Can A Clean Office Boost Productivity?

Occupying a dirty building for several hours a day is unpleasant, but can working in a dirty environment also have a negative impact on workplace productivity?

By David Smith

Did you know that a typical office keyboard can contain as many as 7,500 bacteria at any given moment? Or that viruses like the flu can linger on office desks or computers for 24 hours or more?

These frightening statistics reveal just how filthy an office environment can get if it is not cleaned regularly. Aside from the general unpleasantness of occupying a dirty building for several hours a day, this can also have a negative impact on workplace productivity for numerous reasons. For one, you will find it harder to motivate yourself to work your best when you are confronted with a filthy office every morning.

Also, companies lose a seismic amount of time and revenue because of unclean office environments. Think about the last time you needed to find an important document – did you know instantly where it would be found or did you need to sift through piles of cluttered papers just to track it down? The more time you spend on searching for paperwork, the more this impacts on the ability to get through your daily tasks.

It can often be the case that taking a little time each week to devote to a certain task, such as cleaning, will prove to be economical in the long run as it will prevent the need to set aside a full day for the task that must be completed. Even if it’s only 15-30 minutes at the end of a working week, set aside some bit of time to execute ongoing cleans so that all your ducks will be in a row for the following week and you won’t squander valuable time on needless duties.

This infographic from Cleaning Services Group explains how keeping your workplace clean will reap its rewards in the form of greater productivity.

cleaning productivityDavid Smith is the owner of Cleaning Services Group, a provider of quality domestic and commercial cleaning services.


5 COMMENTS

  1. I found it interesting that you state that unclean office environments can cause companies to lose time and revenue. My brother owns a small company and wants to make sure his building is clean for his employees. I will send him this information so he can start looking for a commercial property cleaning service.

  2. By many researches and statistic, it is proven than a person will like to work in environment which is clean. The preferences are natural because a clean and well maintained definitely generate confidence and will to do more, thus increasing productivity eventually. Understand the cleanliness basic and make sure your office is cleaned on daily basis.

  3. I find it shocking that workplaces can lose $2.5 million a year when they are not organized and clean. With this, it reminded me of my cousin’s bookshop. Each book is covered with a layer of dust and each book is stacked in piles around the floor. I was thinking of hiring a service to prevent future customers and employees from getting asthma attacks. Any tips on how to find one?

  4. I love that your infographic explained that getting happier employees means that they can get more work done with neater desks than untidy ones. If I were a department head tasked to improve employee performance, I would first have a cleaning service go over our entire office. In that way, it can be done as a reminder to clean in order to not only be able to work well but also look good while doing it.

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