Your Office is Your Company

MBA courses teach a lot of things that are very important to running a successful business. But perhaps because it is so obvious, they tend to by pass some of the very basic issues. Sadly, the basics are often overlooked and neglected and the results are unfortunate, to say the least.

Every company would like to have a nice looking office – both for the positive atmosphere it creates among the staff as well as the favourable impression it creates with potential clients. That’s why companies spend as much as they can afford to (and sometimes more) on the decor of their offices. Where many of them slip up is in the cleaning and maintenance of these offices. Yes, basic office cleaning, something business schools never bother to mention, can mean a lot in terms of business gained and lost.

An office that is tastefully decorated but is not kept clean shows that the company is not one that pays attention to detail. Or perhaps that it does not care about the long term results of its actions as evidenced by the money spent on decor and the lack of subsequent upkeep. Is that how you would like your office, and by association your company, to be perceived?

Office cleaning is a time consuming job and surprising though it may be to many, does require a great deal of specialized know how. If you can afford it the best option is to use the services of a professional cleaning company. Doing your own office cleaning means a constant compromise between using your time for cleaning and for more direct “business” activities. There’s also always the temptation to put off cleaning, and keep putting it off, because of other more pressing work.

The best way to go about having your office cleaning done professionally is to short list a few companies, take them through your office showing them the high traffic areas and those where dirt seems to accumulate, perhaps for reasons you can’t fathom! Ask them for a detailed quotation that includes the number of people on the job, their specializations, the time the cleaning operation will take, the cleaning materials that will be used and the frequency of cleaning that will be required to keep the office looking good.

While cost is always an important consideration, do not let that be your sole criterion for choosing an office cleaning service. Look for companies with good references, trained staff and give due consideration to companies who itemize the work they will do in the greatest detail. And finally look for a company that will come to clean your office at a time that will cause the least disruption in the business work flow.