When it comes to running a successful business, keeping your facility up to date with cleanliness and safety standards should be a critical priority for the wellness of your employees and guests. This includes having regular cleaning protocols, product and equipment restocking, and services that help maintain your facility. However, keeping a facility exceptionally clean and maintained can quickly add up in cost, inventory space and time. Here are some ways to keep your facility clean while reducing resource consumption.
Tips on Reducing Resource Consumption
Hiring a team of cleaning and maintenance professionals to clean can be a great solution to ensure your facility is regularly maintained while being cost-effective and saving inventory space. On average, businesses spend between $63 to $200 on cleaning supplies each month. While for some companies, that may not seem too significant of a difference, over time, that adds up to a large sum of money that could be used to benefit your business in other ways. Hiring a cleaning service that brings its cleaning supplies and equipment can also save inventory space that would otherwise be taken up by needing to restock cleaning and maintenance items regularly. Many cleaning services can set up customized schedules depending on how often you need your facility cleaned, relieving the stress of ensuring your facility is up to date with its cleaning procedures.
If you prefer to have facility cleaners from your company internally, make sure you invest in high-quality, sustainable cleaning products and equipment. Often, companies will opt to purchase cheaper cleaning supplies to save money. However, when surveyed, approximately 40% of respondents stated that they spent between 21-40% of their operating budget on cleaning /maintenance equipment and supplies. When you purchase low-quality materials from your facility, the results show. Over time, the breakdown and wear of cleaning equipment and the surfaces they’re being used on build up, which means you spend more money on replacing equipment, flooring, surfaces and other facility essentials.
Go green! When surveyed, more than half (58%) feel their office is ‘shamefully eco-unfriendly,’ with one-third (34%) believing the introduction of eco-friendly practices within their workplace is usually an afterthought. Not only does a higher rate of resource consumption cost a company more money, but it also reflects poorly on the conscious efforts to provide a sustainable and environmentally friendly workplace. Investing in eco-friendly and sustainable products benefits your workplace and reduces consumption waste that negatively impacts the environment.
Benefits of Reducing Resource Consumption
One of the most significant benefits of reducing resource consumption is building a more substantial company reputation and gaining business. When surveyed, a majority (77%) of Americans prefer to purchase from brands that prioritize efforts to fight global warming. Making conscious efforts to reduce waste at work, providing a facility that runs on sustainable practices and investing in business practices that benefit the environment, helps reflect to consumers that, as a business, you care more about creating healthier and greener solutions than choosing unsustainable practices in order to benefit financially.
Another substantial benefit is creating a healthier work environment for employees. In fact, a Harvard Business Report found a strong correlation between the physical workplace environment and employee performance. When employees don’t have the added stress of needing to ensure their facility is being properly maintained and cleaned, this allows them to focus more on getting productive work done. It also encourages workplace morale, as employees are more likely to come into the office when they feel good about the environment they work in as opposed to working from home. This allows employees to build stronger relationships and make substantial use of the facility.
Aside from the benefits that reducing resource consumption provides for your facility, employees and occupants, it also greatly benefits the environment! A study found that billions of liters of chemicals and supplies are used for cleaning purposes each year. The results of this are that between 80,000 and 140,000 chemical contaminants from cleaning products can be found in our wastewater. Investing in high-quality green products and services that use gentler and more sustainable results leaves fewer toxins and pollutants in the air and plastic waste in our landfills. When you consider the future of your business, keep in mind that the future of the economy and environment plays a significant role.
Reducing resource consumption can be achieved in various ways. However, the results all show the same positive outcomes. Being mindful of the state of your facility, the health and safety of your employees and guests, as well as the future of our environment speaks volumes of a company’s priorities. Help the long-term future of your business thrive by choosing high-quality and sustainable options when it comes to resource consumption.