Traditionally, office cleaners have been part of an invisible workforce
in the corporate environment clearing up the office out-of-hours, either
late at night or early in the morning. With the growing popularity of
daytime cleaning the visibility and perception of office cleaners has
undergone a dramatic change in the workplace. This has required a change
in mindset not only for the office cleaning team, but also for the
office worker.
The benefits of daytime office cleaning are well
documented and it is now widely accepted that this approach offers a
host of business and operational improvements including reduced costs,
increased productivity and enhanced customer care. However, there is
often some skepticism and mistrust at the start that needs to be
overcome to convince office staff that changes will not disturb the
working environment, but ultimately enhance the office space.
Visibility And Availability
This
increase in the visibility and availability of office cleaning staff
tends to raise the overall awareness of the process, highlighting its
importance and demonstrating the commitment to high standards. As a
result, building occupants tend to show more respect towards office
cleaners when they see them working hard to keep the building clean, so
greater care is often taken by staff and visitors as a result.
Higher
levels of interaction will often occur between the office cleaners and
office staff, with spills and problems often reported immediately, so
issues can be addressed quickly and efficiently to avoid costly-damage
to the office environment. Furthermore, it also leads to greater mutual
understanding, resulting in enhanced communication and less complaints.
Advanced Technology
Some
of the initial resistance amongst office staff to daytime office
cleaning is caused by a misconception that the office cleaners will be
disruptive to their working day, using loud and awkward equipment along
with unpleasant or toxic cleaning chemicals. Therefore, it is necessary
to demonstrate the advancements in cleaning technology to overcome this
misunderstanding.
For example, cordless vacuum cleaners using
lightweight batteries, avoid the need for trailing leads so remove any
potential health and safety risk, whilst low-noise technology enables
previously intrusive activities to take place without causing
disturbances. What is more, backpack vacuum cleaners provide added
mobility in inaccessible or difficult to reach areas. Elsewhere, microfibre technology including cloths and mops remove the
need for using cleaning chemicals, only requiring a minimal amount of
water. This means that horizontal, vertical and floor surfaces can be
cleaned better, faster and safer, without emitting any unpleasant fumes
or odours. Furthermore, tests have shown that these products eliminate
significantly more bacteria than traditional office cleaning tools
providing added protection to office staff.
Staff Engagement
Social
issues are affecting how the office environment is perceived and this
is enabling greater levels of engagement with staff to the benefit of
the office cleaners. High profile concerns such as global warming and
swine flu have led to a wider interest in initiatives linked to the
cleaning operation, providing a chance to educate staff and engage with
them with regards to issues such as sustainability and hygiene.
The
swine flu epidemic last year brought office cleaning and hygiene to the
forefront of people's minds, with businesses and employees alike
looking at ways of minimising the spread of the disease. With desks and
office equipment a breeding ground for germs and bacteria, there is an
opportunity to take advantage of staff concerns to raise awareness of
hygiene issues and offer guidance on how best to prevent infection.
By
briefing employees about the personal and business risks, what measures
are being taken, and how they can help, it is possible to not only to
reduce absenteeism due to sickness, but also reassure staff by offering
added peace of mind.
Recycling has now become an important
consideration for all companies who are under legislative, corporate and
social pressure to reduce the impact of their operation. Increasingly,
an integrated approach is being taken with the cleaning operation, so it
is possible to tap into the desire amongst many people to support
sustainable waste management. By getting staff to work closer with
office cleaning operatives it is possible to achieve a positive office
environment that increase levels of recycled office and operational
waste.
Improved staff communication and engagement will not only
raise the profile of the office cleaners, but also contribute to a
leaner, more effective operation that is positively regarded and is
recognised as being an essential element of the office environment.
Professional Office Cleaning Operations
The
changes in working times brought about by daytime office cleaning means
that there is greater need to position office cleaners as a
professional service provider, so they receive the necessary respect
from office staff and visitors, as well as represent the customer's
business in a positive manger. As a result, new uniforms are often
introduced to smarten up the image of the office cleaning staff to
reflect the new high profile nature of the operation.
Daytime
cleaning also changes the make-up of the operation, with a smaller
number of office cleaners working on a full time basis. This helps the
office cleaning profession to be recognised as a career opportunity, so
this not only boosts the stature of the cleaner within an office
building, but can also ensure a higher calibre of employee looking for a
long-term role.
