Survey reveals only 61 per cent of washroom users wash their hands

14th of February 2019
Survey reveals only 61 per cent of washroom users wash their hands

A recent survey of UK office workers revealed that only 61 per cent wash their hands properly with warm water and soap after going to the toilet. Eighteen per cent do a quick hand wash, 14 per cent occasionally wash their hands and seven per cent admitted to never washing their hands.

Office cleaning company SMC Premier surveyed over 5,000 UK office workers about their hygiene habits at work. The data also revealed that women are more hygienic than men after using the toilet with 66 per cent washing their hands after a visit to the bathroom, compared to 53 per cent of men.

When comparing the age groups, 11 per cent of the younger generation (18-24-year olds) confessed to not washing their hands after using the toilet, making this statistic above the overall average of 7 per cent.Eating at your desk isn't uncommon for 26 per cent of office workers who remain at their desk to eat between one and three times per week. One quarter of respondents admitted to eating and working three to five days per week, and four per cent having no choice but to eat at their desk every day.

Despite the popularity of eating at your desk, only 11 per cent of workers will clean theirs properly. Thirty-eight per cent will do a ‘quick clean' - put snack wrappers in the bin or empty the crumbs from their keyboard - while 45 per cent are spotless eaters and never need to clean up afterwards. But seven per cent of employees leave their mess behind for someone else to clean.

When it comes to who is responsible for the cleanliness of the office, six per cent felt it should be left to the cleaner as it's not their problem. Fifty-six per cent of respondents admitted to helping clean up as mess eventually annoyed them, and 38 per cent said they reluctantly clean if they have to.

The full survey results can be found here.

 

 

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