With Back to School season upon us and flu season coming up, it’s important that everyone works together to maintain a clean work environment.

Regular cleanings from a professional commercial cleaning company are crucial in keeping the amounts of germs down and preventing the spread of germs. However, there are small cleaning tasks that employees can do in between these professional cleanings to help.

Encourage proper hand washing. Make sure all employees are washing their hands before and after handling food, after using the restroom, after sneezing or coughing, and after handling anything that you think may be dirty. Providing hand sanitizer stations throughout your business is another way to encourage hand washing.

Show them the benefit of a clean work environment. Having a clean work environment typically means less germs and better health.  Employees will use fewer sick days and will overall be more productive. Also, having a cleaner work environment means less hazards around that could lead to accidents.

Schedule cleaning events. Employees can be responsible for their workspace, meeting areas, storage areas, etc. These can become team building type events where employees can take a break from the daily work they do. Employees work together to straighten, purge and clean specific areas. Maintaining organized areas will also allow employees to be more productive and increase company morale.

What can you do to help?

First and foremost, encourage your employees! Show them the benefits of a clean, healthier workplace. If possible, reward employees for helping to keep areas throughout the company clean. While cleaning is not generally fun, scheduling fun events that involve cleaning are more likely to get employees on board and encouraged.

Make sure your company is receiving regular professional janitorial services. While employees can help maintain a clean environment, it is crucial that companies have regular cleanings to sanitize and ensure that areas are as clean as possible. Commercial cleaning companies are also able to help you clean areas that employees likely miss such as: carpet cleaning, tile and floor cleaning, window cleaning and sanitizing bathrooms.

Make sure the company providing you with cleaning services is taking steps to help you create a healthy office environment. Check the scope of work and see how often items are being cleaned. Ask for an increase in disinfecting touch points and other areas during cold and flu seasons and make sure they are using proper disinfectants and procedures.

Octagon Building Care is a leader in commercial cleaning and building solutions for Fort Worth, Arlington, and Dallas. Follow us on Facebook for more great information.