In the majority of organizations, having a filthy office kitchen is a common problem. When some employees fail to finish their part of the office cleaning, leaving a mess for the rest of the staff to pick up, it is highly frustrating. Things could grow particularly awful if there are dirty dishes, food spilled all over the benches, and yucky old tuna cans.
For a number of reasons, keeping the kitchen clean is crucial.
- It undervalues the workplace and could have a bad effect on employees’ happiness.
- Customers will have a negative opinion of your business.
- Health and safety problems could result from accidents like slipping on wet floors or foodborne infections.
- According to a recent Australian study, unclean workplaces are detrimental to employee morale. Three out of four workers believe that a messy workplace is a sign that their boss doesn’t care about their welfare.
Due to the high level of bacteria on office equipment at workstations, eating lunch at workstations is another option that an uncomfortable office kitchen may push employees to consider. Therefore, it is in the best interests of managers and employees to maintain a clean and well-kept kitchen.
If you’ve been having trouble with this, it might be time to experiment with some new ideas or think about hiring a cleaning service. For cleaning advice for offices’ kitchens, see below.
Don’t Hold Back!
If we all pitched in, the office kitchen wouldn’t be so dirty! Pay attention to how you act in the common areas of your workplace, and clean up any mistakes you produce! Food that was microwaved fell? Utilize a paper towel to absorb it. There is no more paper towel left in the last roll. So that it is ready for the following person, get another one from the supply closet. It’s possible that modest adjustments genuinely result in significant changes.
Buy the Equipment You Need
If the required instruments are not available, you cannot expect the area to always be pristine. Ensure that your personnel has simple access to:
- Paper towels and towels
- Surface vapor
- Brushes and dishwashing soap
- Bin liners and trash cans
- Package recycling
- Proper-sized refrigerators and dishwashers
Ask your office manager or support services to restock the office kitchen if your management has not met your demands as an employee.
Additionally, it could be helpful to supply some little labels so that employees can mark their food with their names and the date before putting it in the refrigerator.
Utilize the Fundamentals
Simply said, some people are less careful than others when it comes to keeping public areas tidy and organized. Maybe it’s time to plan the office’s cleaning tasks. This should cover the necessities, such as clearing your workspace after yourself, washing or rinsing your own dishes, and not storing expired food in the refrigerator.
Ensure that everyone is aware of the rules. Share them via internal messaging, such as a bulk email sent to every employee or the routine staff newsletter. To ensure that everyone is aware of what needs to be done, it is crucial to include it in manuals or orientations for new employees.
To keep the policy visible and to remind everyone of their obligations in the kitchen, make some posters or banners to display on the walls.
Create a Roster
Perhaps the rules and polite reminders are ineffective, and something a little more stringent needs to be put in place. Only smaller companies are qualified to establish a roster since they can more easily enforce it. One person can be tasked with cleaning the kitchen every day or once a week, or you can allocate several people to the task.
A cleaning roster for the office may have a number of drawbacks. Even though they don’t use the kitchen often, if they have to clean it, they could feel nervous. Or occasionally, someone neglects their cleaning week, which makes the next week even more revolting.
Delegate
It might be more effective to assign a small group of individuals to keep an eye on the office kitchen’s cleanliness rather than employing a roster system. Including these cleaning jobs in their daily tasks may be necessary if your company recruits office interns or support personnel. The assignment wouldn’t be assigned to senior employees or managers because they would be better off using their considerable salaries on more important initiatives.
For jobs that aren’t carried out as frequently, like cleaning the refrigerator or washing the microwave, routine tasks should be established. When utilized in public areas, these devices run the risk of becoming contaminated with mildew, bacteria, and stale food. In order to maintain things hygienic for everyone, this might be assigned to your support staff for weekly maintenance.
Remember that this is not an enjoyable task and that your support personnel may not be pleased to have to perform it, especially if it wasn’t previously on their list of duties. You might have to put up with some irritation or maybe look at other advantages to make up for it (coffee screaming!).
Use Professional Services
Sometimes it’s just best to delegate tasks to experts! For a small business owner, this additional expense could be challenging, but it is vital. Your crew is cleaning the kitchen even though they are paid to clean. The money would be better spent on cleaning services.
Commercial cleaners do everything that is ordinarily overlooked, which can significantly improve an office kitchen. The trash and recycling bins will be cleaned and sterilized, the floors will be vacuumed and mopped, and the benches and tables will be disinfected. Hiring a regular cleaning service, even only once a week, can significantly improve the general cleanliness of your company.
For your business, commercial cleaning is a fantastic investment. As a result, your personnel will be content and your public spaces will be kept clean.
