Good Housekeeping?
babaHR
54 Posts
I just walked by the first aid room--the light was on, all the cabinet doors were open, and there were paper towels on the floor. Our kitchen in the lunchroom also looks this way half the time.
How can I get our employees to stop acting like little children and keep the same level of "good housekeeping" in our workplace that they do in their own homes?
These aren't really safety issues, but leaving the lights on is an energy issue. I don't want to issue an email reminder because I don't want to be seen as "the office mommy."
Any suggestions?
Comments
Do you have a Safety Committee? I would bring this to their attention, as it is a safety concern. This way the committee can respond to the issue and you will not look like the office mom. Unfortunately this is a battle in offices and shops all over the country. No matter how many times you send reminders, put up posters with funny slogans, or complain outright to every offender you see, getting adults to clean up after themselves is an ongoing issue. Unlike a break room though you can not limit access to the first aid kits nor do you want to start having to hand out the band-aids everytime someone needs one.
Good luck..
I agree that this should be brought to your organization's safety committee if you have one, and unfortunately, further have to attest to having been on the end of an often frustrating (and losing) battle to get employees to clean up after themselves. This includes leaving dirty dishes in sinks, leaving coffee burners on with no coffee in the caraffe (burning coffee in the pots and ruining them), and several other things. And don't get me started on lack of courtesy when it comes to keeping the restrooms clean.
The most effective thing, unfortunately, is to in fact play "parent" as bad as it might make us feel. Truth is, notes above the sinks and coffeemakers have proven the most effective way to (at least temporarily) get repeat offendors to change their ways. Our safety manager has also sent out e-mails on issues related to safety (such as leaving the coffee makers on overnight, etc). Unfortunately some people need to get hammered over the head with a message until they cease to ignore it....so if you really want to change the behavior, post notices and send e-mail reminders. Yes, you would think such things would be common sense and yes, you're likely going to irritate the vast majority of people who DO follow the rules and keep things safe and clean, but not taking action could have worse consequences.
Honestly, we are lucky to have a very good janitor, a great receptionist who helps with the housekeeping (dishes into the dishwasher, unloading, etc) and a office manager. We haven't had too many problems since they take care of the minute details. Because no matter what organization, there will always be housekeeping issues.
Hey, you have a dishwasher! Any openings in HR?
Do want to ask if the "mommy" chores are in the receptionist's job description.
Employees often feel they don't have to pick up, wipe off, etc. because we do have a cleaning crew come in every night.
And some employees won't do anything not in their job descriptions, including a little KP once in a while.
When we have applicants in, I will tidy up the main restroom and reception area myself (or have my male colleague look over the men's room) because dropped paper towels, etc. and a generally messy workplace can have a negative impression on potential employees.
How can I get our employees to stop acting like little children and keep the same level of "good housekeeping" in our workplace that they do in their own homes?
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The problem is that there is a very good chance that they ARE keeping the same level of "good housekeeping" that they do in their own home!
Well, no openings in HR and as a matter of fact, the receptionist IS my Mom! [:D]
But yes, those chores were in the job description prior to hiring her. The last receptionist was responsible for those things also. Part of our issue is that the receptionist position doesn't have much responsibility beyond greeting walkins and answering the phone. Neither minded having something to get them away from the front desk for a little while each day!
I use the email reminder approach and it seems to help for a little while. My emails are entitled "Playing nice in the Sandbox." The one thing that has also helped is that a couple of people have been caught in the act and have been confronted by the manager that caught them.
I have heard of companies installing cameras in their breakrooms to deter this kind of behavior as well as people stealing food.