In addition, this switch to a smaller team of
full-time operatives enables office staff to quickly become familiar
with their individual office cleaners, creating a relationship and
making them part of the corporate environment. This benefit is further
boosted by lower staff turnover that is usually achieved when
introducing daytime office cleaning.
Daytime cleaning offers an
opportunity to positively promote the role of the office cleaning
operation within the corporate environment. Whilst there are some
cultural ramifications and perception issues to deal with, it is
possible to achieve buy-in from all stakeholders within the office
workspace and demonstrate the value that is being provided by the office
cleaning team. Daytime cleaning is changing the image of the cleaner to
everyone's benefit, source.
Carpet Cleaning Watford, Carpet Cleaning Harrow, Carpet Cleaning Hampstead, Office Cleaning London, Cleaning Services London.
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Office Cleaning Companies - Counting The Cost Of Office Cleaning In This Economic Climate
The pressure from customers to reduce costs is greater than ever due to
the current economic climate. Many companies are now reviewing overheads
across their business and looking to see where savings can be made. In
terms of office cleaning, reduced budgets will ultimately lead to a
lower level of service, so it's about taking a logical, common sense
approach that balances savings opportunities against critical business
needs.
Reducing the frequency of the office cleaning operation offers immediate cost savings, with some companies switching from a daily service to alternate days. However, some businesses have taken more extreme measures, which in my opinion is a mistake. For example, if a company is to introduce a deep clean just one day a week and then rely on its staff to maintain the cleanliness of the building for the remainder of the week, this will not only distract employees from their day-to-day roles, but also result in much poorer working conditions by the end of each week.
Careful Planning
Better planning offers a more effective alternative to simply reducing office cleaning across a business. One of the simplest ways of reducing costs is taking a close look at the overall office cleaning operation to focus resources to make the most of budgets. By classifying areas as either high or low profile it is possible to adapt the office cleaning regime to concentrate on critical requirements.
Typically, areas such as the office reception, entrance, washroom, meeting rooms and boardroom are seen as high profile, whilst back office and administrative spaces are seen as low profile. Mind you there is still a fine balance, because cutting back too much on low profile areas can damage the working environment for office staff and have an adverse impact on workforce motivation.
Therefore, companies need to undertake a range of initiatives to effectively remove costs from an office cleaning operation without incurring damaging side affects. Intelligent office cleaning is a way of understanding the needs of an operation to reduce the required hours through better scheduling.
If a meeting room is often only used on certain days of the week does it need to be cleaned on a daily basis? Could it instead be cleaned every other day or only when it has been in use. With some clever thinking it is possible to streamline an office cleaning operation without impacting on levels of cleanliness, which ultimately removes additional costs.
Daytime Approach
Switching to daytime office cleaning offers a host of business and operational benefits including reduced costs, increased productivity and enhanced customer care. Additionally, reducing a building's opening hours, for example from 5am-9pm to 8am-7pm, will enable it to be locked down for longer periods, offering reductions in operational costs such as heating, air conditioning and security.
Also, there is often a change in customer and staff perception when adopting daytime cleaning. The Increase in the visibility of office cleaning staff raises the overall awareness of the process, highlighting its importance and demonstrating the commitment to high standards. Building occupants tend to show more respect towards office cleaning staff when they see them working hard to keep the building clean, so greater care is often taken by staff and visitors as a result. Having office cleaning staff available during a building's opening hours ensures a consistent level of cleanliness throughout the day. With a traditional service, a building is likely to be clean at the beginning of the day and then standards gradually deteriorate until office cleaning staff return the following evening or morning.
Daytime cleaning offers new levels of flexibility and the opportunity to respond to any situation. Office cleaning schedules can be adapted to better meet the needs of customers whether this is identifying operational peaks, or arranging job allocations based on the planned usage of meeting rooms. Moreover, it enables an immediate response in the case of unforeseen accidents and spillages, minimising the required clean up time and promoting a clean and hygienic working atmosphere.
Workplace Hygiene
The swine flu epidemic has brought hygiene to the forefront of people's minds, with companies and employees alike looking at ways of minimising the spread of the disease. What it has highlighted is the ongoing need for proper hygiene within the working environment to protect staff's health from dirty and germ-ridden surfaces and equipment. Therefore, any changes to an office cleaning schedule need to take into consideration employee welfare and the implications of any reduced levels of hygiene.
