With cold and flu season upon us, combined with the start of the new school year, it's important to review your facility's cleaning and disinfection practices.
Hybrid Workplace Models Promote the Spread of Germs in the Office
COVID 19 has dramatically altered the way many of us work. In fact, over half of all American workers now utilize some sort of a hybrid work arrangement (home part-time and office part-time). Because of the shift to hybrid working environments employees may come into the office specifically to interact with their coworkers, often in communal areas.
Unfortunately, the hybrid working arrangements combined with communal workplaces and hot desking lead to the more efficient transfer of germs and bacteria as common surfaces are touched by multiple people more frequently than in the pre-pandemic environment. This results in higher rates of infection and illness, lower worker productivity, and decreased mental wellbeing.
In short, viruses, bacteria, and germs that cause illness are moving through the workplace differently than before the lockdowns.
The Top 10 “Germiest” Touchpoints in the Office
A team from Lysol Pro Solutions investigated how changes in workplace practices have affected the spread of disease-causing germs in the workplace. According to their findings, the top ten germiest workplace hotspots include:
1) Elevator Controls
2) Handles/buttons on coffee machines
3) Refrigerator door handles
4) Kitchen faucets
5) Vending machine buttons
6) Doorknobs
7) Keyboards and mice
8) Telephones
9) Shared printers
10) TV remotes
Methods for Reducing Germ Hotspots
Reducing quantities of germs on frequently handled office surfaces will minimize transmission and infection rates.
Ideally, hotspots should be cleaned off with an EPA-registered disinfectant after each use. However, that is typically not practical.
One simple and proven alternative involves making disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizer, and basic surface cleaning instruction available to facility occupants. The disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer should be obviously and conveniently positioned as close to the hotspots as feasible to promote high rates of participation and compliance.
Also, to maintain the highest levels of cleanliness, a facility's most inhabited areas should be routinely serviced utilizing a mix of wet and dry cleaning techniques designed to eliminate dust, grime, germs, bacteria, and viruses.
Other specialized or professional cleaning and disinfecting activities such as disinfecting with electrostatic sprayers may be appropriate depending on considerations such as:
Type of facility
Risk to occupants
Number of at-risk employees / visitors
Number of employees calling in sick
Cost of downtime
Risk of business disruption
Nearby community outbreaks
In many facilities, deep cleaning and disinfection services as part of a routine health-based cleaning program are recommended and worth considering.
Key Takeaways
Back-to-school activities, combined with the approaching cold and flu season make it prudent to review cleaning and disinfecting practices at work.
The shift to hybrid work arrangements, hot desking, and shared office settings, can lead to the increased transfer of germs in the workplace, and has altered the locations where illness-causing germs are usually found.
The necessity for a higher level of cleanliness and the need to disinfectant high-touch surfaces more often and more thoroughly has caused many businesses to leverage both in-house resources and professional cleaning or janitorial companies to clean and sanitize workplaces.
Ideally only trained professionals would clean and disinfect facilities as part of a customized cleaning plan. However, acquiring and maintaining the necessary personnel, materials, and equipment in-house may be prohibitively expensive. For example, recruiting, interviewing, performing background and drug tests, onboarding, and providing training to new Cleaners is time consuming and expensive. There is also the challenge of figuring out how to cover absences, vacations, and employee turnover.
Outsourcing janitorial services to an experienced, professional cleaning company such as Better Business Cleaning is a tried-and-true approach for ensuring effective cleaning and disinfection services at a fraction of the cost (and hassle) of doing so in-house.
About Better Business Cleaning
Better Business Cleaning provides customized commercial cleaning, custodial, and janitorial services designed to meet your needs. Cleanings can be scheduled from once a week to every day to multiple times a day! We can also provide specialized building maintenance services such as carpet cleaning, hard-floor work, and window cleaning.
We are conveniently headquartered in Frederick, Colorado with easy access to I-25 and Highway 52 so our typical service area includes but is not limited to: Boulder, Brighton, Broomfield, Denver, Erie, Fort Collins, Fort Lupton, Frederick, Greeley, Lafayette, Longmont, Louisville, Loveland, Thornton, and Westminster and all the surrounding areas (it might be easiest to think of it as stretching from Denver to Longmont to Fort Collins and everywhere in between!)
Please contact us today for a free quotation and to learn more about how our dependable, hassle-free cleaning, custodial, and janitorial services can make your life easier! Be sure to ask about how our disinfecting and sanitizing services can help reduce illness and absenteeism among your employees and visitors.
Give us a call at 303-665-9860 or submit this simple form... we’re here to help!