How to Return to Office Work & Keep Employees Safe
Returning to work post-pandemic—it’s finally happening. However, the workforce is looking different than it did a year ago. Many companies are choosing to set up rotational schedules or are updating their work from home and sick day policies. With these adjustments being implemented, an essential building service is also seeing changes: cleaning.
If you want to let employees return to work and keep them healthy and safe, you must reevaluate your building cleaning services. Before employees are allowed to re-enter the building, start with a deep cleaning, as many offices had sat uncleaned. Then, set up a recurring cleaning schedule with your provider. This way, your employees are entering a clean and disinfected space where they feel safe and comfortable.
Many companies right now are reaching out to restart their building cleaning services. Because of this, it’s crucial to contact your current or new provider as soon as possible to ensure they have the availability to accommodate your schedule.
How the Pandemic Has Changed Cleaning Protocols and Expectations
Before the pandemic, buildings only enlisted after-hours daily janitorial services and the occasional deep clean. Now, COVID-19 has heightened everyone’s sense of wellbeing. In the workplace, employees no longer feel comfortable sharing spaces, such as desks, bathrooms, kitchens, etc. As a response, employers are expecting more from their cleaning provider.
Day porters are being hired to handle daily restroom cleaning and to wipe down surfaces that receive a high volume of traffic. Additionally, what was once a monthly or quarterly deep clean has been upped to a weekly occurrence. Employees are also now more comfortable seeing their cleaning provider for reassurance that their space is being cleaned.
The Importance of Setting Up a Custom Cleaning Schedule
To building managers, the above may seem like a lot to deal with. However, cleaning providers like Safety Facility Services make it easy to implement a custom cleaning schedule in your office. We can complete daily janitorial tasks and weekly deep cleaning services around your employee’s schedule or your business operating hours. We can also work with you to determine the frequency of cleaning for specific areas in your office. For example, you may want the restrooms and kitchen disinfected daily, but the conference rooms disinfected weekly.
Why Partner with a Facility Management Company vs. a Cleaning Provider?
As you allow employees to return to work, rethink your building services. It’s better to partner with a full facility services company instead of solely a cleaning provider. If you hire a cleaning provider, you’ll need to find another company to handle additional building services. However, if you hire a full facility services company, it becomes extremely easy and cost-efficient to schedule other services. For example, if you’re preparing your building to reopen, call Safety Facility Services for all your needs.
We can take care of carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, window cleaning, floor refinishing, high dusting, restroom deep cleaning, and other building maintenance tasks—in addition to your regular cleaning. Our team can work with you to develop a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly schedule that you only have to think about once. From there, we take care of the rest. Contact us online to get started.
