The Guide to Encourage Employees to Keep The Office Clean
The definitive answer to how to keep the office clean is professional office cleaning. But while office cleaners maintain your office daily, it is rarely a full-time service. They clean the office before or after working hours, so when you enter the office the next day, it is pristine and spotless. But how can you keep the office clean during the day and ensure it’s pristine and professional when a client visits for an important business meeting? This is where employees come to your help, not but constantly cleaning, but by contributing to keeping the workplace clean throughout the day.
But how can you encourage employees to keep the office clean? What should you tell them, and what should they know about office cleaning?
In this article, we will explore everything you should know about encouraging employees to keep the office clean so you don’t have to invest in hiring a full-time cleaner.
Why Ask Employees to Keep The Office Clean?
The first question we have to answer before moving os is, “Why should you ask employees to keep the office clean during the day?”. We asked experts this question, and they gave us 3 main reasons why you should do this in your office.
Reduce Cleaning Costs
You may have a professional cleaning service in your office. They come early in the morning or after working hours to clean the office for a few hours. The next morning, you find the office clean and organised as you expect it.
But what happens during the day when there’s no cleaning? If you and your employees don’t participate in keeping the workplace clean, it soon gets messy, and you have to wait until the next cleaning session.
You may think the solution is full-time cleaners, but do you know how expensive it is compared to your regular cleaning service costs? Unless your office is a fast-paced environment with over 40 employees, full-time cleaners aren’t a reasonable investment, especially when you can keep the office clean during the day for next to no cost.
Therefore, encouraging the employees to keep the office clean is the best way to reduce your commercial cleaning expenses.
Foster Ownership & Responsibility
Encouraging employees to keep the office clean all the time promotes ownership and responsibility. When employees show the same level of respect you have towards your office space, it shows they feel the office and the company belong to them as well. Therefore, they will participate in the effort. This can be a great example of why creating a company culture around cleaning and hygiene can lead your business towards success.
Win Client’s First Impression
The role of a clean office in leaving a great first impression when clients visit has been well-documented. But without full-time cleaners, you may lose clients’ first impression and their deals when they enter a disorganised office.
Surprise visits from clients or walk-ins aren’t new, and you should always be prepared. If they find your office dirty, they can’t trust you with carrying out their business. And it’s just a Google Review away from damaging your reputation and brand image for a simple, preventable reason.
What Should You Tell Employees About Office Cleaning?
There’s a thin line between encouraging employees to keep the office clean and overloading them with complicated requests, cleaning training and instructions. Therefore, it’s important to know what to tell employees about office cleaning.
But we are here to help you out. The following are what to tell employees about office cleaning and how to frame it to encourage their participation.
#1 Set Simple & Clear Expectations
Setting expectations is the first thing to do. But if you make expectations complicated, best of luck encouraging employees to keep the workspace clean. You should set simple and clear expectations. If any one of your expectations is more than a line of text, simplify it. If it’s ambiguous, make it clear.
Here are a few good examples to start with:
- Ensure your desk is clean and clutter-free when you leave the office.
- If the bin under the desk is overflowing, empty it and replace the liner.
- Don’t leave dirty cups and dishes in the sink before 2 PM.
- Get rid of spoiled food in the fridge, even if it’s not yours.
- Don’t eat at your desk.
- Dispose of rubbish in the correct bin.
- Train dogs to use the potty (for pet-friendly offices).
#2 Provide Simple Training & Instruction
Employees are not expert cleaners, and they don’t want to spend too much to learn something unrelated to their responsibilities. Therefore, they need training and instruction to do cleaning tasks.
However, if you hand them a 200-page cleaning handbook, they won’t read it. They probably won’t read anything over a few sentences. So your training and instruction should be very simple, with a lot of photos that show the employee how to do certain tasks.
For example:
- A Sticker on the dishwasher showing how to load it correctly.
- Stickers on bins show which type of waste should go in which bins.
- A colour-coding poster showing which cleaning cloth to use for wiping the desk.
We have a full guide on basic cleaning tips for office employees. You can get a lot of ideas about what basic cleaning employees should know to keep the office clean.
