The Monitor found for instance, that 85 percent of American workers eat in their office space while more than one in three admits cutting their nails at work. Twenty-two per cent say that they see a co-worker sneeze, cough or yawning everyday without covering their mouth. And nearly one in two workers (45%) has seen co-workers leave the restroom without washing their hands. Thirty per cent of workers ‘sometimes’ or ‘very often’ retrieve things from the trashcans in their office.
“The job demands on America’s workers aren’t easing, and with so much of our time spent in the office, it’s really no surprise that we and our co-workers behave in ways that spread germs,” said Gary Bauer, ServiceMaster Clean director of business services. “What may be surprising, though, is the extent which workers notice that their buildings are not being cleaned as effectively and thoroughly as they believe is possible.
If building management is cutting corners in this area, office workers are noticing and they think it’s contributing to less productivity and more absenteeism.
“Facility managers should be concerned that only 29 percent of office workers believe that their offices are being cleaned as effectively as ossible,” Bauer continued “That’s why they should be making sure that their janitorial services provider has comprehensive programs in place for ensuring high quality work and staff professionalism. Facility managers should be confirming that their providers wipe every doorknob and are cleaning the entire office including individual workspaces not just the restrooms.
ServiceMaster Cleans research also found that:
- 85 percent of workers think regularly about the cleanliness of their office
- Only 40 percent of workers have ‘a lot of confidence’ in their building’s cleaning team
- 78 percent of workers say they get sick each year from co-workers
- The average number of times they catch a cold from co-workers is 1.4 times/year
- 69 percent believe a clean office makes employees more productive
ServiceMaster Clean suggest the following tips for keeping your office or cubicle safe and healthy:
- Use ‘spill proof’ drink containers
- Do not dispose of food in desk rubbish bins
- Wipe phones with antimicrobial wipes
- Wipe doorknobs and work surfaces with antimicrobial wipes during cold-and-flu season
- Remove items (clutter) that impede or hinder the ability of the janitorial crew to clean adequately
- Be aware of how germs are spread (e coli can be picked up from shoes after a restroom visit, deposited on the desktop and enter the bloodstream with contact)
- Wash hands and for as long as it takes to sing Happy Birthday
- Report dust buildup on air diffusers, a signal that the system is dirty and needs cleaning.
Keyboards and phones “dirtier than toilets”
KEYBOARDS COMPUTER, mice and telephone dials are more infested with microbes than toilet seats, according to US researchers.
The university of Arizona study recommends that office workstations be regularly disinfected since they can on average contain 400 times as many germs as a toilet seat.
The study by Charles Gerba, a University of Arizona microbiologist, found that telephones harbored up to 3,894 germs per square centimeter, keyboards 511 and computer mice 260.
The average office contains 3,249 germs per square centimeter. |
