Workplace Cleanliness and Workplace Morale

Workplace cleanliness is very important for employee moral. Just like you want your customers to have a good impression of your business you will also want your employees to have the same impression. A dirty and ugly workplace will reduce overall moral and increase turnover of employees. If you don't respect your business there will be a good chance that they won't respect it either.

Let us assume that you have a dirty work area like that typically found in garages and warehouses. The floors are dark, full of dirt, the bathrooms have graffiti, the garbage cans are overflowing and the office has oil all over it. Your workers see this dirt and think to themselves "what a junk yard" and will perpetuate the problem by not taking care of their work. In other words they will continue to throw their stuff around because it is useless to be the only one taking care of the property.

Let me give you an example of a company that cared little of the condition of their building and the environment where their workers engaged in their assignments. Even though they paid slightly above market wages they continued to have recruitment problems. Injuries were higher than the standard due to oil being all over the floors and equipment thrown haphazardly around.

The cost of putting equipment and tools in their proper places, finding appropriate storage areas, and doing a little housecleaning has a reciprocal effect on other aspects of your business. A clean business can reduce injuries, help maintain morale, reduce turnover, decrease the long-term cost of building maintenance, give a positive impression to other businesses, and help in recruiting/maintaining the most qualified employees.

It should also be understood that when appropriate maintenance and upkeep is done on the building when they are needed the organization can save money in the long run. Neglecting the necessary maintenance and the protective qualities of a fresh coat of paint can cause major water and structural damage later on. You wouldn't think of not doing maintenance on your equipment would you?