Why Is Maintaining A Clean Business So Important To Success?

Around nine out of 10 people surveyed reported that the cleanliness of a business is a deciding factor in whether or not they will become repeat customers, as found in a recent Consumer Cleaning Insights Survey. Just a few things customers notice quickly when they enter a business include bad smells, the cleanliness of public areas, the appearance of customer service staff, the state of floors and carpets, litter, noise, and clutter. In current pandemic times, of course, keeping your business clean is a vital component of building trust in your business. If cleanliness and tidiness are still not important priorities in your company, here are a few additional reasons why they should be.

Keeping an office tidy should not be your only aim, since failing to both clean and disinfect surfaces, floors and bathrooms regularly can affect your staff’s health. One study by K Skulberg and colleagues found, for instance, that comprehensive cleaning reduces airborne dust in offices, thus reducing mucosal irritation, nasal congestion, and other aspects that can affect your staff’s health and wellbeing. Professional and regular office cleaning is key, so when you hire a cleaning company, ensure that they are equipped to fit around your business and are able visit your office at regular intervals. If you have specific requirements pertaining to your sector, ensure that they have the equipment and skill to comply.

A study by Florida State University scientists  found that dirty working environments can have a long-term cognitive effect on employees. Another study by M Horrevorts and colleagues showed that higher cleanliness is linked to a higher perceived productivity of employees working in an office. Unclean offices can also increase stress and thereby make it harder for employees to concentrate on their tasks. The report, Cleanliness and Learning in Higher Education, showed that a lack of cleanliness creates a genuine, notable distraction. Human beings need cleanliness and tidiness if they are to feel at their most creative and productive.

Research by academics at the University of Navarra in Spain found that even conscientious workers make more mistakes when they work in messy environments. Clutter essentially increases anxiety and makes workers prone to distraction. Tidiness, by contrast, enables conscientious workers to make the most of this positive personality trait.

Numerous studies have shown that the impression clients have of a business’ cleanliness is key to their decision about whether they’ll support the business. However, dirt and clutter also have a negative effect on staff, who find it harder to focus and produce their finest work in the presence of these factors. Businesses should see cleaning and disinfection as an important way to reduce sickness rates and absenteeism (especially during the current global health situation), but also a way to keep staff motivated and concentrated on achieving their professional goals.