What hygiene procedures you should have at the workplace?

There is an increased need to focus on hygiene procedures, as reducing the risk of spreading diseases is essential during these times. In this article, we are discussing the standard of cleanliness at your office.

Keeping your workplace hygienic means healthier employees, which results in them performing better. Having a clean and clutter-free working environment also prevents slip-ups and accidents.

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So what hygiene procedures you should have?

What can you do?

Creating a hygiene policy for your company in written form is the first step in creating a more hygienic workplace. Providing your staff with a written policy helps them to be informed about the company’s intentions and expectations regarding a hygienic workplace. 

This will also help to show that hygiene is a high priority in your workplace. Here are our suggestions for procedures, from company-level decisions to your employee’s personal decisions: 

Accelerated, deep and periodic cleaning schedule

Compared to the pre-pandemic times the cleaning schedule should be adjusted and accelerated. Having more efficient cleaning with more specific guidelines will help to reduce germs and bacteria spreading at the office.

This cleaning schedule should include things such as keeping surfaces, equipment and the restrooms sanitary and disinfected, focusing especially on the hotspots in your workplace.

A new cleaning schedule is a great way to show your employees that you care about hygiene, as it is a concrete action visible to everyone.

Making sure your employees don’t come to work while feeling sick

This pandemic has brought light to the fact that it’s not okay to show up to work while feeling sick. Your company can enforce this by allowing sick days and remote working, as coming into work sick will only damage the workplace by spreading diseases and hindering people’s recovery.

Learn more: Common workplace issues

Having enough consumables

While the cleaning schedule of your company should be accelerated, it’s equally important that all the consumables are well-stocked. Good hand hygiene is one of the most important things in stopping the spread of diseases so make sure that things such as hand towels, disinfectants and soap are not running out.

Proper waste management

Taking care of all the waste in the proper ways is important. Recycling everything you can on a regular basis is a sure way to increase hygiene in your workplace.

Consider also that storing waste correctly reduces the clutter in your premises, reducing the risks of accidents (like tripping over misplaced carton boxes).

Designated eating and drinking areas

To avoid unnecessary waste and reduce the work of the cleaners, you should consider designating eating and drinking areas separate from the workstations. This is called having a clean desk policy.

This helps reduce the mess in your office, as there are no dirty coffee cups and other dishes lying around the office. The less food and drink is consumed in the workstations the easier it is for the workers and your cleaners to keep the office looking tidy.

Limiting the number of people present & monitoring space usage

Restricting the number of people at your office is a good way to reduce the risk of spreading diseases. Having sections, reducing capacity and implementing a desk booking solution in your workplace are good hygiene procedures. These procedures work well as the pandemic is going on but can also be used, for example, during the yearly flu season post-pandemic.

Determining your most highly-used areas and desks helps you even out the space usage in your office. There are a lot of technologies such as digital twins which enable you to see what spaces are the most used and need cleaning most often.

Hand sanitisation & washing

Being cautious of personal hygiene is the number-one step in being in line with a good company hygiene procedures policy. Small things such as hand sanitisation and hand washing are excellent ways of being more hygienic at the office.

All employees and visitors should be provided with adequate washing facilities with running water, soap and paper towels. In addition, hand sanitisation stations should be provided, especially at entry and exit points.

Masks

During the pandemic (and even post-pandemic, for example during the flu season), using proper masks like FFP2 grade masks is a good way to protect employees from airborne diseases.

Hygiene procedures benefit everyone

Working in a clean office with good hygiene procedures in place is a win-win for all. The premises are kept in good shape while the employees enjoy working more and therefore are being more productive.

Read more: Covid restrictions at the office.