The cost of absenteeism to UK companies is considerable, with 11 billion lost each year due to sickness, and this figure is likely to have been even greater over the past twelve months. A large percentage of that is due to bacteria and germs being picked up by people in the workplace.
Desks and office equipment are in fact a breeding ground for germs and bacteria. For example, a toilet seat has on average 47 microbes per square inch compared to a telephone that has around 25,000 and a keyboard with 3,300. This is hardly surprising when you consider that toilets are cleaned regularly, but most people don't think about their office desk and the equipment on it. As a result, there can be up to 10 million bacteria on the typical desk, and this can include Ecoli, MRSA Winter Vomiting bugs and now of course Swine Flu.
Regular sanitising of IT equipment and hard surfaces is a must to reduce the spread of bugs, viruses and diseases. Also, taking time to educate employees about the personal and business risks will encourage better personal hygiene and working practices.
Waste Management
Recycling is now an important consideration for all companies who are under legislative, corporate and social pressure to reduce the impact their operation has on the environment and wider community. Therefore, there is an opportunity to take an integrated approach with the office cleaning operation to adopt effective waste management procedures to keep time and cost pressures to a minimum.
Over the past few years, the cost of dumping rubbish at landfill sites has been increasing 25 per cent annually, and this is unlikely to change moving forward. Therefore, there are wider cost savings available for those businesses that can achieve high levels of recycling. Companies can also receive money back for waste paper, so this represents an added kick back.
By integrating waste management with an existing office cleaning operation, companies can benefit from added value resulting from efficient waste segregation and better-managed processes to make significant time and cost savings. It is possible to tap into the expertise of office cleaning companies to increase levels of recycled office and operational waste including paper, confidential paper, ink cartridges and food waste.
Outsourcing And A Partnership Approach
Some companies may consider that they can reduce costs by taking their office cleaning operation back in-house. However, organisations should not underestimate the knowledge and expertise possessed by office cleaning companies and the ability this provides to focus on core activity.
Most office cleaning companies will have access to specialist cleaning equipment that offers added efficiency benefits. Battery powered, low noise vacuum cleaners are essential for daytime cleaning operations, whilst microfiber cloths not only reduce cleaning time and improve results, but also minimise the use of polish and other cleaning agents.
There are also many hidden costs associated with in-house office cleaning operations. For example, companies will need to organise appropriate training for internal office cleaning staff and also take into consideration holiday cover. Furthermore, companies will not have the same buying power as office cleaning companies, so equipment and cleaning product costs will also be higher as a result.
Office cleaning companies often widen opportunities to benefit from a multi-service solution. Many office cleaning companies are either part of a larger group or have partners in place to deliver an integrated service offering. Therefore, companies can access a wide range of complementary services to help achieve additional cost savings.
Simply slashing office cleaning budgets is not necessarily the most effective means of lowering overheads, so it is worth taking a step back and considering all the options available and what issues need to be considered. What is important is that whatever steps are taken do not negatively impact on a business' core activity. Carpet Cleaning Watford, Carpet Cleaning Harrow, Carpet Cleaning Hampstead, Office Cleaning London, Cleaning Services London, source.
Reducing the frequency of the office cleaning operation offers immediate cost savings, with some companies switching from a daily service to alternate days. However, some businesses have taken more extreme measures, which in my opinion is a mistake. For example, if a company is to introduce a deep clean just one day a week and then rely on its staff to maintain the cleanliness of the building for the remainder of the week, this will not only distract employees from their day-to-day roles, but also result in much poorer working conditions by the end of each week.
Careful Planning
Better planning offers a more effective alternative to simply reducing office cleaning across a business. One of the simplest ways of reducing costs is taking a close look at the overall office cleaning operation to focus resources to make the most of budgets. By classifying areas as either high or low profile it is possible to adapt the office cleaning regime to concentrate on critical requirements.
Typically, areas such as the office reception, entrance, washroom, meeting rooms and boardroom are seen as high profile, whilst back office and administrative spaces are seen as low profile. Mind you there is still a fine balance, because cutting back too much on low profile areas can damage the working environment for office staff and have an adverse impact on workforce motivation.
