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Make office cleaning funKeeping the office clean seems like a drag, especially if your business only has a handful of employees and no janitorial cleaning service to rely on. That doesn’t change the fact that cleaning must be done, that is, if you don’t want to scare customers away. There are fun ways to rally the team around keeping the office clean without having to force them into it:

Create a cleaning a competition.

Employers who attempt to force cleaning duties on their employees may not get the best result. People tend to be competitive, so why not create a game out of it? For example, give an employee one star for every area in the office they clean. The first one to a certain amount of stars can choose from several prizes available (e.g. 1/2 day off, massage, lunch with the owner, Starbucks gift card, etc.). A little competition might spur some excitement in the office and keep employees happy and producing at a high level.

Reward cleaning habits.

Ever heard the statement “catch them doing something right”? Reward the habits you want to create among your employees. Humans are creatures of habit and you, as the employer, can shape their habits in the office. Catch someone cleaning and organizing their desk so it’s presentable to others? Give the person a $5 gift card. Catch an employee restocking soap and paper towels in the restroom? Let them leave 15-minutes early on a Friday evening. Bottom line is that you can offer rewards to those who are doing the kind of job you want done on a regular basis without having to ask.

Make cleaning a group party.

What’s more fun then snacks, drinks and music? Ummm…nothing! Schedule a cleaning party once a week and bring in snacks and drinks for employees and turn on their favorite music. Chances are they actually might enjoy partaking in this activity.

Image courtesy of Flickr / higgott