Posted

By: Melissa Clark

An organized and mess-free office is more than just good for appearances: It can actually support clear thinking and higher productivity among staff members. There’s no better time than spring to take care of housekeeping issues your company has been putting off all winter.

Spring cleaning around the workplace should mean more than sweeping floors and wiping down countertops. It should be an opportunity review housekeeping practices and digital clutter. A successful spring cleaning will consider accident reduction measures and ways to minimize liability risk.

Below is a short list of tips you can use to make your workplace a little bit cleaner this spring.

Help Keep Hands Clean

Although cold and flu season is now in the rearview mirror, spring cleaning is a good time to reinforce the idea of keeping employees’ hands germ-free. If your company isn’t already, provide employees with hand sanitizer dispensers in common areas; install touchless paper towel and soap dispensers in washrooms; and set up a regular schedule of wiping down work stations with sanitizing wipes.

By keeping hands and surfaces clean, you’ll be keeping employees healthier and reducing call-ins for being sick.

Ensure You Have an Adequate Storage Strategy

Are boxes and equipment constantly getting in the way? Are shelves jam packed with stuff? Is the electrical room doing double duty as a storage closet?

Inadequate storage space can result in damaged equipment, supplies and other important inventory. It can also cause a fall or put staff members in risky situations as they try to get hard-to-reach items. In fact, OSHA has distinct guidelines concerning the way items ought to be stored and handled. Having adequate storage and knowing how materials and items proceed through your business will help ensure work spaces are used only for work only, and not for storage.

Don’t Overlook ‘Uncommon’ Areas

The typical workplace spring cleaning will cover workstations, breakroom(s), bathrooms, the reception area and most other high-traffic parts of a facility. However, out-of-the-way rooms and areas also need regular cleaning and organization. Be sure your spring cleaning includes the basement, roof, electrical room, stairwells and other dusty, musty places.

Give Your Spring Cleaning Effort Organization and Structure

A cleaning program won’t be efficient if there’s no organization, structure or accountability. Give out sheets and checklists for staff members. These sheets should explain the specifics of what needs to be accomplished and possibly how to achieve each cleaning objective, if the approach isn’t very obvious. Sheets could also explain where cleaning supplies are and how to get more.

Consider appointing someone to validate that tasks are finished and rewarding employees for a job well done. Reprimanding employees for a subpar cleaning effort probably isn’t a good idea. You want to encourage your employees to take ownership over the cleanliness of their workspace and facility through encouragement and reward. Your employees probably already have enough on their plates to feel stressed about.

 

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At Cornerstone, we supply custom talent acquisition solutions year-round, from spring to winter. Please contact us today to find out how we can help your organization.


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