AMONG THE new heroes of risk management are the cleaning teams and housekeepers. They are the people who see, and are aware of, a lot of what doesn’t appear in best practice guides, health and safety literature and other risk management guidance.
 

They can spot poor practices, lazy behaviour and illicit activities more easily than a passing security or touring manager, with a keen eye for buried detail. 

Cleaning teams provide constant visibility 

Cleaners touch almost every aspect of a business, from every desk and bin to the kitchens, toilets and rest areas. As such they are the organic eyes and ears for management about the little things that can add up to compliance and regulatory issues. Problems which can come with a big insurance or damages bill if things go wrong. 

 

Today’s cleaners are also armed with the latest technology with reporting apps, hygiene testing kits and workflows that show where they are spending extra time in a poorly maintained area. But their key asset is a strong knowledge of the “clean” state of the business and how workers leave it at the end of the day or week. 

 

By reporting back on poorly maintained areas, individuals with a less than common-sense approach to cleanliness, and other aspects of overall risk management, they can identify major problems early. Acting as an unsung backbone, but vital part of the risk management team. 

 

The rise of hygiene inspection

 

While most workers associate hygiene inspections with hospitals and restaurants or fast food outlets, every business is subject to the same regulations. But are, typically, less visited compared to the regular fire inspections and electrical testing. 

 

Issues such as food waste in office bins, dirty desks, risk of pests and bugs, are just the start. Cleaning teams can also identify anti-social or illegal behaviour taking place in toilets and rest facilities, or out of sight in stairwells, smoking zones and other places. 

 

Reporting what they see, cleaning operators can provide data that supports risk mitigation, HR initiatives, and can escalate particular incidents that could cause legal harm or reputational damage to the business. 

 

Tracking through an access control system can help identify individuals who were in the area at the time of any particularly egregious behaviour, helping make the offices or warehouse, a pleasant and safe place to work for everyone else. 

 

This data-led approach creates a value-add for the cleaning team management. Rather than being viewed as a sunk cost, they help support the regular housekeeping or security team when it comes to identifying health or risk hotspots.

The benefits of active cleaning monitoring for management

Office hygiene and safety are a key worker-facing part of every business, and workers will soon feel unwanted or at risk if their work areas are regularly dirty or unhygienic. That can impact the reputation of the business, and see worker churn or complaints if issues are not addressed. 

 

A clean environment reduces the likelihood of trips, falls and other incidents, cutting absences, accident costs and time consuming paperwork in the company’s accident book. 

 

Finally, visiting prospects, employees and partners are less likely to be impressed during a visit by a dirty environment that smells of old food, staff leaving exercise clothing by their desks from the run/cycle into work and many other aspects that can easily mount up to become a hygiene problem.

 

Management and leaders need a clean office for compliance officers to sign off on their hygiene certificates and environment, social and governance (ESG) goals, of which office hygiene is a basic part. 

 

Into the future with cleaning team performance

In any typical modern office, there are now more types of recycling bins, options for waste disposal, smart surfaces and office technology, and a range of suitable cleaning products for the safest and cleanest office. 

 

Cleaners can track good practice examples and highlight room for improvement as part of their duties, adding to a safer environment. And making their role more valuable in the eyes of leaders, and workers who appreciate a clean place to spend their day, reducing their levels of risk, even if invisibly.