Do you recall how hectic it was to maintain clean and healthy work environments during COVID-19 pandemic? Undeniably the health and safety of employees in every business is important. Gone are the days of cramped open office spaces and lax cleaning protocols. If you want to thrive, you’ll need to implement innovative strategies to ensure clean and healthy work environments for the long run. Here are effective commercial cleaning strategies you can employ.
The New Normal in Workplace Hygiene
You’ll need to step up your hand washing game. Not just after using the restroom – we’re talking every 30 minutes. Hand sanitizers everywhere don’t cut it – soap, water and a full 20-second scrub is the only way to keep those germs at bay.
Employee Health and Wellness Programs
Want to keep your team in top shape? Offer wellness perks. Things like subsidized gym memberships, nutrition programs and mindfulness workshops promote good health and morale.
Flexible Work Arrangements
Flexible work arrangements are key for businesses adapting to life during and after COVID-19. As companies transition to more remote and hybrid work models, providing employees flexibility and balance is crucial.
Options like flextime, compressed workweeks, and job sharing allow people to work in a way that suits their needs and maximizes productivity. Flextime gives employees control over start and end times, while compressed workweeks cram full-time hours into fewer days. Job sharing splits one role between two people.
Advanced Cleaning Technologies
Advanced cleaning technologies are crucial for creating and maintaining healthy work environments long-term. Programmable robots equipped with UV-C light or pulsed xenon lamps that disinfect surfaces without requiring human intervention are useful, especially in high-traffic, high-touch areas. Self-driving floor cleaners that vacuum, mop and disinfect hard floors after hours reduce the need for cleaning staff to be present.
Air Quality Improvement Measures
To improve your workplace’s air quality, invest in HEPA filters or install an HVAC system with HEPA filtration to remove airborne contaminants like viruses, bacteria, and pollutants. HEPA stands for “high efficiency particulate air” and can remove at least 99.97% of airborne particles including large and small particles.
Touchless Technologies
Touchless technologies are more important than ever. Sensor-activated doors, faucets, soap and towel dispensers, and toilets can help reduce high-touch surfaces in the workplace that may spread disease. Consider installing these automated fixtures in employee restrooms, break rooms, and other common areas. Hands-free voice assistants and motion-activated lighting can also decrease the need for direct contact with shared controls. While these upgrades may require initial investment, they offer long term benefits for employee health, safety, and peace of mind.
Behavioral Change Initiatives
To effectively change behaviors long-term, companies need to make health and safety part of workplace culture. This starts from the top, with leadership fully committed to new policies and protocols. But it also requires buy-in from all employees.
Educate your teams about the why behind new rules. Explain how hand washing, physical distancing, and mask wearing protect everyone’s health. Then solicit feedback to address any concerns. When people understand the reasoning, they’re more likely to make lasting changes.
Model the behaviors you want to see. Leaders should follow the same guidance given to staff. Walk the walk; don’t just talk the talk.
Positive reinforcement can help new habits stick. Consider offering incentives or rewards for groups or individuals who consistently demonstrate safe practices. But avoid punishing those still learning.
Sanitation Protocols and Guidelines
To ensure health and safety in the long run, companies should establish and enforce clear sanitation protocols and guidelines. Create scheduled cleaning routines for all areas of the workplace, especially high-touch surfaces like doorknobs, light switches, phones, keyboards, toilets and sinks. Increase cleaning frequency for spaces like break rooms, conference rooms and cafeterias. Provide employees with disinfecting wipes so they can spot-clean as needed in between scheduled cleanings.
Place hand sanitizer dispensers in multiple locations throughout the workplace, including entrances, exits, break rooms, conference rooms and near high-touch equipment like copiers or coffee makers. Require all employees to wash hands thoroughly and often, especially after using the restroom, blowing their nose, coughing or sneezing. Educate employees on proper hand washing techniques through visual guides in restrooms and break rooms.
Workplace Design for Health and Safety
Focus on ventilation and indoor air quality. HVAC systems with HEPA filters can remove airborne particles like viruses. Increase ventilation rates and the percentage of outdoor air. Consider portable air purifiers for high-traffic areas.
Space for social distancing. Reconfigure workspaces for 6 feet of distance between employees. This may mean reducing workstation density, staggering work schedules, and designating one-way walkways.
Easy access to hygiene facilities. Provide handwashing stations, sanitizer dispensers, and disinfecting wipes within easy reach of workspaces and common areas.
Minimize high-touch surfaces. Install automatic doors and lights, touchless payment systems, and voice-activated controls where possible. Choose materials like copper, brass and laminate that naturally inhibit microbial growth.
Technology for Health Monitoring
As technology gets better, new tools are being made to check how healthy employees are at work. Small devices like fitness trackers can find signs like high body temperature or fast heartbeats. Some companies are trying out smart watches that tell workers if they’ve been near someone with a sickness. Also, sensors placed around the office can help track who’s been close to whom in case of a need to find out.
Challenges and Considerations in Implementing Long-Term Strategies
Implementing long-term strategies at workplaces comes with challenges that employers need to consider:
Costs
While some measures like flexible work arrangements or improved ventilation may save money, technologies like touchless systems or health monitoring can be expensive to implement and maintain. Employers will need to evaluate costs versus benefits to find affordable and sustainable solutions.
Employee buy-in
For strategies to be effective, employees must understand and adopt new policies and protocols. Employers should clearly communicate the reasons behind any changes, provide proper training, and encourage feedback to gain employee trust and cooperation.
Equity and inclusion
Not all solutions may work for employees in different roles or with certain health conditions. Employers must consider accessibility, accommodation, and alternatives to avoid disadvantages in any groups. Flexibility and openness to employee concerns are key.
Future Trends in Workplace Health and Safety
The future of workplace health and safety is trending towards increased technology integration, employee wellness programs, and flexible work options. As more workplaces adopt advanced cleaning technologies like electrostatic sprayers, UV light disinfection, and touchless fixtures with the help of commercial cleaning services professionals, the risk of infectious disease transmission will decrease. Air quality monitoring systems and ventilation upgrades can also help reduce airborne threats.
With many employees now accustomed to remote work, companies may continue offering flexible schedules and work-from-home options even after the pandemic. This benefits both physical and mental health by decreasing commute times and stress.
Integration with Overall Business Strategy
Matching your business plans with taking care of your team and keeping them safe is super important. When the big bosses show they care, everyone else in the company follows. Make sure there’s enough support for health programs and think about giving rewards for staying healthy at work. Encourage a vibe where everyone feels they can make good choices for their health and help each other.
Conclusion
Investing in employee health, embracing flexible work, and adopting innovative cleaning tech shapes a safer work future. Collective efforts, from companies to individuals practicing safety measures, pave the way for thriving workplaces. Though challenging, commitment to health guarantees enduring success in the years ahead. For more information about cleaning services, feel free to reach out to commercial cleaning services Louisville KY.