#3 Sort Out Cleaning Supplies & Equipment
If you expect your employees to keep the office clean, you should provide them with proper cleaning supplies and equipment. Therefore, ensure you have essential office cleaning supplies in the cleaning cupboard.
They may not need to use the vacuum cleaner, but they occasionally need cleaning sprays and cleaning cloths to wipe their desk or even a mop to clean the coffee they spilt on the kitchen floor.
#4 Talk About The Benefits
Trying to encourage employees to keep the office clean without informing them of the benefits of their participation is not effective. Therefore, tell them how important it is for them to keep the office clean. Tell them how their cleaning keeps the workspace safe and hygienic.
Many people are environmentally conscious as well. So, inform them how their participation in cleaning can help the business reduce waste output and reach environmental goals. Try to align them with your business cleaning goals.
#5 Encourage Teamwork When Cleaning
Keeping the office clean should be a team effort. All employees should participate. If they don’t, and the responsibility falls on the shoulders of just a few, it slowly builds frustration, leading to discouragement.
Therefore, if you’re setting expectations and talking about office cleaning with your employees, promote teamwork and encourage them to work together in keeping the office clean.
#6 Introduce Incentives
One of the best ways to encourage anyone to do simple tasks is by providing incentives. If you introduce fun little challenges, milestones and incentives, employees will participate and will help each other to keep the office clean.
Incentives for office cleaning should be for all employees, not just one. And it doesn’t have to be money. It can be a free lunch or a drink at the pub.
How to Communicate with Employees About Cleaning?
Now that you know what to tell your employees and how to frame it so they listen and participate, it’s time to see how to communicate it with them.
However, telling employees to keep the office clean only once won’t cut it. It should be a regular matter, maybe once every other week or once every month.
We asked several of our clients who are engaging their employees in simple daily cleaning to ensure the office space is always spotless. Here are the 3 best ways they communicate their request to their employees.
Communicate Briefly & Directly
The most effective way our clients tell their employees about office cleaning is directly. This often happens during monthly meetings in the office. They discuss several matters in their meetings, including employees’ participation in keeping the office clean.
Communicating directly is perfect for offices with up to 10 employees, where regular meetings are usual. But remember, when talking about keeping the office clean, don’t sound pushy (or bossy) and say everything in a short, straightforward speech.
Leverage Internal Newsletters
For larger organisations, direct communication may not be feasible. Therefore, many of our clients leverage their internal newsletter and emails to spread the word about keeping the office space clean and pristine.
They often include a paragraph or two plus general instructions in their bi-weekly and monthly internal newsletters. Employees often read these newsletters because such emails also inform them about the state of the company, new clients, milestones and other internal developments. Therefore, a short paragraph about cleaning won’t go unnoticed.
Posters & Instruction Stickers Help a Lot
And finally, hanging posters on the office message board or stickers on bins, dishwashers, and kitchen walls can provide employees with the right amount of instruction to keep their workspace clean.
It’s a relatively cheap and highly reliable way to spread the word and keep employees informed on how to do certain things around the office to keep it clean and professional.
Final Thoughts
Maintaining a clean and professional office is not solely the responsibility of your contracted cleaning team. While professional office cleaners play an essential role in ensuring your workspace starts the day spotless, the reality is that cleanliness during working hours depends largely on your employees. By setting clear expectations, providing simple guidance and making the right cleaning supplies available, you can create a company culture where keeping the office clean is second nature.
Also, encouraging employees to take ownership of the workspace not only helps reduce cleaning costs but also strengthens a sense of pride and responsibility. A tidy, well-organised office supports productivity, creates a safer and more hygienic workspace and ensures you are always ready for an unplanned client visit.
From short team reminders in meetings to visual prompts such as posters and stickers, consistent communication is key to embedding these habits. Introducing light-hearted incentives can further motivate your team and make workplace cleaning a shared, positive responsibility. Ultimately, keeping the office clean is a collaborative effort. By empowering employees to play their part alongside your professional cleaning service, you can maintain a spotless, welcoming workplace every single day.
