The task of maintaining a healthy work environment is increasingly falling to facility managers (FMs) and building service contractors. Staples surveyed this group to determine challenges faced during flu season. The discrepancies between office workers and FMs indicate confusion over who is responsible for cleaning when it comes to flu prevention in the workplace.
 
Results revealed that almost 40 percent of FMs and their staff are not responsible for cleaning occupants' personal workspaces. More than half of respondents answered they barely increase the time spent cleaning (between 0 – 10 percent more of their time) during flu season.
 
According to FMs, some of the top challenges in keeping a building clean and healthy are:
• More employees working in the same or smaller space (53 percent).
• Not enough staff to adequately clean (46 percent).
• A decrease in budget for cleaning products (21 percent) with half of respondents citing that they are unable to provide hand sanitizer and 40 percent unable to provide tissues for employees.
 
However, survey results revealed that nearly half of all respondents believed they would need less than a 10 percent budget increase to adequately address germ control in their buildings. Currently, more than 50 percent of FM's aren't ordering cleaning and disinfecting chemicals.