Good Office Housekeeping

Imagine a Monday morning. You reach for coffee in the pantry, the cabinet door decides to collapse itself and nosedives flat on your face, eliminating a good few seconds of your eyesight and the need for a caffeine fix in one fell swoop. That is exactly my previous morning. It is with that blunt force trauma that then made me realize that one, we don’t have coffee anymore, and two, that I have forgotten to manage one small but important activity in our office — housekeeping.

In any kind of business operation and in any type of office, everything wears and tears with time and use — from tables, AC units, to plumbing and electrical wiring. Overtime, the functionality of our devices diminishes until it is no longer usable. Our office, no matter how polished it was when you first moved in, will eventually have a plethora of shoeprints and battle scars. Everything will eventually be reduced to a primitive, non-usable state — especially with things that are taken for granted.

Housekeeping is important. It not only helps us keep the office in shape, but also improves our company’s overall performance. Here are a few tips for a good housekeeping:

1. Desks and Chairs. A well-maintained desk can improve one’s efficiency at work. Make sure that all employees have ample drawers to keep their documents organized, and have them practice the habit of cleanliness. Inspect your chairs as well. Check if there are developing cracks underneath so you can replace them immediately. Using broken chairs can cause injuries in just a matter of time. Scrimping on repairs and replacements is not worth it if it means having unhappy and wounded employees or even clients. You can never be too careful in inspecting office furniture.

2. Lights. Make sure to buy reserve supplies so you can replace broken bulbs immediately. Fluorescent lights and bulbs are easy to store anyway. Just remember that when replacing lightbulbs, turn off the switch first. Note, too, that the LED lights are now cheap enough that in most cases it pays to invest in them as you will save more in electricity bills later on.

3. Flooring. Spills can cause slipping, which in a few cases, can cause serious injuries. Mop up spills immediately in order to avoid accident for everyone in the office, especially for your clients. Wax your tiles only when foot traffic is low, probably during closing time so the wax can settle overnight. Sweep off dusts at least once a day so they don’t accumulate. Clean your carpets using a vacuum to remove dusts.

4. Cables and cords. Organize your cables as well. Electrical cords can trip if they are scattered all over the floor. Organize them by running them along the walls. If the cords are too short, you can consider installing new and closer power outlets. Check if they already need replacing.

5. Rest room. Toilets with skid marks and questionable aroma have no room for professional businesses. Mop up “missed liquid” from the floor, use deodorizers, and scrub the toilets. Never use scented candles if you plan on leaving them in the comfort room.

6. Garbage cans. A garbage can will become a breeding ground for flies and mosquitoes, which are unsightly, annoying, and most of all, sources of a variety of sickness, if not regularly emptied. Always keep the lid closed and make sure to clean them regularly. You might also want to use trash bags as lining so you don’t have to wash the container, and disposing garbage is as easy as taking out the bags. Remember to keep your trash segregated.

7. Equipment. For laptops and desk-tops, conduct weekly disc checks and defragments to keep them running smoothly. Conduct full scans with anti-viruses to protect files. For other pieces of equipment, inspect them by using all their functions that you normally use. By conducting regular inspection for your pieces of equipment, you are preventing future inconvenience for your clients and your people.

8. General cleaning. If you are running a busy office, you should schedule a general cleaning at least once a year. You can have it on the last day in December, or on your first day in January, as this is the time where the workload is usually light. Repaint scratches on the wall, clean the AC filters, turn everything upside down and inside out if it means you will be able to sweep off dusts, call for maintenance to fix broken electrical outlets, and fix leaking pipes to conserve water. A general cleaning must be part of your business calendar.

Office housekeeping may seem a trivial task. But efficient housekeeping plays a large role in office productivity. You will see that well run companies are usually also are excellent in this regard. It is time that management pay more attention to this neglected aspect of our operations.

*Originally published by the Manila Bulletin, C-4, Sunday, May 29, 2016. Written by Ruben Anlacan, Jr. (President, BusinessCoach, Inc.) All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or copied without express written permission of the copyright holders.