Boost Workplace Productivity With 5S and Office Cleaning Service

There’s Serious Science Behind Keeping Your Office Clean and Organized.

Scientists at the Princeton University Neuroscience Institute used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure brain activity. ¹ They learned that our brains like order and function better when things are neat and tidy. Research shows that when things are messy, disorganized, or dirty, it hurts cognitive abilities and makes it harder to focus.

Another study by Harvard researchers put this to the test by evaluating students' performance in a cluttered and dirty environment vs. those in a clean and organized work area. ² Scientists reported those working in a clean and organized office were 150% more focused and productive.

Getting your workplace in order, engaging office cleaners to keep your workplace cleaner, and standardizing policies can make a big difference in your business.

What Is 5S?

5S is a concept that originated as part of the Toyota Production System and the company's lean manufacturing process. The goal of 5S is to create a sustainable way to optimize and maintain the workplace for efficiency and effectiveness.

The components of 5S are:

• Seiri
• Seiton
• Seiso
• Seiketsu
• Shitsuke
  

Seiri = Sort

By sorting and separating the useful things within your office from waste, you eliminate clutter and obstacles to productivity. This also requires implementing measures to prevent or minimize the future accumulation of waste and mess.

Seiton = Set in Order

Seiton means to arrange items within the workplace for optimal configuration. Resources need to be close at hand to maximize workflow and make them easy to find. This requires assigning fixed locations for items, visual signs so that things can be found easily (and returned in place), and accessible for anyone that needs access.

Seison = Shine

Seison focuses on keeping everything clean and in working order. By regular cleaning the workplace, you can create a more pleasant environment for your team. You also prevent deterioration of equipment and extend the lifespan of assets. This also creates a safer work environment.

Seiketsu = Standardize

By setting standards in the workplace, you can help ensure employees maintain an optimal environment. Many companies implement standard operating procedures, including checklists and reminders about keeping the office organized and clean.

Shitsuke = Sustain

5S implementation also focuses on creating a culture for sustaining the benefits acquired. 5S philosophy includes regular training on procedures, audits, and performance evaluations against the standards.

5S demands a high level of discipline and accountability to achieve maximum results.

What Are the Benefits of 5S in the Office?

When you have an organized office environment, everything is in the right place, easy to find, and optimized for workflow. Your workplace is also free of clutter and clean.

Here Are Ten Benefits of 5s in the Office.

1. A Clean and Pleasant Environment

People hate working in a dirty, smelly, and worn-out office. When you adhere to standards for keeping the workplace clean and pleasant, you can eliminate dirt, dust, and debris and eliminate odors. Dependable office cleaners can help improve the overall environment.

Trash and debris are more easily recognized when working in a clean office. People are more likely to clean up after themselves and treat the environment better. In a dirty or messy environment, trash and clutter accumulate.

Sweeping, mopping, dusting, sanitizing, and wiping down surfaces regularly emphasize the importance of a clean office.

2. Eliminate Waste

5S reduces waste in a variety of ways. An organized office reduces unnecessary workflow and wasted effort. Studies show that the average worker wastes more than four hours a week looking for papers and files.

Office cleaners handle waste like trash to keep things cleaner. Best practices from trained professional cleaners use more efficient cleaning processes and sustainable products to reduce waste.

3. Create More Space

Companies that implement 5S strategies typically see a reduction in the square footage needed for operations. By better organizing workflow, the average company improves space efficiency by about one-third.

4. Motivation and Self-Discipline

When 5S strategies are followed, employees learn self-discipline and regulate their practices. When they must put items in the right place, keep their work areas tidy, and are subject to regular audits, they develop positive habits.

5. Maintenance Needs Are More Easily Identified

When things are organized, clean, and tidy, it's easier to identify maintenance needs. You can spot leaks from equipment or worn or dirty workspaces more quickly. One more problem can easily blend into the surroundings and get missed in a messy workplace.

6. More Accurate Inventories

When there's clutter and disorganization, it's also easy to overlook when supplies are low. This can lead to paying higher prices to rush orders to replenish supplies, or even stop work until you get what you need. When there's a place for everything, it's simple to see when supplies are running low, so you don't have to rush.

Conversely, when supplies are spread all over the place, it can lead to overordering and wasting money on items you don't need.

7. Less Downtime

8. Improved Safety

According to the National Floor Safety Institute, more people go to a hospital emergency room from slips, trips, and falls than any other reason — nearly 8 million annually. Clean floors and less debris reduce the potential for accidents.

