98% of workers are stricken down by illnesses each year, which decreases overall productivity and results in lost revenue for businesses. Touch points – high-traffic contact spots like door handles – are a major source of cross infection due to their frequent usage.
Combined with disciplined personal hygiene, touch point cleaning effectively reduces the spread of germs to maintain a healthy workplace environment.
With cold and flu season in full swing, check out these three benefits of thorough, office-wide touch point cleaning:
1. Reducing Illness and Absenteeism in the Office
Sick days take a toll on business and cost the Canadian economy over $16 billion per year.
What can be even more burdensome is “Presenteeism” – employees coming to the office but working at reduced capacity due to illness, a phenomenon with a $160 billion annual price tag in the US. That not only impacts the affected employees’ on-the-job performance and productivity, but contributes to the spread of illness among other employees around the office.
2. Disinfecting Touch Points Reduces Cross Contamination
Disease-causing viruses can run rampant in as little as two hours in an office environment.
Recirculated air and an abundance of touch points give germs an ideal environment to take root and spread. Effects are compounded when airborne viruses – initially dispersed through a cough or sneeze – settle on a hard surface, where they can linger for hours or days.
3. Creating a Healthy, Productive Workplace
Ultimately, a healthy employee is a productive employee. Regularly, thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting an office environment makes business sense, giving germs and bacteria fewer chances to spread and compromise your employees’ operational effectiveness.
Guaranteeing Thorough Touch Point Cleaning
It is the job of your cleaning company to identify, clean, and disinfect areas in your office likely to be harbouring harmful germs and bacteria.
Common office touch points include:
- Door handles
- Light switches
- Phones
- Office equipment (copiers, fax machines, etc.)
- Objects in the kitchen (microwaves, coffee pots, kettles, etc.)
- Railings and elevator buttons
- Desks
- Bathroom faucets, sinks, and hand dryers
You can take small, day-to-day measures to keep your own workspace clean. For example, if you eat at your desk, ensure you wipe it down using a disinfectant cloth before resuming work. Maintain a disciplined personal hygiene regimen, including effective handwashing, and keep sanitizer handy to disinfect your hands frequently.
Make touch point cleaning a part of your office’s normal routine by scheduling recurring touch point cleaning services, getting rid of infection-causing bacteria before they have the chance to spread.
Sunshine Building Maintenance uses only the most advanced, effective, and safe germicidal and cleaning products (including Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide and microfiber cloths) to tackle touch points and combat the spread of germs. Contact us today to learn more about our services!
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