Have you thought about how you should be cleaning your Sydney office this winter?
Is it a cruel joke that we move from one season of hay fever sneezes to another that provides coughs, colds and more sneezes? Unlike hay fever the cleanliness of your office can directly affect the health of employees during the season that is prone to colds and the flu. So how do you provide to provide a healthy and happy work environment during the winter months?
Winter and autumn provides other challenges not seen in the warmer months. Firstly and most obviously it’s colder, and generally wetter. Employees are traipsing more mud and dirt into the workplace, wet umbrellas make appearances, employees tend to spend more time in the office rather than getting out and about during the day. All this adds up to more mess and a less healthy environment.
The other issue that is hard to get past is carrying coughs and colds into the office environment, public transport is full of people coughing and sneezing and everyone is susceptible . A cold is a virus and you catch a cold when someone who has one coughs, or sneezes near you, generally through small air droplets, delightful huh? In some cases someone may be sick and leave residue on a desk, a chair, or a computer keyboard. This gives a completely new meaning to hot desking!
Keeping your office cleaner in winter
In winter you need to provide extra cleaning protection for staff. Ensure they have adequate disinfectant wipes, reduce the movement of staff between desks, do not overheat the office, and ensure that anyone who may have a cold reduces any spread when they cough and sneeze.
So how can your office cleaner help? Apparently viruses can live up to two days on objects, that is door handles, desks , pretty much any object in your office. Talk to your office cleaner and ask them to be even vigilant in wiping down surfaces with an effective disinfectant. Change over your rubbish more often, especially if waste paper bins contain used tissues.
- Make sure staff wipe surfaces down
- Wash hands even more frequently in winter
- Ask your cleaner to use disinfectant across all surfaces
- Remove rubbish more regularly
- Provide solutions for wet umbrellas, coats etc
Your carpets will get messier, people will get colds, and you will be already looking forward to spring but by using a few of these tips you can keep your Sydney office cleaner during the winter months. If someone is sick always best for them to stay home!