In most workplaces, having a filthy office kitchen is a daily struggle. When some employees fail to do their bit of the office cleaning, leaving a mess for everyone else to clean up, it is immensely frustrating. It may get rather terrible when 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 degrades the workplace and may have an adverse effect on employees’ happiness.
- Visitors to your business will be unimpressed.
- It might present threats to one’s health and safety from foodborne infections or accidents including slipping on wet floors.
- According to a recent Australian study, unclean offices have a negative effect on staff morale. Three out of four workers think that an unclean workplace indicates that their boss doesn’t care about their welfare.
Due to the huge number of microorganisms on workstation office equipment, eating lunch at desks is another option that an uncomfortable office kitchen may push employees to consider. Therefore, having a clean and well-maintained kitchen is in the best interests of managers and employees.
If you’ve been having trouble with this, it might be time to try some new strategies or think about hiring a cleaning service. See the cleaning advice for offices’ kitchens below.
Try Your Best!
If we all pitched in, the workplace kitchen wouldn’t get so messy! Be careful how you act in the common areas of your workplace, and clean up any messes you produce! Food spilled in the microwave? Utilize a paper towel to blot it up. Finished the last roll of paper towels? So that it is ready for the following person, get another one from the supply closet. Simple things may truly make a world of difference.
Get Needed Supplies
If you aren’t providing the proper equipment, you can’t expect the location to always be pristine. Ensure that your staff has simple access to:
- Paper towels and cloths
- Surface mists
- Dishwashing soap and brushes
- Bin liners and trash cans
- Containers for recycling
- Properly sized dishwashers and refrigerators
- Ask your office manager or support services to fill the office kitchen if you are an employee and your management hasn’t given you these needs.
Additionally, it could be beneficial to supply some small labels so that employees can mark their food before placing it in the refrigerator with their name and the date.
Implement Fundamental Principles
When it comes to keeping common places neat and orderly, some people are simply less conscious than others. It might be time to establish a cleaning protocol for the workplace. This should cover the fundamentals, such as clearing your workspace after yourself, washing or rinsing your own dishes, and avoiding storing expired food in the refrigerator.
Ensure that everyone is aware of the rules. Share them via internal communications, such as a group email sent to all employees or the usual staff newsletter. It is also crucial to incorporate it in manuals or inductions for new employees so that everyone knows what they must accomplish.
To keep the policy visible and to remind everyone of their obligations in the workplace kitchen, create some posters or placards to hang on the walls of the kitchen.
Create a Roster
Perhaps the rules and polite reminders are ineffective, and you need to introduce something a little more rigid. Only smaller workplaces, where it can be more easily enforced, are good candidates for creating a roster. You can designate one person as the weekly or daily kitchen cleaner, or you can divide the work up among a few people each week.
There may be some drawbacks to using a cleaning roster for the office. If someone is required to clean the kitchen even though they don’t use it frequently, they may feel unhappy. Or maybe someone slips off on their cleaning week, making the week after them even more revolting.
Delegate
It might be more effective to have a small group of individuals assigned specifically to keeping an eye on the office kitchen’s hygiene than to use a roster system. It could be vital to incorporate these cleaning responsibilities into your employees’ regular chores if your company employs office interns or support personnel. You wouldn’t assign it to senior employees or managers because they would be better off using their big pay on more important tasks.
For activities that don’t get done as frequently, like cleaning out the refrigerator or washing down the microwave, it’s crucial to establish regular tasks as well. In communal areas, these equipment can become infested with mold, bacteria, and stale food. To maintain things tidy and hygienic for everyone, this might be assigned to your support team for weekly maintenance.
It is important to keep in mind that this isn’t a fun task and your support personnel may not be thrilled about having to perform it, especially if it hasn’t previously been on their list of duties. You might have to deal with some unhappiness or maybe think of some other advantages (coffee shouting!) to make up for it.
Use Professional Services
Sometimes it’s just best to delegate to the experts! If you run a tiny firm, this additional cost may be challenging, but it is worthwhile. Your crew is being paid to clean, but instead of doing their jobs, they are cleaning the kitchen. The money would be better spent on hiring cleaners.
Commercial cleaners can significantly improve an office kitchen because they take care of everything that is frequently overlooked. They will clean and disinfect the trash and recycling bins, vacuum and mop the floors, and sanitize the benches and tables. A regular cleaning service, even just once a week, can significantly enhance the cleanliness of your office as a whole.
For your workplace, commercial cleaning is a fantastic investment. Your personnel will be content as a result, and your common spaces will be kept clean and healthy.
