Do you ever wonder why your employees often take sick leave? One of the reasons could be your washroom hygiene.
It’s uncommon for businesses to think of hygiene as a factor affecting productivity. In reality, poor hygiene disrupts workplace harmony.
Not only does it affect employee productivity, but also drives away potential clients. As a consequence, there is a loss of business funds. Studies show that sick days cost businesses $20,000 annually.
In the workplace, the focus on making profits is a priority so much so that toilet hygiene seems unimportant.
“We are embedding health and well-being at the heart of our business strategy because our people are our greatest asset, and we recognise that a healthy, happy and committed workforce is vital to our business success.” — Alex Gourlay, MD, Boots UK
Good washroom maintenance is a step in the right direction for your business.
How can you improve your washroom hygiene? The following must-know tips are a checklist of what your workplace washroom needs. Use them to assess your washroom and install the necessary items.
Stock up on Basic Washroom Supplies
Many embarrassing scenarios occur because of scarce washroom supplies. While these can make for hilarious stories, they’re also horrifying situations to be in.
Smelly toilets and lack of tissue paper are a few reasons why people avoid washrooms. Running out of toilet paper puts people in a difficult and awkward situation.
Stocking up on basic consumables is a way of investing in your washroom. These are products such as toilet paper, hand wash and paper towels.
Ensure the proper products are available at all times. Providing these products eases the maintenance of good toilet hygiene.
What’s more, people have certain expectations in a business environment. This includes toilet hygiene standards.
Without the proper products, people get the wrong perception of your business. Washroom product shortages make employees feel undervalued.
Stocking up on good products indicates the company cares for their needs.
Other products like air fresheners, hand sanitiser and toilet seat sanitiser are vital. They tackle hand hygiene and odour control, creating a dignified washroom experience.
Everyone enjoys fresh and clean washrooms.
Keep Your Washrooms Clean
Making efforts to maintain a clean washroom is admirable. From wiping the floors and surfaces, down to disinfecting the door handles. These are areas we often come into contact with.
Using good cleaning products to sanitise the washroom reduces potential health risks. This includes using clean water to avoid re-contamination. Otherwise, handwashing will be difficult.
‘’Good health is good business.’’ — Paul Drechsler, Chairman/CEO, Wates Group Limited
Maintaining good toilet hygiene is easier where there is a steady water supply. Making courtesy flushes is more manageable, and this eliminates hanging odours.
Ensure there’s good air circulation in your washroom. Open up windows to let fresh air in and let bad odour out. Investing in a good air ventilation system helps where there are few windows.
Additionally, a little bit of air freshener goes a long way. It keeps the washroom smelling great. Spray a puff or two in the air to kill any hanging smells.
Cleaning surfaces is fundamental because washrooms can get damp. Accumulation of moisture from liquids and poor air circulation causes this.
Soaking up spilt liquids and polishing discoloured tiles helps to battle dampness. Using linen wipes makes the washrooms appear polished and put together.
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Mopping the floors and wiping surfaces doesn’t cut it. There’s usually dirt in hard-to-reach places that requires closer inspection.
This doesn’t mean you can ignore them. Instead, it means it’s time for the experts to take over. This is where the need to hire deep-cleaning services comes in.
Deep cleaning rids washrooms of germs and dirt in hard-to-reach areas. It helps in expelling bad odour, especially around urinals and toilet cubicles.
This is a service which is often tailored according to the customer’s needs. Setting up a schedule for regular check-ups works best and is convenient to manage.
Maintain Your Washrooms Regularly
Conducting regular washroom inspections makes this more manageable. This is usually done by plumbers, who identify broken and rusty parts to replace.
We all know how expensive toilet fixtures can be. Regular servicing is cost-effective in the long run. Spotting faulty parts early saves you the trouble of having to buy replacements.
Maintaining good toilet hygiene is nearly impossible where there is poor equipment. Imagine walking into your workplace washroom and finding all the toilets clogged. Leaking toilets and broken fixtures should be a thing of the past.
Proper washroom maintenance combats stagnant water. When well-addressed, the washroom won’t attract insects or grow mould.
Putting time and effort into ensuring toilet hygiene sends out a positive message. It inspires people to maintain their own hygiene standards.
Provide Proper Means of Disposal
Fitting enough disposal units to serve your washroom capacity is crucial. They encourage people to clean up after themselves in the washroom.
Disposal units are often used to dispose of used paper towels and sanitary napkins. For general disposal, place a bin at the sink area for disposing of used paper towels.
Placing a female hygiene unit in each cubicle in the ladies washroom is impressive. This shows employees that you value their hygiene and privacy.
Regularly emptying bins during the workday is crucial. It bypasses a build-up of trash that makes the washroom look disorderly.
It is well-known that bins are a potential breeding ground for bacteria. Washrooms are a particularly sensitive area. About 77,000 types of bacteria and viruses exist in washrooms.
Emptying bins battles the growth of bacteria in washrooms.
Clean the disposal units as often as possible. Proper disinfection avoids a build-up of dirt in unwanted areas. Doing this at the end of each workday leaves your washroom tidy.
“Improving the health and well-being of our employees makes good business sense. As a leading provider of workplace health services, we see every day the difference it can make to a company’s bottom line and the impact it can have on employee morale and motivation. It offers a ”win-win” all-round. Employees benefit from better support for their health. Companies benefit from less absence and improved productivity. And society benefits from improved public health.” — Steve Flanagan, Commercial Director, Bupa
The right professionals guarantee your washroom hygiene is spot on. Let them help you choose the best packages to meet your workplace washroom needs.
Contact ALSCO today! Upgrading your workplace washroom is just one click away!
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