9. Better Quality Outputs

With a clean and well-organized office, you can significantly improve productivity and reduce error rates. A study by Michigan State University showed a significant correlation between interruptions and distractions, and mistakes. Workers that had to stop what they were doing for just 4.4 seconds experienced three times the error rate.

Searching for a stapler, file, or office supply can be enough of a distraction to reduce the quality of work.

10. Happier Employees

A clean environment is a happier environment. Office cleaners can reduce germs, dirt, and dust that lead to some issues. Flu and colds take a toll on employees, as does poor indoor air quality.

The Environmental Protection Agency says indoor air quality is a serious concern in offices. A clean workplace reduces this risk.

Organizations also benefit from reducing absenteeism, sick time, and turnover.

Implementing 5S in the Office: An Action Plan

Seiri (Sort)

Seiton (Set in Order)

Identify the ideal location for everything in the office to put everything employees need close to their work area to avoid extra steps. If processes involve a sequence, make sure workflow allows for easy processing.

This may require reconfiguring office workspaces. You will need to take into account how everything impacts workflow. You will also need to think about the location of electrical outlets, entrances and exits, and access to work areas. Everything must have a logical reason why it is where it is. It's often helpful to start with a blank floor plan and envision the ideal layout versus what you have now.

Finally, it would help to create spaces for everything within your office and label areas so everyone knows what goes where.

Seiso (Shine)

Hire the best possible office cleaning company to deep clean your office. Then, schedule regular office cleanings to keep your workplace looking good. As part of the 5S process, you will want to work with your cleaning company to develop a checklist of what work will be done at each visit.

Your cleaning crew should check off items as they are completed and leave the checklist behind for review to ensure everything is done to your satisfaction. By developing standardized ways and best practices for cleaning protocols, you can ensure consistency.

It would be best if you also tried to identify any sources of dust, dirt, grime, or debris to investigate ways of reducing them. For example, you might need to change filters on your HVAC unit more frequently to minimize dust. If your office has an outside entrance, you might want to use (and clean) rugs to help trap dirt before it comes into the workplace. You might need more frequent trash disposal or vacuuming in high-use or high-traffic areas.

Seiketsu (Standardize)

Besides standards for your cleaning crew, you should also establish standard operating procedures for how employees work and how they will treat the office environment. This may require a checklist or guide for each functional area or group of employees.

Having a checklist at the beginning and end of each workday is one way to ensure employees will take the steps necessary to keep your office clean and tidy. If your office runs multiple shifts, employing a checklist between shift changes is also a good idea to encourage conformity.

By standardizing your regimen, you build muscle memory for your employees and vendors. They are more likely to complete checklists and take pride in the office environment. This avoids relapsing into old habits and leaving dirt and mess behind.

For your office cleaners, think about:

• What cleaning should be performed daily?
• What cleaning should be performed weekly?
• What cleaning should be performed quarterly?

For example, you may require trash removal, vacuuming, mopping, dusting, and spot cleaning daily with a more in-depth cleaning weekly. Quarterly cleaning might require deep cleaning, carpet cleaning, and stripping and waxing floors.

Shitsuke (Sustain)

S5 principles aren't a one-time thing. It's about creating a culture that builds a sustainable environment for productivity and efficiency. Once you have done the first four steps, you need to create accountability measures to enforce consistency.

This means using checklists to measure compliance, spot checks to verify information, and regular audits. For cleaning companies, a good idea is to schedule quarterly on-site reviews with managers to address any concerns.

Learn More

5S is a proven method to improve office productivity and office environments. Terran's Spic & Span provides janitorial and cleaning services so you can operate your facility with improved safety, appearance, and performance.

We offer commercial cleaning, office cleaning, day porter services, warehouse cleaning, construction cleanup, and other custom cleaning services. We guarantee satisfaction with meticulous cleaning at competitive pricing and excellent customer service.

To learn more about reliable office cleaning services to support your 5S implementation, contact the cleaning pros at Terran's Spic & Span today. We help businesses of all types maintain clean and orderly facilities in Philadelphia, PA, Reading, PA, Upper Darby Township, PA, Bensalem Township, PA, Norristown, PA, King of Prussia, PA, and more.

References:

 ¹ Journal of Neuroscience, Interactions of Top-Down and Bottom-Up Mechanisms in Human Visual Cortex

 ² Harvard Business Review, Why a Messy Workspace Undermines Your Persistence