by Brianna Crandall — December 10, 2021 — With Covid-19 cases surging and the fear of contracting the next highly 
transmissible contagion widespread, American workers are placing a renewed emphasis on cleaning, according to a new return-to-work survey by the Cleaning Coalition of America (CCA).
The survey finds that U.S. workers increasingly value enhanced cleaning of the workplace and feel safer seeing professional cleaners onsite — a sentiment shared by both vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans. An overwhelming 93.4% of vaccinated respondents and 82.2% of unvaccinated respondents cited workplace cleaning protocols as important as employees return to the office, with 77.2% of workers wanting the workplace cleaned daily.
Josh Feinberg, Cleaning Coalition of America president, remarked:
American workers experienced a turbulent year that has forever changed their expectations around workplace safety. As employees return to the workplace, it is more critical than ever that businesses rethink their cleaning best practices and adopt a more holistic view of safety that prioritizes worker well-being. Both current and prospective employees need to know that their employer will not sacrifice worker health for an improved bottom line.
Fielded in late October, the survey examined the perceptions of 1,800 U.S. workers — 1099 vaccinated and 501 unvaccinated — to understand expectations surrounding return-to-work as businesses look to reopen in the coming weeks and months.
Almost two years into the pandemic, nearly half of Americans — 43% — still have lingering concerns about returning to the workplace. In fact, 38.3% of respondents would consider changing their jobs if the workplace was not cleaned properly. However, a clean workplace is not the only concern, with respondents citing COVID-19 infection rates as a primary impediment to returning to in-person work.
Kenneth J. Collins, president of Collins Building Services, observed:
With employees worried about contracting Covid-19 or other illnesses, businesses are facing an uphill battle in attracting workers back to the workplace and must go the extra mile to build confidence. While many businesses previously put an emphasis on cleaning for appearance, cleaning for health must be the new standard for any shared space.
| Survey Findings |
As businesses reopen, Americans have lingering concerns about the safety of the workplace.
Americans are putting increased emphasis on the cleanliness of the workplace, a trend that will likely continue far beyond the pandemic.
With the pandemic increasing worker anxiety, both vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans find comfort in knowing their office is being cleaned regularly.
Still, cleaning is not the only impediment to returning to the office.
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To download a full version of the survey, visit the CCA website.
The research findings are based on a survey programmed and fielded by Dynata, conducted in the U.S. spanning October 26-28, 2021. The Census-balanced survey of 1,600 respondents included 1,099 vaccinated and 501 unvaccinated respondents – reflecting the CDC-reported vaccination rate in U.S adults of 68.7% as of October 24, 2021.
The Cleaning Coalition of America was founded in 2020 by seven of the nation’s largest facilities services companies. With more than one million professional cleaners employed and operations in every state, the Coalition advocates on behalf of professional cleaners nationwide to shape and advance crucial policies and measures that promote the safe and responsible return to business and the reopening of our economy.
The CCA recently received the President’s Award at the 2021 BSCAI Contracting Success Conference. The award recognizes CCA’s contributions to the professional cleaning industry amid the Covid-19 pandemic and its leadership in promoting healthy and safe workplaces.
