A recent article published on Workplace Insight raises how important hygiene requirements are going to be with employees returning to work. Facility managers will play a key role in preparing and maintaining buildings, ensuring they are safe to work in.
The current situation with COVID-19 has also seen the facilities industry receive public recognition over the last few months, with cleaning and security taking precedence. The industry also received a lot of well-deserved thanks across social media on 13th May for World FM Day 2020.
An Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) survey reports that 40% of office workers are concerned about hygiene and cleaning standards being maintained when they are back at work. The IWFM have recently issued COVID-19 guidance: returning to work which aims to support organisations and employees in returning to work.
Moving forward
Hygiene and cleanliness will be at the top of every employer’s agenda as they seek to transition employees back to a safe, hygienic workplace. However, this is not a one-stop exercise, especially for public-facing businesses as we all learn to operate in a new ‘normal’ environment.
We also need to recognise that COVID-19 is not going to go away quickly, if ever. This means employers will need to protect both their staff and customers from this new threat for months and possibly years. Whilst for most organisations this won’t mean the extensive levels of deep cleaning being employed by our wonderful NHS & Care sectors, it does raise the issue of whether health and safety standards for the cleaning sector need to go beyond using the appropriate cleaning materials and chemicals.
Owners/management of environments that involve a continuous entry/exit of staff and visitors, such as retail centres and multi-occupancy office complexes, will need to satisfy themselves that standards continue to be met and are safe for staff and visitors. Businesses may need to prove that appropriate hygiene and cleaning standards are being maintained, and this is where Asckey may be able to help.
How Asckey can help
For over 20 years, Asckey has been supporting the facilities management industry through its range of facilities management software. This includes our fmfirst® cleaning audit tool which is in use nationwide by NHS Trusts to help them meet the requirements of the NHS National Cleaning Standards. And we continue to do so through the COVID-19 challenge.
With the same principles in mind, but streamlined to accommodate other industries, fmfirst® Survey may be better suited. This simple to use mobile application can be tailored to meet a variety of auditing/survey requirements. It enables the quick and accurate capture of key operational information which can then be used to drive key operational decisions.
This survey software can be used to audit workspaces, conduct employee feedback surveys, report on infection control and much more.
We want to help you and your employees feel safe returning to work. One way of doing this is digitally collecting data to ensure your workspaces are compliant and more importantly, safe.
If you’d like to discuss the options available then please give us a call on 01480 469001 or email us at sales@asckey.com.
