Employees Speak Up About Office Cleanliness

Employees Speak Up About Office Cleanliness

You feel like you are doing everything you can to provide a healthy and properly sanitized work environment for your employees and staff. But, perhaps there are times when you wonder if you are doing enough, and there are other times when you wonder if it is all necessary.

New research indicates that, as far as employees go, cleanliness is more necessary now than ever before.

Research conducted in late October by the Cleaning Coalition of America found that an overwhelming majority of workers believe that workplace cleaning and disinfecting are important, and the research also determines just what employees believe is the proper level of cleaning.

The research included comments offered by respondents, and one respondent said it best when he suggested “hire the best and most qualified company, not the cheapest. It is so much more important now.”

At Excel Cleaning Services, we offer this information as an incentive to do as much as possible to provide the most antiseptic and inviting workplace possible, and to consider a consultation with us to determine if you are cleaning your work environment properly.

Now, let's look at the numbers the research provided:

Vaccinated and unvaccinated employees agree

According to the research conducted by Dynata, 89.9 percent of working professionals over the age of 18 believe workplace cleaning protocols are very or somewhat important. That includes 93.4 percent of vaccinated respondents and even 82.2 percent of unvaccinated respondents.

Going one step further, 77.2 percent of all respondents believe the workplace should be cleaned at least once a day. That includes 81.2 percent of vaccinated respondents and 68.5 percent of unvaccinated respondents. In both cases, that is well over a majority of those invited to participate.

The survey included 1,600 respondents who ranged in age from 18-99 and included variations of race, gender, region, income and education. There were 1,099 vaccinated and 501 unvaccinated respondents in the survey.

Employees pay attention

Certainly, workplace cleanliness is an issue that was always a topic of interest but is now a matter of deep concern.

More than half (62.1 percent) of all respondents said that actually seeing a professional cleaning crew on site would make them feel safer and better protected from the Covid-19 virus. That goes against the standard, pre-pandemic thinking that no one wants to see the cleaning crew do its work. That’s why the work was often done early in the morning or late at night when no one was around.

Almost half (47.1 percent) of respondents said they feel safer if there is regular disinfecting of shared spaces, such as general access computers, printers, and office equipment, as well as kitchen or meeting areas.

Do employees want to come back to work??

If the virus seemed to be under control, the general consensus is that most people want to get out of the house and go back to work. But, the virus instead is mutating, and people are still getting sick, going to the hospital and people are still dying.

The survey asked if they believed that returning to the workplace could pose a threat to their health and safety, and nearly half (43 percent) said yes. Of course, there are some jobs that can be performed without office attendance and some that cannot.

Furthermore, 38.3 percent said they would consider changing jobs if their workplace was not cleaned frequently and obviously.

Have employees changed their minds on this topic?

Nobody ever wants to work in a filthy environment, but the survey indicated just how much that sentiment has changed. Only 52 percent of respondents said workplace cleaning protocols were “very important’’ to them prior to the pandemic (although only 12 percent said they were not important at all). Today, 66.3 percent said workplace cleaning protocols are very important, and 23.6 percent more said it was somewhat important.?

It is essential that your employees know what you are doing in order to provide a clean work environment, and 68.3 percent said they had heard from their employer about updated cleaning protocols. Hopefully, those employees have also heard from their employer as cleaning protocols have changed during the two years of the pandemic.

Your efforts are both necessary and appreciated

It is unfortunate that companies have had to improve their cleaning regimen due to the pandemic, but of all the changes that your company has made over the past two years, procedures related to the workplace environment are the most important. Obviously, based on the results of this survey, your efforts are appreciated.?

Keep your employees aware of your cleaning efforts. Let them know you are working with professionals to ensure that the CDC guidelines are being followed and the safest and strongest disinfectant supplies are being used.

If you have any questions regarding this survey, or how to best provide a clean environment for your employees, please give Excel Cleaning Services a call.