October 26, 2005—American office-workers are growing more aware of and more disturbed by the untidy office habits of their co-workers in 2005, according to new research from ServiceMaster Clean, a leading janitorial services company.
The company’s second annual “Office Cleanliness Monitor” illustrates how this trend—combined with doubts about the thoroughness of janitorial office cleaning—may be driving workers to take steps on their own to maintain clean and germ- free workplaces.
The Office Cleanliness Monitor 2005 surveyed 215 American office workers and 330 building managers to explore perceptions of cleanliness in the workplace. The Monitor found that 76 percent of workers believe that their workplace is not as clean as it should be; and they suspect that individual office floors, break areas/kitchens and phones/keyboards are the least sanitary places in their offices.
Compared to last year, office workers are witnessing more frequent germ-spreading behavior by their colleagues. A full 54 percent of workers have seen their fellow employees leave the restroom without washing their hands, versus only 45 percent in 2004.
The survey of building managers records a trend of personal cleaning by employees. Twenty-one percent of building managers reported seeing an increase in tenants who clean their workspaces than in the past. At the same time, 97 percent of janitorial providers are instructed by building management not to move items on a desk and to only clean “open” areas, indicating that perpetually messy desks may be breeding grounds for germs. More than 50 percent of building managers acknowledge that their janitorial contracts do not call for cleaning/disinfecting office phones or dusting mini-blinds.
For more information, visit the ServiceMaster Clean Web site.
