provide feedback on the cleanliness of the office space, identifying areas that require additional attention.
Indoor air quality is often overlooked but adequate ventilation is essential to maintain a healthy workspace. Your air conditioning systems should be regularly maintained with air filters replaced in a timely manner. You will find using eco-friendly cleaning products can enhance indoor air quality, reducing the risk of allergies and respiratory issues, in turn, reducing absenteeism.
Maintaining clean and healthy workstations in open plan offices is essential to the overall well-being and happiness of your employees. Implementing a cleaning schedule, choosing the right cleaning products, allowing ventilation, and encouraging a clean desk policy can all be beneficial in maintaining a spotless and hygienic workspace where your employees feel valued and safe. Get in touch with our team at Sloane Cleaning Services today to find out more.