Anyone who has ever worked a 9-to-5 job have stories about someone in the workplace whose bad habits or hygiene bothered everyone. Their idiosyncrasies went far beyond a messy desk; issues ranging from having loud-personal phone conversations and wearing too much fragrance to someone clipping their toenails or even snoring at their desk! Certainly, these kinds of behaviors (and worse) are annoying, but can they actually impact a facility’s operations?
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It turns out they can. A new study sponsored by Stratus Building Solutions, a green commercial cleaning and janitorial services group polled more than 500 men and women in the United States about the most disturbing behaviors they’ve witnessed, and how it impacted their day-to-day at work.
In addition to state (and smell) of the refrigerator in the lunchroom, a third (33%) of respondents complained about coworkers who either exercise in the office or return from their workouts smelling like a locker room. A slightly larger percentage (37%) say that the problem is compounded by the overpowering smell of—or have an allergy to—the air fresheners or cleaning products that would eliminate the odors. To top it off, 61% of respondents say there of people in their workplace who never wash their hands when they’re done in the bathroom.
Additionally:
- 9 out of 10 in the survey group say that hygiene and office cleanliness issues have had an impact on their productivity;
- 1 in 4 said that these issues had made them think about leaving their employer;
- Over half (51%) use a paper towel, tissue, or handkerchief to open doors due to their perception of unclean surfaces;
- More than half (51%) had seen vermin (bugs or rodents) in their facilities, and almost a third (31%) discussed visible mold or mildew; and
- Over a third (39%) said that a clean and uncluttered facility lead them to want to work there.