Improving Washroom Hygiene And Employee Confidence
Six simple steps for businesses
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, research studies have found that many employees are less confident about their health and safety at work and more aware of hygiene practices.
The washroom is often viewed as a reflection of a business’ overall hygiene standards, and so Paul Swift of washroom services company, Elis, outlines six questions business can ask themselves to help improve their washrooms and build employee confidence.
1 - How clean and tidy does your washroom look?
Employees want to feel confident that the washroom is being cleaned regularly and properly. Consider improving your cleaning regime and its frequency and communicate these improvements to your employees.
If you have over-flowing bins and messy, dripping soap dispensers, move to a larger bin, empty more frequently or consider a sustainable cotton roller towel or efficient electric hand dryer. For a mess-free basin area, choose soap dispensers with anti-drip design.
2 - How does your washroom smell?
Making sure your washroom passes the ‘nose test’ is really important. Regular cleaning and waste disposal are important, but it’s also easy to add effective air freshening or air purifying.
Wall-mounted air freshening units will release fragrances into the air, or you can use a cost effective and maintenance-free air purifier to kill bacteria and viruses and eliminate odours, without the need for chemicals or fragrances.
3 - Are you providing the best soap for your employees’ needs?
We are all washing our hands more frequently, but are you providing the most appropriate soap for your employees? There are many liquid and foam soaps designed to meet the needs of different businesses, such as certified sanitising soap for the food industry, heavy duty cleaning soap for the removal of oil and grease and gentle hand soap that also kills bacteria.
It’s also important to provide hand sanitiser in washrooms and other key locations around the business. A free-standing hand sanitising station, with no-touch, anti-drip sanitiser dispenser can make it easier to position exactly where it’s needed.
4 - Are you providing good hand drying facilities?
Damp hands can spread more germs, so it’s important to provide hand drying solutions that work for employees.
Elis’ electric hand dryer options include fast and quiet Dyson dryers, with no-germ HEPA filter and antimicrobial coating, and Dyson taps that wash and dry. Paper towels are available folded or in rolls, and cotton roller towel comes in a dispenser that keeps the used and fresh towel separate, with the roll re-used after going through Elis’ industrial laundry process, for a more sustainable alternative.
5 - Are you maximising hygiene with no-touch equipment?
It’s important to minimise touch points in all areas, and it’s easy to do this in the washroom. You can choose no-touch soap and sanitiser dispensers which automatically dispense when hands are placed underneath, as well as no-touch electric hand dryers, paper roll dispensers and feminine hygiene bins.
6 - Is your washroom always well-stocked?
Empty soap dispensers and cubicles with no toilet tissue are common frustrations for employees. The right products can make it quicker and easier to keep the washroom clean and functioning. Long lasting soap and sanitiser dispensers, with easy to use, refill pouches, and toilet roll dispensers with practical inspection windows and easy roll replacement are two examples.
Elis provides a cost effective, nationwide washroom service, with a wide range of products and regular, scheduled servicing to help businesses achieve high levels of hygiene for employees and visitors.
Elis also supplies and launders workwear, linen and mats for businesses of all sizes throughout the UK.
For further information see uk.elis.com or telephone 0800 616691.