Therefore, companies need to undertake a range of initiatives to effectively remove costs from an office cleaning operation without incurring damaging side affects. Intelligent office cleaning is a way of understanding the needs of an operation to reduce the required hours through better scheduling.
If a meeting room is often only used on certain days of the week does it need to be cleaned on a daily basis? Could it instead be cleaned every other day or only when it has been in use. With some clever thinking it is possible to streamline an office cleaning operation without impacting on levels of cleanliness, which ultimately removes additional costs.
Daytime Approach
Switching to daytime office cleaning offers a host of business and operational benefits including reduced costs, increased productivity and enhanced customer care. Additionally, reducing a building's opening hours, for example from 5am-9pm to 8am-7pm, will enable it to be locked down for longer periods, offering reductions in operational costs such as heating, air conditioning and security.
Also, there is often a change in customer and staff perception when adopting daytime cleaning. The Increase in the visibility of office cleaning staff raises the overall awareness of the process, highlighting its importance and demonstrating the commitment to high standards. Building occupants tend to show more respect towards office cleaning staff when they see them working hard to keep the building clean, so greater care is often taken by staff and visitors as a result. Having office cleaning staff available during a building's opening hours ensures a consistent level of cleanliness throughout the day. With a traditional service, a building is likely to be clean at the beginning of the day and then standards gradually deteriorate until office cleaning staff return the following evening or morning.
Daytime cleaning offers new levels of flexibility and the opportunity to respond to any situation. Office cleaning schedules can be adapted to better meet the needs of customers whether this is identifying operational peaks, or arranging job allocations based on the planned usage of meeting rooms. Moreover, it enables an immediate response in the case of unforeseen accidents and spillages, minimising the required clean up time and promoting a clean and hygienic working atmosphere.
Workplace Hygiene
The swine flu epidemic has brought hygiene to the forefront of people's minds, with companies and employees alike looking at ways of minimising the spread of the disease. What it has highlighted is the ongoing need for proper hygiene within the working environment to protect staff's health from dirty and germ-ridden surfaces and equipment. Therefore, any changes to an office cleaning schedule need to take into consideration employee welfare and the implications of any reduced levels of hygiene.
The cost of absenteeism to UK companies is considerable, with 11 billion lost each year due to sickness, and this figure is likely to have been even greater over the past twelve months. A large percentage of that is due to bacteria and germs being picked up by people in the workplace.
Desks and office equipment are in fact a breeding ground for germs and bacteria. For example, a toilet seat has on average 47 microbes per square inch compared to a telephone that has around 25,000 and a keyboard with 3,300. This is hardly surprising when you consider that toilets are cleaned regularly, but most people don't think about their office desk and the equipment on it. As a result, there can be up to 10 million bacteria on the typical desk, and this can include Ecoli, MRSA Winter Vomiting bugs and now of course Swine Flu.
Regular sanitising of IT equipment and hard surfaces is a must to reduce the spread of bugs, viruses and diseases. Also, taking time to educate employees about the personal and business risks will encourage better personal hygiene and working practices.
Waste Management
Recycling is now an important consideration for all companies who are under legislative, corporate and social pressure to reduce the impact their operation has on the environment and wider community. Therefore, there is an opportunity to take an integrated approach with the office cleaning operation to adopt effective waste management procedures to keep time and cost pressures to a minimum.
Over the past few years, the cost of dumping rubbish at landfill sites has been increasing 25 per cent annually, and this is unlikely to change moving forward. Therefore, there are wider cost savings available for those businesses that can achieve high levels of recycling. Companies can also receive money back for waste paper, so this represents an added kick back.
By integrating waste management with an existing office cleaning operation, companies can benefit from added value resulting from efficient waste segregation and better-managed processes to make significant time and cost savings. It is possible to tap into the expertise of office cleaning companies to increase levels of recycled office and operational waste including paper, confidential paper, ink cartridges and food waste.
Outsourcing And A Partnership Approach
Some companies may consider that they can reduce costs by taking their office cleaning operation back in-house. However, organisations should not underestimate the knowledge and expertise possessed by office cleaning companies and the ability this provides to focus on core activity.
