What Are the Risks of an Untidy Workplace?

It’s okay to let things slide sometimes. We get busy with life and have to prioritize the most urgent and important tasks or activities. This is especially true at work. Depending on your job, it’s likely that your customers or your sales, or your correspondence comes first. Maybe you got swamped with emails that need a response as soon as possible. Maybe the papers on your desk started to pile up, but you will organize them later. Maybe you’ve had a lot of clients in your office, and there are dirty coffee cups sitting everywhere.

But these things can wait, right? Does a messy workplace really cause that much disruption? We might think of office cleaning as a minor hassle that has to be done sometimes, but not something that makes a big difference. Well, think again. There are actually some risks to an untidy workplace, and some of them might be more serious or have more long-term effects than you might expect at first glance. To explore these, let’s take a look at a few common questions on this topic.

How does working in a messy environment affect your work performance?

People tend to feel overwhelmed around cluttered desks and office areas. Even if you’re not a “neat freak,” it is generally true that clutter creates stress, if only on a subconscious level. But whether you’re fully aware of it or not, the stress caused by dirt and clutter can build up and create more problems in other areas of your life, not just at work. Prolonged stress can lead to physical health problems like fatigue and substance abuse, and it can also affect mental health, causing depression or trouble sleeping. The science of psychology has established the fact that clutter leads to stress and other unhealthy feelings in people.

What Are the Risks of an Untidy Workplace?

Beyond psychology are the medical health risks associated with a dirty workplace. Bacteria can build up on dirty surfaces, and viruses can live for days outside of the human body. For example, the common cold virus can easily live for 7 days outside the body, and norovirus — the one that causes stomach flu — has been found to survive for weeks on public surfaces. Add in the fact that offices tend to be placed with high-touch surfaces and lots of foot traffic, and you have a recipe for illness brewing, not to mention some possible health code violations.

Employees need to stay well to do their jobs well. This can’t happen if the work environment is messy and allows dirt and allergens to build up. It makes sense then that work performance is quite directly related to the quality of the work environment.

How does a clean workplace affect productivity?

On the flip side of the previous question is how productivity increases when the environment is healthy. The brain is better able to concentrate when clutter is reduced. So by keeping the workplace clean, you improve the focus of your employees. And of course, better focus means improved productivity.

A clean environment supports better health, leading to fewer sick days. Obviously, productivity is not possible if your employees are not showing up due to sickness. It’s especially important to regularly clean shared spaces where people come and go, bringing different germs in and exposing others to them. Bacteria and viruses get easily passed around, not just directly between people, but on high-touch surfaces like break room tables. It is probably no surprise that illness is the top cause of workplace inefficiency, but it is relatively simple to prevent by maintaining a clean environment.

Why is workplace hygiene important?

The average worker spends 8 hours a day in their workspace; therefore, it is critical that those hours are spent in a clean, comfortable setting. A cluttered, poorly organized office or warehouse, for example, can also be an injury waiting to happen. Preventing injuries such as slips and falls should be at the front of every employer’s mind, or you may end up with a lawsuit.

Air quality is another factor that can be easily overlooked but makes a big difference. Airborne pollutants can be up to one hundred times greater indoors. Without quality airflow throughout your building, people with breathing-related conditions such as asthma will suffer. And now, in the age of COVID-19, we also know that small spaces with lots of people and congested air is a highly risky situation for contracting the virus.

What Are the Risks of an Untidy Workplace?

Good office hygiene also contributes to employee welfare. Studies have shown that a tidy workplace increases morale and happiness among workers. If they have to work in unsanitary conditions, mental health can quickly deteriorate, not just physical wellness as we’ve already discussed. A well-maintained workspace shows respect for your employees and their well-being, which in turn leads to greater productivity and job satisfaction.

Phoenix Service Can Help!

If you think you might need some help improving your workplace cleanliness, Phoenix Service offers customized cleaning options for different types of buildings. Fill out the short form on our website let us know what your needs are: https://phoenixserviceclean.com. You can also call us at (703) 378-7555 or email .