If you operate a business, maintaining a clean and organised environment is one of the biggest struggles of the job.

While making sure your premises is always clean and tidy requires a bit of effort and forward planning, it can pay itself back several times over.

Here's Why:

Increased productivity

Firstly, maintaining an organised working environment will make it easy for your staff or workers to find the equipment and supplies they need, directly increasing productivity. It will also indirectly boost staff productivity if your staff know you dedicate company time and resources to making sure their working environment is clean, safe, and efficient, they are more likely to take pride in their work.

Comply with Health and Safety regulations

As a business owner, it’s particularly important that you maintain a clean and tidy working environment in order to comply with health and safety legislature. The (HSWA)1974 requires all employers to ensure the health and safety of anyone affected by their work or in employment.

Furthermore, under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers must assess workplace risks — including slip and trip risks — and take action to address them wherever necessary.

Lastly, the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 require the floors of your workplace to be suitable for the type of work that will be performed on it, in good condition, and free of obstructions.

Failing to comply with this health and safety legislation can not only put your employees in danger, but also lead to your business failing a check from a health and safety inspector, which could lead to a serious financial loss.

In short, maintaining a clean and organised environment will lead to increased productivity and higher staff morale, as well as ensure your business complies with all the current health and safety criteria.

Making a Business cleaning plan

The type of work you perform on your business premises will affect how often it needs to be cleaned, but you should perform two kinds of cleaning routines: deep and regular cleaning.

Deep cleaning

Over time, the floor of your business is going to get dirty and your equipment and furniture is going to build up with dust and grime, both of which can seriously affect productivity.

Your business needs to be deeply cleaned before it reaches this point.

When you perform a deep clean, you should set aside several hours to use heavy-duty cleaning equipment and supplies on every surface and piece of equipment on your premises.

If you’ll be enlisting your staff to clean and tidy their own section, you should schedule the deep clean during a slow period if at all possible. If you’re hiring outside help to perform the clean for you, you should schedule them to come in on an evening or weekend so you don’t lose out on productive work hours.

Regular cleaning

In between your scheduled deep cleans, you should also instruct your staff to perform a regular maintenance routine to keep on top of things and extend the amount of time needed before your next intensive clean.

How often this routine should be performed and what it should entail depends on several factors, such as:

What kind of work do you perform at this location? Do you use machines that create a lot of mess, dust, and debris?

How often do your clients and suppliers visit your site? A messy work environment doesn’t reflect well on your business and may have an impact on whether or not they want to continue working with you.

Do you use equipment that requires a sterile environment to perform at its best? If so, your regular cleaning routine will need to be more intensive in order to maintain these levels of cleanliness.

Invest in the right cleaning equipment

If you’re committed to maintaining a clean and healthy work space environment, it’s crucial that you provide your employees with all of the equipment they need to perform their cleaning duties thoroughly and efficiently.