An issue that frequently arises in most firms is having a filthy workplace kitchen. It is really upsetting when some employees fail to complete their portion of the office cleaning, leaving a mess for the rest of the team to clean up. If there are dirty dishes, food spilled all over the benches, and gross old tuna cans, things may get really bad.
It’s important to maintain the kitchen clean for a variety of reasons.
- It devalues the workplace and might negatively impact workers’ happiness.
- Customers will have a poor impression of your company.
- Accidents like slipping on wet flooring or foodborne diseases may cause health and safety issues.
- Unclean offices are bad for staff morale, claims a recent Australian study. An untidy office, according to three out of four employees, is a sign that their supervisor doesn’t care about their well-being.
Another choice that an uncomfortable office kitchen may force employees to consider is having lunch at their desks because of the high quantity of bacteria on office equipment at workstations. Therefore, keeping a clean and well-kept kitchen is in both managers’ and staff members’ best interests.
If you’ve been experiencing issues with this, it might be time to try out some fresh concepts or give hiring a cleaning service some thought. See the cleaning tips for office kitchens below.
Don’t Be Timid!
The office kitchen wouldn’t be so filthy if we all pitched in! Be mindful of your behavior in the general areas of your office and correct any errors you make! What happened to microwaved food? Absorb it using a paper towel. The last roll of paper towels is completely empty. Get another one from the supply closet so it is prepared for the next individual. It’s possible that small changes genuinely lead to big transformations.
Purchase the Tools You Need
You cannot count on the area to always be spotless if the necessary tools are not available. Make sure your staff can easily access:
- Towels and paper towels
- Subsurface vapor
- Dishwashing liquid and brushes
- Trash cans and bin liners
- Recyclable packaging
- Suitable-sized dishwashers and refrigerators
If your needs as an employee have not been honored by management, ask your office manager or support services to refill the office kitchen.
Furthermore, it could be advantageous to provide some small labels so that workers can label their food with their names and the date before placing it in the refrigerator.
Make Use of the Foundations
Simply said, some people take less care than others to keep public spaces clean and well-maintained. It could be time to organize the cleaning tasks for the office. This need to cover the fundamentals, such as cleaning or rinsing your own dishes, tidying up your workstation after yourself, and not putting expired food in the refrigerator.
Make sure everyone is informed of the regulations. Spread the word about them internally by sending out a mass email to all of the staff or a regular staff newsletter. It is imperative to include it in manuals or new employee orientations to make sure that everyone is aware of what needs to be done.
Create some posters or banners to hang on the walls to keep the policy visible and to remind everyone of their responsibilities in the kitchen.
Establish a Roster
Maybe the guidelines and courteous reminders are ineffectual, and a bit more rigid enforcement is required. Only smaller businesses can create a roster because they can more readily enforce it. You can assign multiple employees to the chore of cleaning the kitchen, or one person can do it daily or once a week.
A cleaning schedule for the office could come with a variety of disadvantages. Despite the fact that they don’t use the kitchen frequently, they could become anxious if they have to clean it. The next week becomes even more repulsive when someone neglects their cleaning week, which happens rarely.
Delegate
Instead of using a roster system, it might be more efficient to designate a small group of people to monitor the cleanliness of the office kitchen. If your business hires office interns or support staff, it could be vital to include these cleaning activities in their daily responsibilities. Senior employees or managers wouldn’t be given the task because it would be wiser to allocate their large wages to more crucial projects.
Routine tasks should be set for duties that aren’t done as regularly, such as washing the microwave or cleaning the refrigerator. These devices pose the risk of getting contaminated with stale food, bacteria, and mildew when used in public places. This might be given to your support workers for weekly maintenance in order to keep things hygienic for everyone.
It’s important to keep in mind that this is not fun work, and your support staff may not be happy to have to do it—especially if it wasn’t previously on their list of responsibilities. It’s possible that you’ll have to put up with some annoyance or consider alternative benefits to make up for it (coffee screaming!).
Utilize Expert Services
It’s simply best to assign jobs to professionals on occasion! This added cost may be difficult for a small business owner, but it is essential. Despite being hired to clean, your team is cleaning the kitchen. Cleaning services would be a better use of the money.
Commercial cleaners take care of anything that is typically disregarded, greatly enhancing an office kitchen. The floors will be vacuumed and mopped, the trash and recycling bins will be cleaned, and the benches and tables will be sanitized. Even just using a regular cleaning service once a week can make a big difference in how clean your business is overall.
Commercial cleaning is a great investment for your company. Your staff will be happy as a consequence, and your public areas will remain tidy.
