Many more workers are working in offices now than they were for most of 2021, but that doesn’t mean they are completely over the pandemic. That seems to be something that C-level executives are recognizing, as a recent survey found that they have identified that office cleaning practices are the number one incentive for workers to return to a workplace.
The new survey from the Cleaning Coalition of America, a partnership of six of the nation’s largest facilities services companies, found that three-quarters (75 per cent) of respondents to their survey of C-suite executives cited office cleaning as the most important measure to ensure employees are happy to return.
It’s fair to say this is likely to be a priority for executives, given that 76 per cent of the respondents said that an in-person workplace is essential to their company’s bottom line and revenue.
Most respondents said they believe that generally stricter cleaning protocols will improve employee confidence in returning to the workplace.
The survey also found that 68 per cent of C-suite executives have moved their office location during the pandemic.
In addition, one in five (20 per cent) cited the importance of cleaning as the most important lesson they learned from the pandemic, followed by the importance of improved technology (17 per cent) and the benefits of remote work (15 per cent).
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“The pandemic required businesses to fundamentally rethink their operations and the value placed on workplace health and safety,” said coalition member Paul Budsworth, Diversey North America president.
Fellow coalition member Stanley Doobin, Harvard Maintenance Inc. owner and CEO, stressed that in the post-pandemic era, increased cleaning and disinfection “must be the new standard for any shared space”.
