Clean Job Sites

Many employers require workers to keep their work areas clean, with some managers even considering the cleanliness of each employee’s work area when performing annual reviews. Cleaning work areas regularly prevent the buildup of dirt, food particles, grime and dust, but there are several other reasons employees should be concerned with cleanliness at job sites.

Infection Control

Infection control is a priority in the hospitality and healthcare industries, as infectious organisms can spread quickly if workers don’t take appropriate precautions. Restaurant workers must wash their hands regularly and avoid touching ready-to-eat food with their bare hands. These steps help control the spread of foodborne illnesses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that these illnesses kill approximately 3,000 Americans per year. For instance, health care workers must wash their hands regularly, wear gloves when handling blood and other body fluids, dispose of needles in puncture-resistant sharps containers, sterilize used medical tools and take other precautions to prevent the spread of HIV, hepatitis and other bloodborne illnesses.

Injury Prevention

Keeping work areas clean and tidy helps prevent slips, trips, falls and injuries caused by falling objects. Good cleanliness can also prevent flammable materials from igniting and causing workplace fires. The Nonprofit Risk Management Center recommends establishing a schedule of daily, weekly and monthly cleaning tasks for employees. The schedule should include employee break rooms or kitchen areas, bathrooms, desks and other work surfaces, computer keyboards and telephones. Managers should also identify cleanliness expectations and ensure that all employees adhere to these standards.

Professional Reputation

Maintaining a tidy work area affects your professional reputation in the workplace, according to a survey conducted by the U.S. staffing firm Adecco. “Forbes” contributor Jenna Goudreau summarized the results of this survey, reporting that 57 percent of respondents judge their colleagues based on the tidiness — or messiness — of their offices. Some respondents also indicated they consider a messy office a sign of laziness. A clean, neat work environment is more inviting for customers and helps business owners make a more positive impression. That’s why home service companies like Mr. Handyman make it a top priority to keep a tidy job site and maintain a professional appearance at all time.

Legal Compliance

Several agencies have standards that relate to sanitation and cleanliness in the workplace. OSHA standard 1910.37(a)(3) says that exit routes must be unobstructed, which means employees must keep them clear of equipment and materials. Standard 1910.141 addresses sanitation issues such as vermin control, housekeeping and waste disposal. Provincial departments of health have requirements for restaurants, banquet halls, mobile food facilities, hotels, and other businesses that prepare and sell food.
Employee Satisfaction

“Forbes” also summarized the results of a 2011 study conducted by OfficeMax. Out of more than 1,000 adult workers, 77 percent said clutter affects their productivity in the workplace. More than 50 percent said disorganization affects their motivation levels and state of mind. Office clutter can be minimized by assigning everything its own place, simplifying paperwork and establishing zones for different types of work.

When you’re trying to make your business establishment a place where customers would want to go, you have to focus on a lot of things. You have to make sure that the products you offer are topnotch. You need to have knowledgeable personnel who can deal pleasantly with customers. The ambiance of the place should be relaxing and inviting, so people can feel at ease. With your focus on so many different things, sometimes the simple need for clean and proper restrooms can get lost in the shuffle.

People Avoid Establishments with Dirty Restrooms

A telephone survey conducted by Harris Interactive revealed that just about everyone—94% to be exact—would stop returning to an establishment if they ever encounter a dirty restroom. When asked about specifics, 79% of the more than a thousand adult respondents identified hotels and restaurants as places which should have clean restrooms if they want customers to return. Another 77% would not return to healthcare facilities with dirty restrooms, and 50% thought the same of supermarkets. Sizable number of people also expected retail stores, gasoline stations, and even car dealerships to offer clean restrooms, if they wanted their customers to come back for another visit.

What’s a Dirty Restroom?

Some people have different definitions of what “dirty” means when it comes to restrooms.Another survey by Harris Interactive clarified this issue by conducting a survey among more than 3100 adults. About 93% would call a restroom dirty if it had sticky or grimy floors.

Other signs of dirty restrooms include:

• Toilets that have not been flushed
• Foul odor
• Trash cans filled to the brim
• Toilet paper or paper towels on the floor
• No toilet paper
• Soap dispensers are empty or outdated
• There’s water around the sink area or on the floor
• Broken doors and toilet seats
• Insufficient lighting
• Graffiti

How You Can Lose Business

People want clean restrooms not just because they want a pleasant experience while they’re there. In many cases, customers equate the cleanliness of the restroom to the quality of the service or product the business is offering. For example, a majority of customers believe that the cleanliness of the restroom in a restaurant is a clear indication of the cleanliness of the kitchen. If you can’t take care of your restroom, the reasoning goes, then you can’t be expected to take care of the rest of your business.

It’s not just the fact that a customer won’t return that causes you to lose business. You also lose any potential referrals. And with social networking sites like Facebook these days, the word can spread about your dirty restrooms like wildfire.

Keeping your business restroom clean and nice can’t be just an afterthought or a bonus service. It’s an essential part of doing business if you’re serious about success because dirty restrooms and most definitely mean lost business.