How dirty workplaces and offices affect you



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<p clbad = "canvas-atom-text-canvas Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "The majority of offices are dirty. more than & nbsp;10 million bacteria, which is 400 times more germs than what is on the toilet. "data-reactid =" 31 "> Most offices are dirty The typical office houses more than 10 million bacteria, 400 times more germs than what is found on a toilet seat.

Whether it's heaps of crockery in the shared kitchen, spilled coffee or forgotten lunches in the fridge, the workplace can be a pretty dark place. A high number of bacteria has been detected on elevator buttons, phones, computer keyboards and mice – nothing is safe.

Bring in colleagues who refuse to take sick leave and come to work with viruses, and it's no wonder we get sick so often.

So, how do our dirty workplaces have an impact on our health and our work?

<p clbad = "canvas-canvas-text-canvas Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "When we work in an unpleasant environment, research suggests that this can have an impact on our productivity and motivation In 2015, the company & nbsp;Flat-rate cleaning& nbsp; asked more than 1,500 workers in 300 offices whether their workplace was clean or not, and how it affected them. "data-reactid =" 35 "> When we work in an unpleasant environment, research indicates that this can affect our productivity.In 2015, Contract Cleaning asked more than 1,500 workers in 300 offices if their workplace was clean or not – and how it affected them.

In offices where employees thought cleanliness was lacking, almost three quarters (72%) said that the environment made them less productive. Nearly half (46%) reported taking longer meal breaks and spending less time in the office, and one-quarter took sick leave because they found their environment depressing.

<p clbad = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "READ MORE: Fell sick on vacation? Use this loophole for sick leave"data-reactid =" 37 ">READ MORE: Fell sick on vacation? Use this loophole for sick leave

In cleaner workplaces – those with regular cleaners, good kitchen facilities and clean toilets – 65% said they were eager to come to the office and half said they were working harder to have a better organized office.

<p clbad = "canvas-atom-canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Another & nbsp;study, published in 2012, badyzed the responses of over 43,000 people from 351 office buildings. The results showed that cleanliness was related to job satisfaction. "Data-reactid =" 39 "> Another study published in 2012 badyzed the responses of over 43,000 people in 351 office buildings, and the results showed that cleanliness was related to job satisfaction.

<p clbad = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Our environment can have a significant impact on our wellbeing also – and considering that UK workers spend on average & nbsp;42 hours a week at workimproving our environment is important. "data-reactid =" 40 "> Our environment can also have a significant impact on our well-being As British workers spend an average of 42 hours a week at work, it is important to improve our environment.

<p clbad = "web-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "We know that offices without natural light can contribute bad mood and poor health.2016 study& nbsp; found that air quality and lighting at work could have significant effects on brain function, with poor lighting contributing to stress. So it makes sense that a dirty or messy office can also affect us. "Data-reactid =" 41 "> We know that offices without natural light can contribute to bad mood and poor health.A 2016 study revealed that air quality and lighting at work can have significant effects on brain function, insufficient lighting contributing to stress, so it makes sense that a dirty or messy office can also hurt us.

Nobody likes working in the middle of the damage. Photo: Getty

Pbading through piles of paper, empty cups and discarded office chairs can make us feel as if we are finishing an obstacle course. Nobody wants to sit in an office that smells like food. It is therefore interesting for employers to invest in cleaning services or to ensure that employees keep the workplace clean.

If you work in an office, it is likely that you – at some point – caught a stomach virus or a virus that made you sick. Office spaces mean we work closely together to share and touch contaminated items, allowing germs to spread quickly from person to person – bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli and viruses such as the flu virus.

<p clbad = "canvas-atom-canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Viruses can also survive for hours on certain surfaces, According to a study published in the & nbsp; people who work in open spaces have an absence frequency sickness greater than 62% to those of private or shared cell offices.Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment, & amp; Health. "data-reactid =" 64 "> Viruses can also survive for hours on certain surfaces, allowing them to be pbaded on to colleagues." Absentees for illness are 62% more common among those who work according to a study published in the US. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health.

Even our phones, something that most of us touch every few minutes, are dirty. A study from the University of Arizona found that phones are the most contaminated items in our offices, with more than 25,000 organisms per surface.

<p clbad = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "READ MORE: Would working fewer hours help to cope with the climate crisis?"data-reactid =" 66 ">READ MORE: Would working fewer hours help to cope with the climate crisis?

<p clbad = "canvas-atom web-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "When combined with increasing rates of presenteeism – people coming from fear of losing their job or earning less, diseases spread even faster. & nbsp;According to a survey conducted in 2018 by the CIPD and Simply Health, 86% of more than 1,000 respondents reported having observed presenteeism in their organization in the last 12 months, compared to 72% in 2016 and only 26% in 2010. "data-reactid =" 67 "> Associated with a increase in the rate of presenteeism – people who go to work when they are not doing well because they fear losing their job or earning less – the diseases spread even faster – According to a survey conducted in 2018 by the CIPD and Simply Health, 86% of more than 1,000 respondents reported observing presenteeism in their organization in the last 12 months, compared to 72% in 2016 and only 26% in 2010.

If dirty workplaces affect us so much, what should we do about it? Encouraging employees to stay home when they feel unwell can help slow the spread of the disease. Studies have shown that most employees do not work productively when they are sick.

It is also important to encourage cleanliness and invest in antibacterial cleaning products that can be kept on desks, such as sprays, that employees can use when they need them. Frequently clean phones, keyboards and other fireplaces for germs. If you eat at the office, move your keyboard away from crumbs and other food scraps.

If you share cups in your office, make sure they are properly cleaned, either in the dishwasher or with dishwashing liquid. A quick rinse will not kill the germs of a colleague full of cold. Finally, make sure that papers, books and other items are stored when they are not being used – no one likes working in the middle of the damage.

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