A clean environment is long proven to provide many benefits in an office setting. On the other hand, the inability to consistently keep our office clean can lead to erroneous consequences that will cost us more than time, money, and effort. The following is a list of potential drawbacks of an unkempt office that you should prevent from occurring in your workplace:
Bad Impression
The first impression matters not just in business, politics, personal affairs, even in the appearance of your workplace. Clients and potential hires alike tend to generalize your work ethics and office culture in their first few seconds inside it. A clean environment might result in a good to a normal reaction, while a dirty one will most likely elicit a negative impression. Make your first impression count with a clean office setting.
Decreased Productivity and Concentration
An unkempt office means cluttered desks, floors, and drawers, and this mess is one of the leading causes of stress in a workplace. Being unable to find something you need can hinder and cost too much time to accomplish a single task.
Concentration can also be negatively affected by having an unorganized workplace. A display of piles of rubbish and lurid odor while working can not only distract employees but will also leave them thinking if staying in your office is worth it.
Unhealthy Environment
An uncleaned and undisinfected office is a playground for a variety of microorganisms that can harbor diseases. A dirty workplace can result in the proliferation of bacteria and viruses in the air or surface of the tables, walls, chairs, pens, and quite possibly all the things around your work environment. An office at this state poses many occupational hazards to the employee’s well-being, and it is likely to induce an increase in sick leaves and health insurance costs. Just as stress and distractions reduce the company’s progress, so are absences because of sickness, which is worse than a minute distraction.
Low Morale
All the things mentioned above are interconnected and keeps the employee’s emotions and sense of belongingness to their company in check. Failure to have a clean working environment affects many aspects of the employee’s day-to-day office life resulting in low-quality work. It can also give an impression of neglect leading to some employees may consider leaving for a better workplace and management. It can also take a toll on your work relationships as it may cause disrespect and bad evaluation for you.
The best practice is to routinely clean your office so that the garbage will not pile and be less taxing for you to deal with later on. You can also share the responsibility of keeping the workplace kept by incorporating discipline and awareness with your employees. Hiring a cleaning service can also help you solve your problem, and there are hundreds of cleaning services out there that will fit your needs and budget. Spending dime and time to clean your office is better than losing people, dime and time with a dirty one.