Did you know there are hotspots in your office space where you can find various types of bacteria?
When we discuss the impact of office design, we often focus on the emotional well-being and productivity of employees but seldom consider how office design can impact on hygiene. Have you given consideration to hygiene as part of the design in your bathrooms, and as an extension, in your workspace?
Lemay Rogers, Marketing Manager: Sub-Saharan Africa from Rentokil Initial South Africa, one of the leaders of hygiene solutions in South Africa, asked us to share our expertise as office designers in an article published on their website.
Read the full article here: How hygiene can affect be affected by office design.
In the article, I highlighted that hygiene tends to be considered in only the common hygiene hotspots such as kitchens, canteens, and dining spaces. Putting hygiene stations in areas where food will be handled and in bathrooms is considered standard. However, I would suggest adding hygiene stations where there is high traffic as a good way to curb the spread of common germs that lead to flu and colds. These areas include coffee stations, breakaway spaces like recreational areas, canteens, fingerprint scanners, and print stations.
HR in Asia emphasise the impact of hygiene on productivity and employee wellness – a topic close to our hearts. We also know that office design is known to have an impact on productivity. Understanding the impact of both hygiene and office design on productivity and absenteeism means that considering the hygienic factors of an office during the designing or redesigning phase is important. Rentokil Initial South Africa has an incredibly useful interactive office map which highlights the office hotspots to be considered in your office redesign.
Lemay summarised this perfectly in the article by posing the question: “Should we be taking hygiene more seriously within our workspace during the early phases of a new project, or revamp? Surely you would like to ‘future-proof’ your absenteeism rate as much as possible?”
Read the full article here: How does office design affect hygiene?
Now that you know to include office hygiene when renovating or designing your new office space, download our guide on improving office design and create the best design for your business.
