Housekeeping: Four good reasons to keep your workplace tidy

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I think it's fair to say that in every workplace there is at least one person who works in a constant state of apparent disorder. Whether it be a chaotic desk, a messy workstation or a general habit of leaving things lying about, they just can't seem to maintain any sense of organisation.

They may say it's how they work best and that they know where everything is. To some extent that may even be true. But what if they were suddenly off sick, leaving someone else to step into their shoes? What if an important visitor or potential customer was to drop in? What would happen then?

Here are four good reasons to keep your workspace clean and tidy.

1. Health and safety
Around 50% of all slip and trip incidents in the workplace are caused by poor housekeeping. This includes things such as packaging waste and toolboxes left on the floor, unattended spills and trailing cables.

Falling loads are one of the biggest workplace killers. Reasons items may fall include poor stacking and general untidiness.

Untidy floors can block access to safety equipment and emergency exits, which could prove fatal if an incident occurred.

2. Hygiene
It has been reported that some workstations accommodate more bacteria than a toilet seat – 400 times more according to a study by the University of Arizona.

The study found that telephones can accommodate up to 25,127 microbes per square inch, keyboards 3,295 and computer mice 1,676.

This is not to mention communal kitchen facilities, especially in small companies, where mucky microwaves. sinks full of dirty dishes and fridges containing festering food all provide breeding grounds for harmful bacteria.

3. Efficiency and productivity
According to time management experts, the average person spends a whole year of their life looking for items they have lost. In the workplace this time is not spent efficiently or productively, so it counts as waste.

One of the main benefits of keeping our workspace tidy is that everyone knows where everything belongs – where to find it and where to return it to.

4. Respect for others
An untidy work area might be normal for you, but consider how it looks to an outsider – a visitor who may also be a potential customer. To that person it may suggest that you are sloppy, disorganised and apathetic. Hardly the qualities of a company they would be happy to do business with.

Also consider your colleagues – it's not too pleasant working around other people's mess. It doesn't take much effort to stay organised by tidying your space each evening and returning communal items and tools to their proper place.

Kodiak's motivational poster programme regularly addresses housekeeping and its associated issues, as described above.

Our posters cover everything from keeping fire exits clear to cleaning up after yourself and keeping things organised.

If you would like to find out more about how our posters can help to improve housekeeping in your workplace, why not contact us for an informal chat.

For daily tips on dealing with common workplace issues, why not follow us on Twitter.

If you would like to find out how Kodiak posters 
can help your business work smoother, smarter 
and safer, please call us on: 01530 456 000 
or email us.