Matthew Gates 4m 1,068 #bathroom
The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.
Keep The Bathroom Clean
Whether it is called a laboratory, restroom, washroom, or bathroom, it is all the same: a place for us to release our bodily fluids and solids, a place that nearly every human being on this planet turns to in order to feel better, to continue functioning normally, and to expel what the body no longer needs. While all we really need is a toilet and something to clean ourselves with, the important of a good looking, nice smelling bathroom is important.
I once walked into a Chinese restaurant, sat down, had dinner, and eventually made my way to the bathroom, expecting just an ordinary bathroom; a plain, boring, disgusting dirty used-all-day bathroom. This bathroom experience was different and in fact, I wanted to stay in the bathroom longer than was necessary. Most people do their business and get out, but this bathroom was gorgeous and it smelled like cherry vanilla blossom. It smelled even better than the restaurant. The smell was pleasant, relaxing, and you would never know that you were in a bathroom. I definitely visited that restaurant multiple times and brought friends with me in the process.
Another time, I walked into a doctor’s office, my first visit, after a long bike ride from my home to his office, and I was sweating, tired, and just not in the position to go directly into see the doctor. I made a quick stop inside the bathroom, only to find a very pleasant smell from the automatic spray, some nice smelling hand soap, some antiperspirant and other deodorants, and paper towels to dry my face and hands. The toilet was also very clean. I left the bathroom refreshed and ready to see the doctor.
Why would I even bother to think of and mention these bathroom experiences? The majority of my bathroom experiences are not particularly bad, but they are not particularly memorable, either. It is rare to enter into a bathroom and think, “Wow, this is really nice.” It probably never happens, except maybe at your own home, after you have cleaned your bathroom, but when out at restaurants, in public places, or even at work, that is hardly the case. Everyone goes into the bathroom, does what they have to do, and then leaves. There is no conversation at all about our bathroom experiences.
At my own job, the bathrooms normally smell good when someone is not in them, because it has one of those sprays that goes off every hour or so and is refilled often. Today, while at work, I noticed something different: the urinals. They finally put those nice smelling pee pads in, so that as you pee on it, it smells nice. While this is not memorable, it was still a nice gesture of any company to keep the bathrooms clean.
Speaking of clean bathrooms, 5 days a week, Monday through Friday, which are normal business days, there is a company that comes in and cleans the bathrooms, vacuums, and dusts the desks throughout the entire building. There is a lot to be said about physically seeing and knowing there is a cleaning crew that comes in daily to ensure that the office is clean.
The bathroom is probably the most overlooked place that businesses think of last, when it should be the first thing they think of when it comes to being clean. Priority should start from the bathroom and continue from there through the entire business. It does not take much to clean a bathroom and most employees do take care to clean after themselves, so adding a nice fresh smell, along with other accessories, such as cologne, perfumes, and other miniature accessories can go a long way in providing a great bathroom experience.
There is much to take into consideration about any company that hires a cleaning crew or hires their own personal cleaning staff. Humans are inevitably dirty. We cannot see most of our dirt, but our bodies produce sweat, bacteria, dead skin cells, and dust wherever we are and wherever we spend the majority of our time.
If you are currently sitting at your desk, I dare you to turn your keyboard upside down and shake it or bang it on your desk several times. Unless you have learned to defy physics or are just unusually clean, there was probably some nasty things that fell out of your keyboard including food particles and dead skin cells. Don’t be embarrassed. I do it at my desk once a week and everyone turns their heads and I always challenge my co-workers to do the same. I wipe all the nasty particles into the garbage next to me and clean up with a Clorox wipe.
This, unfortunately, cannot be cleaned by a cleaning crew and employees must take their own initiative to clean their own desks and computer accessories, but the surrounding areas and public areas can be cleaned by a professional cleaning crew. From employees to customers and clients, the presentation of a business is very important, and an unclean building is not only unsafe and unsanitary for employees, but completely unprofessional.
Your organization should consider offering cleaning wipes, sanitation appliances, and other items to encourage employees to help keep the organization clean so it does not all fall on the business to keep everything clean. This is especially useful for businesses that cannot afford a cleaning crew for everyday of the work-week. Rewards for clean areas should also be offered to employees in order to provide incentive.
When it comes to any organization, first and foremost is the product and services you sell, or else you would not even exist. After that, when it comes to the employees or customers, sanitary concerns should be of high importance to show that you, as a company, as a business owner, care about hygiene, and do all you can to take care of the workplace, even if the bathroom needs don’t seem like they are important, or no one talks about time spent in the bathroom, customers may visit at least once while conducting business with your organization, and employees may use the bathroom two or three times a day.
As an organization, in a small way, by tidying and maintaining the bathroom to almost perfection, you can make a huge difference of how your business is perceived by employees and customers.
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