Managing a healthy and hygienic workplace for all staff and visitors

All workplaces have to be safe and hygienic for all employees and anybody who may visit. This goes for all types of workplaces, from offices to kitchens. Hygiene is vital in the workplace because it ensures a healthy workforce meaning less workers will need to take sick days due to being ill.

The main basic workplace hygiene measures consist of maintaining personal hygiene, cleanliness of the work area, cleanliness of the bathroom facilities and clean kitchens. Poor hygiene at work can have a negative effect on employees including lack of focus, a negative mindset, lazy work attitude and eventually effecting morale and productivity.

Small changes in workplace hygiene can improve the chances of staying healthy and helping to control the spread of any bugs or viruses. Below is a range of ways that you can improve the hygiene in your workplace and create a hygienic workplace for staff.

Create a policy for a hygienic workplace

Having a hygiene policy in your employee handbook is a great way to start with implementing good hygiene in a professional environment. If you work in the food/drink industry, this should come as standard but if not, this is a beneficial way to give everyone a guideline.

Encourage high hand hygiene standards

Employees should wash their hands regularly with high quality soap at stations and at hand sanitiser stations that should be easily accessible. The hand sanitisers should contain a minimum of 70% alcohol to kill all viruses and bacteria. When employees wash their hands with soap and water, it should last for a minimum of 20 seconds to make sure all viruses and bacteria are removed.

Desk cleaning

Encourage employees to clean their desk or work areas regularly by offering them hand sanitiser gels or anti-bacterial wipes. Be sure to check that desk items are regularly cleaned such as keyboards, desk mice and regular touch points because these can hold more bacteria than a toilet seat if not cleaned often.

Cleaning procedures

Regular cleaning should take place in communal areas such as kitchen, shared dining tables or bathroom facilities. Open plan working environments are the best for preventing bacteria build up with daily cleaning. Regular cleaning could be on an employee rota or specific office cleaners at the start or end of every day.

Deep cleaning

Deep cleans by specialists cleaning teams should be done ideally 2-4 times a year with the changing seasons to remove any dirt build-up around the workplace that regular basic cleaning cannot remove.