Most office cleaning companies will have access to specialist cleaning equipment that offers added efficiency benefits. Battery powered, low noise vacuum cleaners are essential for daytime cleaning operations, whilst microfiber cloths not only reduce cleaning time and improve results, but also minimise the use of polish and other cleaning agents.
There are also many hidden costs associated with in-house office cleaning operations. For example, companies will need to organise appropriate training for internal office cleaning staff and also take into consideration holiday cover. Furthermore, companies will not have the same buying power as office cleaning companies, so equipment and cleaning product costs will also be higher as a result.
Office cleaning companies often widen opportunities to benefit from a multi-service solution. Many office cleaning companies are either part of a larger group or have partners in place to deliver an integrated service offering. Therefore, companies can access a wide range of complementary services to help achieve additional cost savings.
Simply slashing office cleaning budgets is not necessarily the most effective means of lowering overheads, so it is worth taking a step back and considering all the options available and what issues need to be considered. What is important is that whatever steps are taken do not negatively impact on a business' core activity. Carpet Cleaning Watford, Carpet Cleaning Harrow, Carpet Cleaning Hampstead, Office Cleaning London, Cleaning Services London, source.
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
Office Cleaning – Why Do You Need It?
Office cleaning is a cleaning service that helps offices and commercial establishments to look clean and professional, thus giving it a good ambiance. The office cleaning service includes but is not limited to floor cleaning, carpet cleaning, tiles cleaning and upholstery cleaning. All of the cleaning services are done by trained commercial cleaners depending on a client's preferences. Office cleaning can either be done by its trained staff during the after-hours of office work or during daytime.
The Pros and Cons of Office Cleaning
What are the advantages of getting an office cleaning services?
Aside from keeping your office surroundings clean and orderly, there are several other advantages of an office cleaning service. First of all, the office cleaning service promotes convenience to its clients because it allows them to save energy, effort and time. Office cleaning has a cleaning service staff that are well-trained and they would almost always do the cleaning preference of their clients.
In addition to that, office cleaning services also have a professional and trained cleaning staff. The office cleaning staff always makes sure that they satisfy their customers by using modern technology as they perform and execute their duties. Finally, office cleaning service providers also make sure to use eco-friendly materials such as detergents and other chemicals used in cleaning to lessen risks of adverse reactions.
How about its drawbacks?
Availing of an office cleaning staff has disadvantages as well that may affect the outcome of the service. A few disadvantages include but are not limited to high service prices, unsatisfactory cleaning and also unreliable and incompetent staff. Because of this, it is also important to make the necessary research about the numerous office cleaning service providers out there to enable you to make an informed decision before signing a contract with an office cleaning company.
Why do we want a clean environment?
All of us want to maintain our surroundings at home or at work clean and this is one of the basic duties of a person. Keeping your surroundings clean and attractive allows you to attract more visitors, source.
Carpet Cleaning Watford, Carpet Cleaning Harrow, Carpet Cleaning Hampstead, Office Cleaning London, Cleaning Services London.
The Pros and Cons of Office Cleaning
What are the advantages of getting an office cleaning services?
Aside from keeping your office surroundings clean and orderly, there are several other advantages of an office cleaning service. First of all, the office cleaning service promotes convenience to its clients because it allows them to save energy, effort and time. Office cleaning has a cleaning service staff that are well-trained and they would almost always do the cleaning preference of their clients.
In addition to that, office cleaning services also have a professional and trained cleaning staff. The office cleaning staff always makes sure that they satisfy their customers by using modern technology as they perform and execute their duties. Finally, office cleaning service providers also make sure to use eco-friendly materials such as detergents and other chemicals used in cleaning to lessen risks of adverse reactions.
How about its drawbacks?
Availing of an office cleaning staff has disadvantages as well that may affect the outcome of the service. A few disadvantages include but are not limited to high service prices, unsatisfactory cleaning and also unreliable and incompetent staff. Because of this, it is also important to make the necessary research about the numerous office cleaning service providers out there to enable you to make an informed decision before signing a contract with an office cleaning company.
Why do we want a clean environment?
All of us want to maintain our surroundings at home or at work clean and this is one of the basic duties of a person. Keeping your surroundings clean and attractive allows you to attract more visitors, source.
Carpet Cleaning Watford, Carpet Cleaning Harrow, Carpet Cleaning Hampstead, Office Cleaning London, Cleaning Services London.
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