A recent report by Dettol Pro Solutions sheds light on the changing landscape of workplace hygiene in the UK, particularly in the wake of the pandemic.
The data indicates a significant decline in hotdesking, with over 71 per cent of white-collar employees now working from assigned desks.
Notably, the younger workforce is leading this trend, with 63% of 18-24-year-olds and 72% of 25-34-year-olds opting for designated workspaces due to germ concerns.
The report also highlights a growing nervousness among employees regarding germ spread in the workplace.
This heightened awareness, combined with labor shortages in the cleaning industry, creates a potential "perfect storm" scenario for businesses.
To regain employee confidence and ensure workplace hygiene, employers and landlords are urged to rethink their cleaning strategies and engage teams actively.
Moreover, the study reveals that post-pandemic, 91% of employees expect businesses to implement additional protective measures.
However, despite these expectations, the report indicates that employees tend to practice worse hygiene in the office than at home.
For instance, only 34.7% clean surfaces regularly at work compared to 43.9% at home, and just 29% clean their workstations frequently, despite concerns about unhygienic laptops and desks.
Surprisingly, hand washing has also declined among office-based workers, with nearly one-third admitting to not washing their hands with soap and water every time they use the washroom at work.
Jonathan Weiss, commercial director B2B at Reckitt, emphasizes the need for employers to address the "cleanliness gap" in the workplace.
Employers should supplement public messaging about hand-washing with corporate cleaning solutions and rethink office space design.
With attitudes toward hygiene continually evolving, strategic repositioning and re-zoning of office spaces, coupled with targeted hygiene solutions, can help restore employee confidence.
The research, conducted by tfl Research in 2022, surveyed 1,501 office-based workers in the UK.
The study focused on consumer perceptions of office hygiene.
