Perfection is seemingly impossible in almost all cases. We live in a time where individuals, organizations and governments are attempting to create a Utopian world. Regardless of whether or not this is actually achievable, one thing is certain: creating the perception of “perfect” is very achievable, especially when talking about the cleanliness and organization of a workplace.
Left alone, a workplace with the normal wear and tear will be unclean, unorganized and unappealing to those who visit the office on a regular basis, such as employees, customers, vendors and guests of employees. In that scenario, one thing is for sure, a company’s brand can take a massive beating simply on the notion that its workplace is an undesirable place to visit.
Curb appeal matters greatly.
Let’s take a closer look from the point of view of a first time customer.
Step 1: Customer parks vehicle in parking lot and sees landscaping, trash bins outside and pavement
(Potential pitfalls: dirt and bark dust scattered on pavement, weeds and overflowing trash bins)
Step 2: Customer enters building through glass double-doors
(Potential pitfalls: smudges and hand-prints on glass)
Step 3: Customer walks on hardwood floor in lobby
(Potential pitfalls: dirt tracked in from visitors, worn and old-looking hardwood)
Step 4: Customer visits sales person in a meeting room in the office
(Potential pitfalls: worn and dirty carpet, overflowing garbage cans, musty smell, darkened walls, dust, etc.)
Step 5: Customer visits restroom before leaving building
(Potential pitfalls: …you get the picture)
All of these “potential pitfalls” are completely unavoidable, and if handled regularly, the workplace looks like one of perfection. All of the areas listed above take few resources to accomplish. Organizations can easily hire a janitorial company to maintain all of these things on a daily or weekly basis; or, if a company is feeling really thrifty, they can even handle on their own via employees.
Utopia can exist in a workplace simply by doing the little cleaning tasks on a regular basis.
Image courtesy of Flickr / Lauramanning