Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110

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Lean and green office cleaning delivers major savings for all concerned

Cleanliness in the workplace not only reflects an organisation's culture and values; it can also deliver many tangible benefits, including improved employee health, better staff morale, increased productivity and enhanced customer satisfaction levels.

A new report: 'Go lean and green to save time and money', offers insights into the importance of a clean workplace and includes examples of how such a strategy can improve environmental impact, reduce costs and add to the bottom line.

Published by Emprise, the London-based support services provider, the report shows how a change in cleaning strategy delivered real results for one global workspace provider; and how commercial landlords and managing agents can also use a clean and well-presented portfolio to protect their assets, increase lettings potential and improve rental income.

Research shows most people(*1) feel more productive in a clean workspace, whilst over three-quarters of workers believe dirty offices have made them ill(*2). Staff sick days cost UK business £29bn a year(*5) and with 131 million days lost to sickness absence(*4) in just one year, this can have significant financial implications for an organisation. The CBI says each absent employee costs their employer an average of £9,755.

By introducing lean and green cleaning processes, healthier workplaces can be created whilst driving down operational costs. According to the World Green Building Council(*6), employees in 'green' offices experience less stress, better health and are more productive.

Lean cleaning involves assessing a workspace to understand what systems need to be implemented to meet the required specification, then using tools such as daily plan setting, process mapping and working to specific needs to achieve the desired outcomes.

Incorporating environmentally-friendly processes into the workplace can not only help an organisation to be seen in a more favourable light by staff and customers, but it can also significantly reduce energy expenditure and waste.

The report describes the environmental and cost impact that implementing flow cleaning can have. In one example discussed, a large office could reduce its energy consumption by 88%; while another multi-site workspace provider Emprise has worked with was able to increase its recycling levels to 85% by changing its cleaning and waste management strategy.

Landlords and managing agents can also use cleanliness as a means of competitive advantage to achieve and create an efficient and marketable property portfolio - a clean and energy-efficient building can improve its ability to let and demand a price premium.

With so much importance being place on cleanliness, working in partnership with an outsourced supplier can deliver a number of advantages, including cost savings, guaranteed service levels, improved cleaning techniques and innovative new ideas.

An effective cleaning strategy can provide organisations with added value as well as improve corporate social responsibility credentials. Lean and green cleaning can be a strong value proposition that impacts the bottom line through energy and waste reduction, increased staff productivity and customer loyalty.

Sources
(*1) Staples Advantage Canada www.prnewswire.com
(*2) University of Arizona and Durable UK via http://bayintegratedmarketing.wordpress.com/2011/12/08/is-your-office-as-clean-as-it-should-be/

(*3) PwC http://pwc.blogs.com/press_room/2013/07/rising-sick-bill-is-costing-uk-business-29bn-a-year-pwc-research.html
(*4) ONS www.ons.gov.uk licensed under the Open Government Licence v.1.0. and Adapted from data from the Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.1.0.
(*5) CBI www.cbi.org.uk page 11
(*6) World Green Building Council www.worldgbc.org page 1
To download the full white paper visit: www.emprise.co.uk
Emprise is a leading mid-market support services provider specialising in cleaning and security with an excellent track record of delivering high quality solutions. It has a turnover of £90 million and employs around 8,000 people to deliver a range of integrated support services to clients on a national basis.

T: 0207 549 0800
E: [email protected]
W: www.emprise.co.uk

6th March 2014