How do you promote health and wellness in your company?

Today, many companies are incorporating more incentives such as weight loss programs, physicals, or even desk treadmills in hopes to improve overall health and lower healthcare premiums.

While there is much debate in terms of whether these incentives work or not, there isn’t a lot of discussion on how companies can improve their overall well-being with a cleaner facility. There is a disconnect somewhere along the lines in which many facility managers fail to see how a clean facility can tie into an employee wellness program for improved health and lower costs.

Where is the disconnect?

Many facilities are tasked with a daunting assignment – budgets!  Companies must make choices on wants vs. needs.  In many cases this means a removal of services, a cut-back on scope of work, or a switch to another provider for a lower cost.

Unfortunately services like contract cleaning often fall under this cost conscious umbrella, and may be viewed as a commodity.   When this happens the quality of cleaning can depreciate, which can lead to many health concerns including the spread of germs and bacteria, and lower indoor air quality.

Tactics Many Facilities Use for a Cleaner Environment

There are several facilities that are leading the pack with a cleaner environment. With a push for greener procedures and processes these facilities continue to raise the industry bar by obtaining reputable third-party certifications, such as the prestigious U.S. Green Building’s Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) program.

While cleaning represents a small portion of LEED, facilities that obtain the certification are able to reassure their occupants of a healthier environment to work, which can serve as a big morale and productivity booster.

Are there Areas for Improvement?

While many facilities are progressive in providing a healthier facility for the environment and its occupants, there is still a lot of room to grow.

A recent article on a popular media personality publication provides an excellent argument to further expand this point. The author, Jason E. Lee, Director of Sustainability & Process Optimization for Harvard Maintenance (LEED AP O+M), provides insight as to why a clean facility needs to be incorporated as part of an employee wellness program.

Below is an excerpt on what Lee states:

“Although cleaning for appearance will continue to act as a benchmark to rate the perception of cleanliness, with doing so, the anticipated benefits of employee wellness programs will always be limited if the cleanliness of their facilities are not made a priority in an overall employees wellness program.  It is the responsibility of corporations to become the advocates for the numerous benefits of cleaning for wellness and to communicate the role of the service provider as a vested partner in assisting to promote.”

In today’s era of providing healthier work environments facilities are encouraged to continue their forward-thinking tactics. Contract cleaning should not be viewed as a commodity. Instead contract cleaning should be viewed as the key to a healthier and more productive work environment, and should play a part with an employee wellness program.

Mister Kleen is a leading provider of contract cleaning services to Commercial and High Security facilities since 1976. Our primary service area is the DC Metro region. We also provide a variety of interior and exterior specialty services.