The life of an entrepreneur is bombarded with an endless list of to do’s. From launching a business to growing a business, and then on top of this sustaining the growth you’ve made so far. A vital area of the maintenance process that could have devastating effects on your business success is cleanliness. And to prove it, here are eight of many reasons why hiring a cleaner, cleaning equipment and making a schedule should be one of your top priorities.
First Impressions
It’s the first impression for a reason, once it’s happened, there’s no going back! A dingy business says a lot about your company to potential investors, business partners and customers – none of which are good. When you lose the chance of making an excellent first impression, you’ve missed any potential respect from customers and any opportunity to make money from them. A clean, well-maintained business indicates professionalism, superiority, and success, and this is the first impression you should be striving to give at every opportunity.
Productivity
Nothing kills employee motivation like working in an unclean office. With a constant flow of distractions in your employee’s peripheral vision and the uncomfortable feeling you get from walking on a sticky carpet, is it any wonder your employees are unhappy and not working to their full potential? Uncluttered, clean spaces relieve employees of stressful distractions and the icky feeling of working in a place that feels a bit grubby. Your business is essentially your employees second home, and so you should treat it as such. Provide them with an environment they will feel at ease in and proud to call their workplace, in turn, productivity will sore, and so will your profits.
Health
A healthy workforce is essential for business, less sick days means more time and money are spent in the workspace getting critical tasks done to keep the business flowing and growing. Because of this, you should be doing your part as the business owner to keep your staff fit and well too. Staff should not be expected to use a dirty toilet or a grubby kitchen to prepare their lunches.
These areas, in particular, are a breeding ground for harmful bacteria and so they need to be cleaned thoroughly with the right cleaning equipment visit Steamaster’s website to preview some professional cleaning equipment used by businesses. Exposure to bacteria could lead to infections and illnesses, meaning your employees are likely to become sick and need some much needed time off (at your expense) to recuperate.
Safety Measures
Health and safety measures the world over are essential in every business sector. For instance, if a fire were to occur, obstructions in front of the fire exits, such as boxes, tools, or stacks of paper could prevent your staff and customers getting off the premises safely. This is detrimental to the safety of your team and your business’s reputation. Especially because injured employees are expensive to fund in terms of sick leave and compensation. This is another reason why keeping your business tidy is essential to save people from becoming hurt and preventing your business from losing money.
Cluttered Workspace
In a messy workspace, guess what happens? Things get lost. From coffee mugs and paper clips to the information which is critical to your business’s reputation and success such as customer files. Whether you own a car wash or a string of clothing boutiques, every item in your business should have an allocated home where it is stored. Losing things at work wastes time and money of your business hours with employees trying to find what they need, which potentially wastes customers time waiting for your employees to find what they need for the customer. This will lead to customers losing confidence/trust in your business and possibly seeking products or services elsewhere. And so, if your business isn’t already, get organized, buy storage solutions and start finding a home for your business’s belongings.
Employee Caliber
When you interview employees, you size them up based on their capabilities, experience, motivation, and presentation. Equally, they are sizing you up as a manager and your business place as the spot they would potentially be working in for a large part of their lives. And so it’s reasonable to note that high caliber employees in particular, who have the pick of the lot in terms of job opportunities, will not be impressed by an unclean workspace. A poorly cared for working environment indicates to potential employees a lack of care from management in looking after their employees. High caliber candidates mean greater success for your business, and so to impress the best, your business place should emulate the interests of its management. Which is to show that you care about your workforce by providing a clean, safe, comfortable, professional working environment.
Stuffy Workspace
Working in a stuffy environment is unpleasant for employees and clients visiting your business. With indoor airborne pollution being 100 times greater than the outdoors, you should know that trapped air can cause a myriad of issues for your staff and customers. Be it breathing in dust, or viruses, each can cause unnecessary health issues for everyone in your building. This again leads to the problem of sick days, which are costly for your company. To remedy these issues, opening up the windows and allowing a breeze through is essential to sweep out stagnant air. Also, plotting plants around the office will help to purify the air too.
Equipment Life
Making a choice to prolong or put off cleaning your business equipment altogether means that the life of the equipment is likely to deplete quickly. For instance, if you own a launderette, but you never clean the washing machines or the filters from the tumble dryers, the efficiency of the appliances will begin to depreciate. They will start to smell musty, which will lead to either; customers stop using them because of the condition they’re in. Or the appliances break, and you need to pay to replace them. Cleaning your business, apart from the health and safety issues, is also about maintaining the condition of its apparatus.
Whether you own a hospital or a restaurant, the importance of cleanliness remains the same in a bid to prevent the issues mentioned that are costly to the business. Such as causing employee or customer illnesses resulting in sick days and/or claims for compensation against your business. Business equipment needing to be repaired or replaced due to poor maintenance and first impressions being diminished, which could result in a lack of custom.
