The importance of a clean workspace

Coffee stains on your desk, greasy fingers on the keyboard of your flexplace, dust nests on the floor and a leaking coffee machine. Nobody wants to see a workplace with poor hygiene. Especially now the number of covid infections at work is increasing again. A clean and hygienic workplace is crucial for the job satisfaction, the health and safety of your employees and your reputation. Why exactly? And in what way can floors contribute to the hygiene at the workplace?

HAPPY AND PRODUCTIVE EMPLOYEES

The surroundings highly affect how we feel. This is especially true for the workplace. A dirty workplace which is being poorly cleaned isn’t very conducive to the job satisfaction and the well-being of employees. Dust, dirt and mess create an uncomfortable feeling and work counterproductive. A pleasant workplace where employees feel comfortable and at ease contributes to the feeling of happiness and satisfaction. Furthermore it has a positive effect on the productivity. Various studies show for a clean and organized workplace to increase productivity with over 10%!

HEALTH FIRST

Good hygiene at the workplace prevents the spread of bacteria and viruses. Keeping your employees longer healthy and having them call in sick less often. Especially shared spaces like restrooms, kitchens and canteens are important to keep clean well. But also individual workplaces and conference rooms require good hygiene. Surfaces being easy to clean and maintain help tremendously to keep the workplace clean. Flooring in particular is an important point of attention; after all it covers a big part of the space. A maintenance-friendly floor solution offering a lot of ease of cleaning are the jacquard woven vinyl floors of ntgrate®. The stain-resistant vinyl yarn does not absorb any dirt, making stains easy to remove. This can easily be done with a humid towel, because due to its unique composition ntgrate does not absorb water.

Materials that offer an antimicrobial protection go the extra mile. The antimicrobial technology in the LVT floors of Amtico with Quantum Guard Elite coating for instance reduces the growth of bacteria and mold with 99% during 24 hours. This way you are guaranteed in between the regular cleanings of a clean and fresh floor and you keep the risks of the spread of pathogens low. Carpet can also be applied perfectly fine within a hygienic work environment. A lot of carpets nowadays are dirt- and stain-resistant, giving stains no chance to penetrate deep into the carpet. A number of qualities in our COLOR BOOKS collection are standard provided with XXprotect, a dirt-repelling and stain-resistant protection layer.

THE WORKPLACE AS BUSINESS CARD

The first impression counts. The appearance of your premise and the interior are a part of the business card of your company. Not just for the employees, but also for the visitors, such as clients and suppliers. A hygienic and neat workplace exudes credibility and professionalism and has a positive effect on your reputation. For a constantly tight and clean appearance it pays off to create a proper cleaning routine. Because in an environment that isn’t being maintained properly, it goes from bad to worse. Research confirms this. If you let things slide, this unwittingly results in even more neglect. No one feels responsible anymore for the hygiene at a place which is dirty already.

SAFETY

A clean workplace is a safe workplace. Spots where dirt and wetness is left, raise the risk of accidents like slipping, tripping and falling. Therefore it’s important to clean your floors well and regularly. Furthermore a clean-off zone at the entrance is a must have. This catches the majority of dirt and moisture being taken inside. In regard to the type of flooring, there are several points of attention to keep in mind upon purchase. Carpet for instance usually is a safe choice. It is stiff by nature and therefore reduces the risk of slipping and falling. Also spilling and wetness are less likely to cause dangerous situations on carpet in comparison to hard flooring. For hard floors pay attention to the slip resistance class and opt for a good anti-slip value suitable for the scope of application. The ant-slip value is indicated with an R and therefore is also known as the R-value. The R-value of floors varies from 8 to 13. The higher the value, the smaller the possibility of slipping. A value of R10 orhigher is usually seen as a good anti-slip value for (heavy) commercial applications. These kind of floors are suitable for example for application in hospitality, retail, entrance areas and public buildings. However, floors with R9are perfectly fine for commercial applications as well, as long as they are being applied in dry areas.

INVEST IN REGULAR AND PERIODIC CLEANING

Every employer that is serious about a healthy, attractive and safe workplace, understand the importance of the daily cleaning. Cleaning companies specialized in regular cleaning know what to pay attention to for a good hygiene. But periodic maintenance is just as important. Especially with intensive use in commercial environments. After a thorough cleaning of interior elements like floors, furniture and window covering everything looks as new. But that’s not all. Periodic maintenance also lengthens the lifespan, is cost-effective and is beneficial for the health of users and the environment.

Keeping your floor looking beautiful for longer, better clean and in good condition? For the maintenance of our floors we developed XXtra Care: a periodic maintenance concept suited to the floor and its function. We do this together with our partner Duofort, who is specialized in periodic environmental-friendly maintenance and basic treatment of floors. With the purchase of a LEOXX floor, Duofort creates a custom maintenance proposal being tailored amongst others to the type of floor, the scope of application and the degree of usage. This way the user hardly has to worry about the state of the floor and can enjoy it for longer and without care.