You need to be cautious in asking your employees to help clean up the workplace. On the one hand, you want them to be responsible for managing their space. On the other hand, you do not want them to feel like you hired them to provide janitorial services. These tips will help you motivate them to clean and make them responsible without making it look like you are punishing them or demeaning their job.
Set a date for general cleaning
When everyone in the office is cleaning, anyone who hates doing it has no choice but to help. It will be awkward if even those who have high positions are doing their share. Besides, you do not have general cleaning all the time. You can have it once every two months or depending on the need. As long as you notify everyone about it and there is nothing significant to finish soon, you can do general cleaning.
Set rules
You need to make it clear to all your employees that you have longstanding practices regarding cleanliness. If they want to be a part of your family, they need to follow these rules. If they are not comfortable with it, they can opt not to work with you. Besides, these are simple rules that they need to follow even without someone telling them. They include cleaning up their dishes in the kitchen after use and observing the provisions for recycling used paper. It might be tricky at first, but all of them will eventually get the hang of it.
Create a game
You can design a game where you pit one department against the other. The team with the cleanest area at the end of the month or which is consistent in following rules will receive a prize. It does not have to be a monetary reward. The point is that you can give something in return for doing a great job. You are also promoting teamwork in the process.
Remind the team leader
There are different groups in the workplace, and each of them has a leader. You can remind this person to tell everyone about their responsibility to clean. It does not have to be a threat, but it can be a friendly reminder to their colleagues.
Get help
You want your employees to feel that they are getting help with cleaning the place. Hire janitorial services to help maintain the office and do the major tasks. You can also ask for a junk removal service since there will likely be piles of trash collected each day. You need help because of the volume of functions necessary to maintain the office. It does not mean though that all employees will rely on the services you hire.
Motivating employees to clean is not easy since they find it degrading. They are also too busy with their jobs to even bother cleaning. However, when they get used to the rules, and you provide constant reminders, it will not be difficult for them.
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