When washrooms are a washout
February 1st 2009 Office washrooms can impact on staff morale and visitor impressions.According to
SCA Tissue Europe's Jenny Turner,image,hygiene and waste are the important areas
that office managers should be addressing
Office managers are unlikely to put the toilets high on their list
of priorities when equipping their premises. But it is
surprising how important the washroom can be in an office
environment. A recent survey carried out by United Minds on behalf
of SCA Tissue Europe revealed that clean toilets have a positive
impact on job satisfaction for 72% of us.
More than two-thirds of people questioned put dirty washrooms
among their top three pet hates at work.And nearly half of the
respondents said they would completely avoid using the workplace
washroom if it were not sufficiently clean. Besides the effect that
clean, stylish washrooms obviously have on staff morale, they also
create a favourable impression for visitors.The survey revealed that
65% of people noticed the washroom fixtures when first visiting a
workplace – and felt that a company with an attractive washroom
was more likely to be successful.
It makes sense, then, to ensure that the washrooms reflect the
brand values of a company, particularly if that company is a
prestigious bank, legal institution or other highly reputable firm. In
environments such as these, the new Tork Elevation line of everyday
washroom dispensers fit in well.The highly functional, award-winning
dispensers have been designed using organic shapes and curved
lines to make them particularly pleasing on the eye.
Hygiene high
Perhaps even more important than the image projected by an office
washroom is the hygienic nature of its fittings and facilities.Hygiene
is vital in any washroom, but particularly so in the workplace in order
to minimise the spread of infections. Besides resulting in absenteeism
and lost productivity, an unhygienic washroom will also have a
detrimental effect on staff morale.
Washroom systems that minimise cross-contamination can play a
major part in reducing the risk of illness.Tork hand towel and toilet
tissue dispensers are designed to ensure that the product inside is
touched only by the user, while a soap dispenser with an arm lever
further helps to reduce the risk of cross-infection.
Disposable hand towels themselves help to reduce the amount of
bacteria left on the hands after washing. Research carried out in
Germany has revealed that drying the hands with a disposable towel
can cut the amount of bacteria on the hands by around 24%
compared with 4% in the case of a textile towel.When a warm air
dryer is used, it's claimed bacteria levels can increase by up to 117%.
Hand hygiene will also suffer if soaps and hand towels run out, and
regular maintenance checks on the office washroom should prevent
this from happening. In some offices, pilferage is an issue and
conventional toilet rolls are particularly easy to steal.The Tork
Elevation range includes a number
of toilet tissue options such as
jumbo rolls, mini jumbo rolls and
folded toilet paper in key-lockable
dispensers to avoid pilferage.
Taking issue
Many washroom managers
complain that loo rolls and hand
towels seem to be used up too
quickly.This usually happens
because washroom users take
more than they need from the
dispensing system.The solution to
this problem is to introduce a
dispenser with a portion control
function,making it difficult to take
out more paper than is actually
required.Tork systems for hand
towels and toilet tissue are
designed to give out only one
sheet or length of towel at a time.
Besides helping to cut costs, this
feature also reduces waste.
Sometimes the problem of waste and over-use can be solved
simply by repositioning the existing dispensers. If hand towel and
toilet roll dispensers are positioned too high on the wall, washroom
users have to reach up to access them and will pull out more than
they need. By re-mounting the dispensers at an ergonomic height,
considerable savings can be achieved.
It seems many office workers today regard the washrooms as an
extension to the workplace.Our survey showed that 48% of respondents
admitted to regularly sending SMS messages from the washrooms at
work, while around half carried on mobile telephone conversations in
the loo. A further 6% sent emails while 3% worked on their laptops. It
therefore makes good sense for the washroom environment to be as
hygienic, pleasant and user-friendly as possible.
Please contact the company for
further information. More articles from SCA Tissue Europe: | 
