The pressure from customers to reduce costs is greater than ever due to the current economic climate. Many companies are now reviewing overheads across their business and looking to see where savings can be made. In terms of office cleaning, reduced budgets will ultimately lead to a lower level of service, so it’s about taking a logical, common-sense approach that balances savings opportunities against critical business needs.

Reducing the frequency of the office cleaning operation offers immediate cost savings, with some companies switching from a daily service to alternate days. However, some businesses have taken more extreme measures, which in my opinion is a mistake.

For example, if a company is to introduce a deep clean just one day a week and then rely on its staff to maintain the cleanliness of the building for the remainder of the week, this will not only distract employees from their day-to-day roles but also result in much poorer working conditions by the end of each week.

Better planning offers a more effective alternative to simply reducing office cleaning across a business. One of the simplest ways of reducing costs is taking a close look at the overall office cleaning operation to focus resources to make the most of budgets. By classifying areas as either high or low profile it is possible to adapt the office cleaning regime to concentrate on critical requirements.

Typically, areas such as the office reception, entrance, washroom, meeting rooms, and boardroom are seen as high profile, whilst back office and administrative spaces are seen as low profile. Mind you there is still a fine balance because cutting back too much on low profile areas can damage the working environment for office staff and have an adverse impact on workforce motivation.