ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

A US survey has revealed that a clean office is the best incentive that employers can offer if they want to tempt staff back into the workplace.

In fact, adequate cleaning measures were found to be vital to workers' willingness to return to the office.

The study, carried out by the Cleaning Coalition of America in March 2022, polled 258 executive-level employees in New York from companies across a range of industries and sizes. More than two-thirds of respondents said their employees had expressed concern that in-person work could pose a health and safety risk.

A total of 75 per cent of those surveyed cited office cleaning as the most important factor determining their staff's willingness to return. And respondents also felt that enhanced levels of cleaning and disinfection were crucial, with one in five claiming that the vital role of cleaning was the key lesson they had learned from the pandemic.

"Covid-19 created more awareness of the value of workplace cleaning," said Stanley Doobin, owner and ceo of Harvard Maintenance. "In this post-pandemic era, increased cleaning and disinfection must be the new standard for any shared space."

Around 76 per cent of respondents felt an in-person workplace was essential to their company's bottom line and revenue. But most felt stricter cleaning regimes would improve their employees' confidence when returning to the workplace.

Meanwhile, 75 per cent of senior leaders said they were embracing enhanced cleaning protocols while 77 per cent planned to install hand sanitiser stations.

The Cleaning Coalition of America is a partnership of six of the nation's largest facilities services companies.