COVID-19 has brought unprecedented human and humanitarian challenges to everyone in the world. Even though the pandemic was an event that even the most extreme business-continuity plans hadn’t envisioned, companies rose to the occasion and acted swiftly to safeguard their employees. For many, this meant a complete shift from their offices to working from home. However, as we are closing towards a 2-year mark since the start of the pandemic, the situation seems to be slowly turning tides again. Although work-from-home remains as the default arrangement, more workers are returning to their offices. With staggered starting hours and the implementation of flexible working hours, companies are finding their way back to having their employees at their desks.

Being able to return to offices to work does not negate the need to keep the concern for workplace safety and cleanliness at an all-time high. In fact, it just makes it all the more a priority. Measures such as banning social gatherings at work have been put into place to reduce the chances of interaction. Now that workplace gatherings are banned, how else can we keep the office clean and safe for staff?

Why is Keeping the Workplace Clean and Sanitary Important?

Early in the pandemic, cleanliness became a high priority. And the importance of frequent cleaning and disinfecting has only increased since then. Workers are increasingly emphatic that the interior of office buildings need that extra layer of defence.

Keeping the office clean can inhibit the spread of communicable diseases. Serious respiratory illnesses are generally spread through coughing or sneezing, touching objects with contaminated hands, and touching your face after touching contaminated objects. This means that COVID-19 can also be spread easily through close contact and airborne particles.

An unsanitary workplace can also cause employees to fall ill more frequently. Thus, it is of utmost importance to keep the workplace safe for employees to return to. In addition to limiting your exposure to the infection, what else should be done to keep the workplace clean and safe?

Declutter Work Desks

The best place you can start with is the work desk. Encourage employees to keep their work desks clean and clutter-free. A messy desk equals a messy mind. It can make individuals feel overwhelmed, stressed out or defeated. With a simple daily routine of decluttering the table, employees can experience a sense of peace and satisfaction, both physically and mentally.

So how does one go about decluttering their desk? Set some time aside for it every day, perhaps 10 minutes. Decrease the paper clutter by digitising as many files as possible. Print documents only when necessary and immediately shred or dispose of the ones you don’t need anymore. Provide your staff with drawer organisers and allow them to customise it by labelling it for all the items on your desk, such as stationery.

Sanitise your own tabletop regularly. This includes your keyboard as well as other high-touch surfaces. Due to the ban on workplace gatherings, you might be eating at your desk. Hence, this should be a daily practice. The visual distraction of a cluttered work environment can make you unproductive and less likely to focus. Stay motivated with a neat and orderly work desk.

Disinfect Shared Spaces

Many areas in the office are accessed by more than one group of people. Places such as the pantry, lobby area and meeting rooms need some extra tender loving care. Use an antibacterial cleaner to clean the surfaces and any objects such as telephones in these areas. High-touch areas such as doorknobs and elevator buttons need to be regularly wiped down too. It will be easier for your employees to remember to clean and sanitise their workspaces when they are equipped with the proper tools they need to do so. Some basic products they must have access to include hand cleaner and hand sanitiser, paper towels, sanitising sprays, and disposable wipes.

Contamination on surfaces touched by employees and customers is one of the main ways that COVID-19 spreads. Hence, it is important for these places to be kept disinfected. Hand sanitisers should also be placed at prominent places around the workplace and regularly refilled.

Engage Professional Disinfection Services

Daily cleaning is great, but it is not enough to remove bacteria completely. Once every few months, the office needs to go through thorough disinfection. It is crucial for maintaining a hygienic and pleasant working environment. Deep cleaning curbs the spread of infections and takes care of clutter and dust.

How is deep cleaning or disinfection different from regular cleaning services? Deep cleaning leaves no stone unturned, seeing to it that all the nooks and crannies, surfaces and corners are cleaned and sanitised. It is a thorough office cleaning procedure that is vital to keep the virus at bay in workplaces.

Professionals are usually brought in to conduct deep cleaning services as they are equipped with the experience to expertly get the job done. At Lifeline Cleaning, we provide disinfection services for premises of all sizes and scales in Singapore. The treatment is affordable, effective, and most importantly safe. We use the Ultra-low Volume (ULV) fogging machine that is designed to produce very small droplets, thus ensuring even coverage with low volumes. The ULV fogging machine relies on an auto dry process, meaning that surfaces do not require rinsing after.

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