What should businesses be doing to prepare for another return to the office?
The news that ‘Plan B’ restrictions are coming to an end means that businesses must ensure their office spaces are fully prepared for the returning workers. With workers being required to give up the creature-comforts of WFH life, they are returning with significantly higher expectations of the quality of their workspaces.
Businesses have already begun to respond to these demands and ensure their spaces meet these new expectations of quality. For example, Google recently demonstrated its commitment to high-quality workspaces with its $1 billion purchase of a new office space which it is set to refurbish. This provision of upgraded offices with increased amenities will be an important aspect of businesses preparing for a return of workers. However, with 37% of employees still feeling concerned about office cleanliness, cleaning and your cleaning team must be a business’ first port of call for ensuring their office is offering both quality and safety.
Should cleaners be considered essential workers?
Absolutely, in the post-pandemic world the importance of an office’s cleaning regime and team simply cannot be overstated. Despite the order of a return to offices, daily positive Covid tests are still reaching as much as 95,787 per day. An office’s cleaning team will be its most important protection against the ongoing threat of Covid.
In fact, an office’s cleaning regime is so important that 75% of UK business are implementing cleaning measures above and beyond the government’s guidance. For example, where deep cleaning measures, such as fogging, may have only been utilised one a quarter, it is important that this is increased to a minimum of monthly to truly protect workers and the office. A knowledgeable cleaning team which is experienced in these Covid-specific cleaning measures will be able to guide a business to safely welcoming its workers back to the office. It is this fundamental role in both protecting workers and ensuring a return to the office which means we must begin regarding cleaners as essential workers.
What should businesses be looking for in their cleaning teams and regimes?
A knowledgeable and professional cleaning team which is well versed in navigating the complexities of cleaning in a post-pandemic world is essential to helping businesses adapt to the new normal of office life. A 2021 study by Accenture found that 83% of workers now see hybrid working as their ideal form of working. This means that flexible working is here to stay, and this poses many challenges for ensuring Covid safety in an office. For example, with people increasingly having to share desks and varying when they will be coming in and out of the office, it is no longer sufficient to rely on cleaning standards from before the pandemic – increased and continuous cleaning is essential.
In order to navigate this, at OSC we have adopted a ‘flow-cleaning’ system where, as opposed to travelling to rooms to clean them individually, we clean as we go to ensure no high touch points or areas of contamination are missed. Businesses must ensure their cleaning teams are knowledgeable in these kinds of adaptations and prepared to manage the constantly changing guidelines around Covid-19. An experienced cleaning team is an office’s most important tool to keep workers safe.
How can an increased focus on cleaning regimes help businesses future-proof their offices?
The return to offices is a welcome sign for many businesses and, with a 14% rise in commuters using the tube, it is clear that workers are making their way back to the city. However, with the threat of the Omicron variant still present and flexible working on the rise, businesses will be looking to ensure their offices are future-proof.
With 63% of businesses prediction office design to play an important role, it is clear that some of the steps that businesses can take to update their offices will be material. However, ultimately, an office’s cleaning team will be the most important update in order to ensure workers remain in the office. The pandemic has caused 69% of Britons to become more conscious of cleanliness and hygiene. Therefore, an experienced and rigorous cleaning team will be the key to alleviating any concerns and meeting workers’ expectations. It is clear that if workers do not feel safe and protected by an experienced and visible cleaning team, they will make their fears heard and vote with their feet. It is this which makes the cleaner the forgotten essential worker that businesses must remember in order to encourage workers back to the office once and for all.
By James Carver, Managing Director at OSCFM
