by Brianna Crandall — March 24, 2014—A new white paper from Emprise, the London-based support services provider, emphasizes that cleanliness in the workplace not only reflects an organization’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.
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. 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 rental potential, and improve rental income.
The Emprise report cites research from Staples Advantage Canada that shows most people feel more productive in a clean workspace, while over three-quarters of workers believe dirty offices have made them ill. It cities another report from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) that indicates staff sick days cost U.K. business £29 billion a year, and an additional report from the U.K.’s Office for National Statistics that 131 million days are lost to sickness absence in just one year, which can have significant financial implications for an organization. The U.K.’s 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 while driving down operational costs, asserts the Emprise report. According to the World Green Building Council, employees in “green” offices experience less stress and 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, explains Emprise. Incorporating environmentally friendly processes into the workplace can not only help an organization to be seen in a more favorable 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, says the report.
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 lease and demand a price premium.
The Emprise report concludes that with the importance of 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.
Further, an effective cleaning strategy can provide organizations 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.
