October 6, 2004—Only 40 percent of U.S. office workers have “a lot of confidence” in their buildings cleaning staff, and only 29 percent believe the office is being cleaned effectively, according to a new study by ServiceMaster Clean. The “Office Cleanliness Monitor” surveyed 1,000 office workers about their beliefs regarding office-cleaning efforts and the impact of unsanitary conditions on employee health and productivity, then surveyed 300 facility managers with janitorial services decision-making responsibilities, too.
The survey results indicate that a majority of office workers believe unsanitary work environments are triggering sick days and decreasing productivity. A full 78 percent of office workers said they get sick and miss work from illnesses contracted from co-workers. More than half of workers surveyed said a clean office helps promote productivity.
