Is your office environment helping your team with their wellbeing – or is it making them ill?

To mark World Mental Health Day this Thursday (October 10 2019) many companies and brands will be looking at wellbeing in the workplace.

One area which can be neglected when it comes to wellbeing is the cleanliness of a workplace. What is your actual work space or office like as an environment to work in  – whether that’s your own desk, the wider office or communal areas like toilets or kitchens?

It’s known, for example, that a desk can harbour as much as 400 times more bacteria than a toilet seat. The dirtiest item on any desk is likely to be the telephone.

A survey of over 650 UK-based office employees in relation to the cleanliness of their office and how often certain items are cleaned, has thrown up some interesting results.

About a third of those questioned said their desks are never cleaned and around 23 per cent of staff have used their own money to buy cleaning products to improve their work environment – and therefore their own wellbeing.

Research also shows inadequate hygiene within an environment can contribute to mental health disorders including anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. It can also impact on the way people behave in their work environment, taking pride in your work place is difficult if your employer has little pride in it.

Dr Arun Thiyagarajan, Bupa UK’s Health Clinics Medical Director, said:

 “Surfaces and equipment can harbour dirt, viruses and bacteria that can remain active for months. Without regular office cleaning and good personal hygiene – e.g. antibacterial handwashing – there’s an increased chance of these surface germs transferring to you and giving you illnesses like flu, food poisoning and diarrhoea.

“If you fall ill, it’s best to take time off work to fully recover and reduce the chance of any harmful germs spreading to your colleagues.”

The survey, by GCC Facilities Management, found of the 650 employees who took part:

*31 per cent had never had their keyboard cleaned.

*35 per cent had their desk cleaned daily, 28 per cent weekly.

*36 per cent said their mouse had never been cleaned.

*28 per cent said their telephone had never been cleaned.

*39 per cent were satisfied with the hygiene in shared toilets.

*38 per cent were satisfied with hygiene in a shared kitchen.

*32 per cent brought in their own kitchenware because they felt it was cleaner.

Finding someone to clean the office can also be a challenge. Emma Plant from Swift Services offers a few tips on how to make a wiser choice:

References – ask a cleaning company or individual to provide you with references. There will be no problem supplying these if a company is good.

Insurance – it’s important to ensure the company you use is correctly insured. This is not just about damage, it’s about what is actually in the office in terms of equipment and easily available information.

Availability – what happens if the cleaner is sick or leaves suddenly? Is cover available at short notice?

Green – does your company care about its environmental impact? Is your cleaning provider using strong chemicals containing ‘nasties’ or not? 

Reputation – do some due diligence yourself. Check out your shortlisted suppliers via social media and their website. Cleaning companies have a reputation for using staff on a self-employed basis with some not paying enough to cover N.I & PAYE or also paying staff cash in hand. Would you be comfortable working with a company which operates in this way? One company doing it the right way is Ideal Cleaning; who are a family-owned business that has its fourth generation on board now. 

Factfile:To find out more about the survey visit - https://www.gccfm.com/tips-news/coming-clean-the-dirty-truth-behind-uk-offices/