Of paint and signage. Does your office exterior need fresh paint and signage attention? When employees, customers, or neighbors notice disrepair and decay, it’s time for office-improvement.
The sagging lettering on signs. The chipping paint on walls, eves, or fences. The clearly-burnt-out light bulbs. Trash littering the landscaping. These ignored details tell people there is a lack of caring going on in the workplace.
“We’ve been bought and the signs are about to change.” Or, “we don’t have time to pick up the trash.” These are excuses. Failing to take good care of a property signals that employees might not be taken care of either.
Failing to keep things in good repair, painted surfaces refreshed, and landscaping litter-free can signal that details such as bookkeeping or cleanliness are lacking. A restaurant consultant offers this advice: “Check the bathrooms first. If the bathroom is dirty, you can bet the kitchen is too.” Yikes! Details matter!
When it is time to paint, paint. When it is time to call the trash company to pick up the extra pallets you’ve left and the mattress someone else left, call them. When you have food items stored on a balcony rather than in your kitchen or food-storage areas, get on it and put these items where they safely belong. Get your workplace tidied up.
People notice. While they may not say anything, they notice. People who notice poor repair, litter, improper storage places say things – to friends, to health officials, and to colleagues. All of which means you may lose business.
Dedicate an hour a week to stay on top of minor repairs. Daily, or even hourly, clean-up is required in many places of work. And schedule monthly or quarterly repair and clean-up days as needed. Hire vendors to do work in a timely manner. And, enlist employees in the keep-our-place-clean campaign. Pride in the place we work is as important as pride for the work we do.
What five areas of your workplace are in need of attention?
For business improving conversations and go-forward action, call master facilitator Jana Kemp: 208-367-1701
As the author of seven books, in seven languages, Jana has been interviewed by U.S., Canadian, and European programs, and magazines. Her presentations have been seen in the United States and India by international audience members.
Workplace – the Blog: Managing the moments of our day-to-day business lives takes work. Together, let’s explore what issues and activities affect us every day (or some days) that we go to work. Together we can find working solutions.