The recession has his business hard and cut-backs have been inevitable. The logical start to cutting out unnecessary costs may seem like cutting out office cleaning and indeed that has been the case for many UK businesses. A recent survey of 1,000 workers by support service firm resource showed that 2 in 5 firms have cut back on office cleaning and other maintaining services since late 2008 when the economy began its biggest downturn.
However this shouldn’t be the case, not least because of your personal welfare, as research figures indicate that an increase in sickness absence correlates with businesses that have cut back on cleaning their offices. Which shouldn’t come as a surprise, since a lack of general cleanliness invariably leads to a spread of germs that cause illness.
Esther Wassmann, managing director of Resource GB, said: “Understandably, businesses are looking to reduce overheads, however neglecting proper cleaning and maintenance will only add to the cost of sickness absence during the recession.” And went on to stress the responsibilities managers have to protect employee wellbeing.
While the spread of germs is entirely invisible to the human eye, general clutter and mess isn’t. Half the participants’ polls said they had become conscious of what clients would think of their offices as the result of cleaning and maintenance cuts.
Wassmann also asserted that: ”Legally, employers have a duty of care to provide employees with a safe working place, so the fact that so many people consider their workplace unsafe and their colleagues dangerous is very worrying.”
The studies go to show what some businesses take for granted: a clean and tidy office. Because without it, businesses can suffer in terms of staff health and a loss of credibility from potential and current clients – which are in many ways, absolutely priceless.
Another point that should be highlighted from this study is that despite economic downturns certain services can not be avoid or reduced. Take office cleaning for instance, what would new prospects think if they walk into a messy office with papers all over the place, desks cluttered with dust and all sorts of things. What would you think if you were to hire a service from someone that is not capable of organizing its on work place? Exactly, you wouldn’t right?
Use this article as an reference next time you are thinking in cutting down costs and avoid make the mistakes many make. Some services are essential for the well being of your company and its work place.