Productivity takes a massive hit when winter hits. There’s the decreased amount of daylight – that definitely doesn’t help, nor does the colder weather, both of which together lowers morale and generally makes your employees more sluggish. It’s natural, and there are plenty of documented ways to combat this kind of seasonal behavior. One thing you can’t fight through positive thinking, however, are the germs and flus that become more quite common during winter. For that, you need a professional cleaning service.
Winter illness is a huge problem for companies seeking to maintain productivity throughout the season. The CDC estimates that approximately 17 million workdays are lost every year to influenza-related illnesses, many of which could have been prevented. Vaccination is the usual countermeasure, and definitely one you should encourage among your employees. However, you can take additional steps to prevent illness by keeping your work environment clean during the colder months.
What Winter Cleaning Looks Like
Professional cleaning companies offer a number of services based on the type of office and your particular cleaning needs. At a bare minimum, basic janitorial services are something you should have for your office on a monthly basis, if not weekly or even daily. Your janitorial services should include restroom sanitation, carpet care, floor care, waste removal, and recycling services – the basics of cleaning, in other words, all of which can contribute to prevent the spread of illness among your staff.
More comprehensive commercial cleaning services can include upholstery cleaning, hard floor surface care, window cleaning, computer room cleaning, and carpet cleaning. This is the kind of cleaning that can do a lot to prevent the spread of influenza, as germs have a tendency to build up in chairs, on windows, and in carpets, making them dangerous repositories of disease that are best cared for often.
Professional office cleaning services can be engaged for additional cleaning services, such as cubicle and workstation cleaning, dusting and wood furniture polishing, and the cleaning of your lobby or reception area. This thorough attention to the details of an office, and where germs are most likely to build up in that office (i.e., wherever employees spend most of their time), is vital to ensuring that your employees’ health is safeguarded, along with your company’s productivity and therefore its bottom line.
Healthy Habits Make Healthy Employees
Your employees can do a lot to make sure that they are preventing the spread of disease themselves. First and foremost, it’s important that they wash their hands in the restroom. Sometimes people forget, or are in a rush, or who knows what; but this where many illnesses end up getting passed on to others, and so your employees can do a lot of good just by washing their hands. Putting up a sign as a reminder can, in itself, do a lot of good; the occasional intra-office PSA may help as well.
Your employees should also not be afraid to call off if they are sick. Yes, you don’t want to lose productivity, but your employees will hardly be productive while they are in the grip of the flu. You stand to lose very little if an ill employee stays home, but if they come to work, they are very likely going to spread their illness to your other employees. This either means they will have to call off as well, or they will come in ill, get next to no work done, and then call off themselves.
Look Out For Your Employees and They’ll Look Out For You
It pays to be reasonable about illness among your employees and take precautionary measures whenever possible. Cleaning services are a great way to do take such measures, and they are surprisingly affordable as well. When you consider how much productivity, and therefore profit, you are likely to lose if you are not cautious regarding employee illness this winter, it is obvious that the economic choice is to invest in cleaning services, and therefore in your employees’ continued health and wellbeing.
Consider also that your employees will work more efficiently and generally be more satisfied when they are working in a cleaner, more organized environment. It’s a proven fact that people are just more productive when their workspace is clean! Between their improved attitudes and their reduced number of sick days, this winter could be the best quarter yet for your business.
