Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2017 and has been updated in July 2020, with more recent studies and accurate information.  

Hygiene is a measure of people’s way of life.

When it comes to the workplace, cleanliness and personal hygiene are of utmost importance and are always included in company policies. After all, no boss wants their employees looking unkempt, right?

Employees represent the company they work for. This means that it is not enough to just dress professionally. Professionals need to exhibit other traits, such as flawless hygiene.

Every workplace needs to be hygienic not just for the sake of their reputation, but also for the health and safety of their customers, visitors, and employees.

One of the best ways to ensure excellent workplace hygiene is to implement hygiene policies that all parties are required to adhere to. Below are the top reasons why everyone needs to take workplace hygiene seriously.

1. Your Employees Will Be Happier

The work environment can greatly influence an employee’s satisfaction at work. Happy and content workers are productive and driven to do their jobs well.

When people are happy at their workplace, they don’t think about changing jobs. They stay loyal to a company where they are treated well, which in turn reduces employee turnover.

The simple act of keeping your workplace clean is one way to make your employees want to stay.

Below are some simple tasks that ensure comfort for everyone in the workplace:

  • Clean the windows regularly to let the natural light in
  • Regularly empty the trash cans
  • Clean washrooms on a regular basis
  • Scent rooms with a light air freshener at regular intervals
  • Ensure occasional deep cleans of the office washrooms

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Managed Washroom Service
Rent all soap and sanitiser dispensers from us. We regularly refill them on an agreed schedule.
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Odour Control
Wall-mounted air fresheners with wide variety of scents available. Replenished often.
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Intensive Biological Treatment
Aggressive, eco-friendly deep treatment of your urinals and toilets.
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2. Your Company Image Will Improve

Employees are not the only ones roaming around the office. Clients, suppliers, and investors sometimes pay a visit, too. The last thing you want is for them to be turned off by a messy, unorganised and dirty workplace.

We all know the saying, ‘the first impression is the last impression’ and poor workplace hygiene can create a negative first impression for your company. Not to mention, words travel faster than light. A client or a supplier will be unlikely to take you seriously if they have the impression that you are not keeping your offices in order.

How can they trust you with more serious tasks, like their business? Consequently, they may decide to take their business elsewhere.

Your workplace cleanliness and hygiene directly reflects your company’s core values so make sure people will have only good things to say.

If your workplace is unhygienic, there is the possibility that an important visitor may get sick, leading to even bigger problems for your company image.

Psychology says humans and animals are wired to be repulsed by filthy environments and disease. Nobody wants their office space to be the place where somebody got ill. Perfect office hygiene will prevent that from happening.

3. Your Employees Will Be Healthier

An unhygienic workplace increases cases of employee absenteeism, costing your business a considerable amount of money. If you have substandard hygiene in the office, expect more and more employees to take sick days.

By implementing proper work hygiene, you will be able to stop harmful viruses and bacteria from spreading all over the office, ensure a safe and healthy work environment, and reduce health risks for everyone. These efforts include ensuring sanitary washrooms are equipped with hand washing stations and supplies, as well as feminine hygiene units

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Hand Hygiene
Equip your workplace with soaps, sanitisers, dryers and anti-bacterial moisturisers.
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Washroom Sanitisers
Ensure a safe and healthy toilets for all your employees by installing handy sanitisers.
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Urinal or WC Deep Clean
Make sure that the germs cannot survive in your toilets and stop them from spreading.
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Effectively maintaining workplace hygiene by investing in hygienic workplace facilities may cost money initially, but it will pay for itself eventually through your employees’ improved productivity and reduced absenteeism. The benefits you will reap from a hygienic workplace makes it all worth it.

4. You Will Prevent the Spread of Bacteria and Viruses

Making sure that your workplace adheres to basic standards of hygiene will help diminish the spread of disease-carrying bacteria and viruses that can be rampant in shared spaces like office kitchens and washrooms.

Aside from having cleaning rules for everyone to follow, it’s also best to educate everyone on the importance of keeping every corner of the office clean and treating these shared facilities with a high level of respect.

Many employees are oblivious to the fact that their workstations, especially their desks, are a common breeding ground for germs and bacteria. The average office desk contains 400 times more germs than a toilet seat! Help them keep their workplace environment sanitary at all times.

An unhygienic workplace packed with bacteria means that everybody in the office is a potential carrier of a disease. They can transfer it to their families and friends and, if you are dealing with a highly contagious disease, it can even start a mini-epidemic.

5. You Can Reduce Slips, Trips, and Falls

If your workplace is being cleaned on a regular basis, there is a very slim chance of accidents occurring resulting in employees getting injured.

This also means that a filthy office increases the chance of accidents such as slips, trips, and falls. The culprit behind these horrible and dangerous incidents? Dirty and slippery floors.

To help prevent injuries make sure all your office floors are cleaned on a regular basis and that you have proper mats placed in areas where slips, trips, and falls are most likely to happen.

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Anti Fatigue Mats
Provide comfort and reduce health risks to your employees who spend hours standing.
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Wet Area Mats
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Dust Control Mats
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  • Wet-area mats will reduce incidents of slipping by containing the liquid beneath it and acting as a barrier between the slippery floor and feet.
  • Anti-fatigue mats provide a better surface for standing for your employees. This means that prolonged periods of standing will be easier on their legs, joints and back. Consequently, they will be less tired and less likely to get hurt. Individuals that are fatigued are more likely to trip and fall.
  • Dust control mats reduce the amount of dust, dirt and germs brought in from the outside. A good mat helps by not allowing dust and dirt to turn the entrance into a slippery area.

A clean workplace is a safe and healthy workplace. And a healthy workplace helps grow a business and achieve its goals.

Let Alsco Help You With Your Hygiene Efforts

Your workplace environment creates a powerful impression on your potential customers and investors. Alsco has helped over 43,000 companies in Australia, improve their workplace safety and hygiene.

Alsco is a trusted partner when it comes to keeping workplace hygiene up to standard. We offer quality, eco-friendly, and personalised services and products.

These services are mainly offered on a rental basis which means that you don’t have to think about capital outlay, or when you last replenished your washroom supplies. All you need to do is contact your local branch and set up a regular managed rental service with Alsco.

Improve your workplace hygiene by calling us and we’ll help you find the best solution, carefully tailored to your specific business needs.