Did you know that most instances of office conflict are caused over communal areas. Whether this is staff arguing over who used whose milk or the same people tidying up after others day in and day out. This can all result in resentment and issues between staff members which impacts the morale of the office environment and can impact productivity and ultimately staff retention.

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The easiest way to deal with communal areas that have become a conflict ground based on who is going to clean it, is to employ the services of a Cleaning Company Leicester way such as

https://www.acecleaningcompany.co.uk/ so that no one feels beholden to cleaning up after everyone else.

There are other things you can do that will also help.

• Creating a company policy around the communal areas can help to develop boundaries that everyone has to adhere to. This could include separating out what time people take their lunches so that you can limit the overall number of people in the space at any one time, insisting that cleaning up any cutlery used is an individual’s responsibility and having a policy in place for how people store their items in the fridge. Once these procedures are in place it is important that they are enforced and that staff are reminded of them on a regular basis.
• Signage will help to reinforce any policies that you have put in place regarding communal areas. This could be no vaping signs, notices to remind people to clean their own cutlery once used as well as reminders of the importance of hygiene to prevent the spread of germs and viruses. Some companies run yearly training updates to reinforce the company rules surrounding these areas and the information will also be included in any new starter induction training.

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• Lead by example – there is no use in having a company policy on communal space use if it is not followed right from the top of the business. Team leaders and managers need to lead by example in order to be able to pull staff members up on any requirements that they are not following.
• Creating enough space for your staff to feel able to spend some time away from their desk is key to staff morale and mental wellbeing. It has been shown that those people who take at least a half an hour break away from their desk return to work with more motivation and energy in the afternoon than those who take working lunches at their desks.