Worktable with Desktop Computer, Cup of Coffee, Notes and Gadgets Inside an Office

While office cleaning may seem like an easy budget line to trim when dealing with company financials, an infographic on the Marketing Profs website suggests a clean, orderly office actually helps the bottom line. The infographic, by Cleaning Services Group, offers those reasons and more for keeping a workspace spic and span.

The graphic links tidy workspaces and greater productivity, citing a Harvard University experiment that concluded "messy, untidy workplaces can undermine people's persistence in completing tasks, therefor affecting productivity."

In a clean, neatly organized work space, employees are much more likely to get their best work done and meet work targets.

It's also about more than messy piles of papers – it’s the germs that the mess may be hiding. The infographic cites statistics that says the average employee loses nine working days a year to sickness, some of which may be attributed to lack of workspace hygiene.

For instance, a typical office keyboard can carry up to 7,500 bacteria at any given time. Viruses such as the flu can linger on desks or electronic equipment for 24 hours.

According to the infographic, a clean workplace can encourage:
·      Increased focus
·      Less wasted time
·      Less stress
·      Greater profitability
·      Less absenteeism
·      Improved morale

To maintain a cleaner office, it’s important to clean the equipment — such as photocopiers, printers, computer monitors, etc. — regularly.  And schedule periodic “deep cleans” that include de-cluttering efforts by staff.

Office managers should sit down and meet with their cleaning crew throughout the year, but especially prior to and during flu season. They should discuss disinfecting frequency of high-touch surfaces such as door handles and telephone receives and hand-washing techniques.