The value of practicing hygiene can be very well understood by the quote of Meagan Francis, “Cleaning & organizing is a practice not a project”. Hygiene is important to practice in your day-to-day lives. We spend a large portion of our day at our workplace. So, workplace hygiene can impact our health.
If you will incur a culture of non-hygiene at your workplace then it will put everyone’s health at the risk. Each of us wants to live healthy so it’s wise to practice hygiene at work and home both. Hygiene is required to stay healthy and safe. Good managers feel responsible towards maintaining the hygiene in their workplace.
Importance of Health and Hygiene in the Workplace
As a manager, you should make it your responsibility to ensure good sanitization and make sure that the workplace is better organized. In the offices, employees spent a great deal of time so if the offices are not well kept and are not free from germs then it will make everyone sick and affect their health. This will impact the quality of work delivered by your employees.
Health and happiness are required to maintain good productivity. Poor hygiene and clutter in wash rooms, kitchen areas, and the employee’s desk everything should be maintained properly. Clean desks and proper disposal of waste is very important.
Proper supply of water in kitchen area and washroom to keep it running all the day. Soap, toilet paper, towels, napkins all are required along with regularly maintained and cleaned facilities. Hot and cold drinking water. Proper housekeeping & regular cleaning of the desks and cubicles. All these are requisites of a healthy work environment.
Personal Hygiene at Work
After the duties of the employer’s next comes the responsibilities of the employees. The employee’s hygiene habits matter at the work place. Even if the office is perfectly clean but if employees display a lack of personal hygiene at work then it’s a delicate issue to handle.
An employee with poor hygiene not only puts their health at risk they cause discomfort to others too. A less than direct approach is required to address if anyone fails to maintain personal hygiene at work. But care should be taken in politely conveying this message so the employee is not embarrassed.
Before approaching the concerned employee collect all the required information. After that fix a meeting with them to understand their part and how the problem can be tackled effectively. Maybe there is a medical issue that needs to be addressed. Listen to them empathetically.
If required politely tell them how important it is to maintain hygiene. How a lapse in maintaining hygiene can put their health and other’s health at risk. As most of the diseases easily spread if even a single person fails to maintain hygiene.
It’s a fact that staff’s hygiene is an important issue but the message should be conveyed in a way that doesn’t offends them. Bad breath, unwashed clothes, and unpleasant body odour, all these can impact customers and colleagues. If such is the case then it’s time to take some action.
A direct talk is better than any vague attempt to address the issue but proceed in a way that’s not offending to them. You can say, “Some concern related to your personal hygiene has been bought to my attention that we can discuss now to resolve the issue quickly.” By a direct talk like this, a lot of time will be saved and you can get to the bottom of things asap.
Staff Hygiene and Work Rules
Having a hygiene policy and specific set of work rules to be followed will help you establish a culture of practicing hygiene in the company.
Though it’s common sense to be mindful of your appearances but in the rush to their jobs, most people fail to perform even the basic hygiene routines. This kind of habit can lead to embarrassing situations at work. Some show lack of interest in keeping the washroom tidy. All these situations need to be addressed.
A clear set of rules is not only beneficial in tackling such tricky situations but at the same time is necessary. These hygiene rules are very basic but it will be good to make all the employees aware of these so they do necessarily follow it.
Always wear protective clothing at your workplace. Keep your appearance neat and clean. Keep your hair and nails clean. Be mindful of the body odour. Don’t wear too much perfume or deodorant because these might irritate the allergies of some people.
Conclusion
Hygiene is a sensitive issue to tackle but at the same time, it’s an important one too. By addressing these issues and adhering to the personal hygiene rules of your company. We know that bacteria and germs are easily spread so it’s better to practice hygiene.
When each person will be aware of the rules and will follow the company’s culture it will result in a happier workplace. Being mindful of the cultural differences will be helpful. At the same time awareness, a habit of cleanliness, and personal hygiene all these collectively will ensure good health for all and a happy working environment.
