There are many industries in which a clean workplace is totally non-negotiable and even controlled by legislation.  Think restaurants, fast food outlets, hospitals, and abattoirs – these industries require a high level of cleanliness and hygiene for obvious reasons, but so does a normal office environment, and now even more so than before the pandemic. The industries mentioned above are obvious ones when thinking of sanitary environments, but this is often something that falls low on the list of priorities in a normal office environment.  There are also industries that are considered more ‘dirty’ than others and often times, the workplaces reflect the grubby nature of their work.  A vehicle workshop may be a good example of this (although these days many of them are exceptionally clean). But there is more to dirt than meets the eye.  Bacteria and germs cannot be seen but need to be eliminated as regularly as possible so as not to present health hazards. In much the same way that you are more likely to want to spend time with somebody who takes after their own personal hygiene than somebody who doesn’t – you may want to spend time in a clean and hygienic environment more than a dirty environment. Benefits of a Clean Workplace A clean and tidy working environment has the following benefits: Shows that you care about your environment and your business Shows that you respect your employees and your customers Ensures productivity through improved overall health and wellbeing of staff Creates a safer workplace Promotes better focus and increases productivity Is office cleaning and hygiene on your radar? Many organisations spend thousands, if not millions on developing their brand, but are reluctant to invest in keeping their spaces clean and hygienic and pleasant to work in.  This makes no sense as

Garden maintenance services giving you a headache? Companies invest large amounts of money ensuring their workplaces are aesthetically pleasing offices and sometimes factor in office acoustics, but very few organisations factor in the negative effects of noisy garden maintenance services. Effects of noise on office productivity Numerous studies have been carried out over the years to measure the effects of noise in the workplace. Considering the number of hours spent at work, nearly a third of our lives, it is clearly important that the environment in which we work is comfortably geared towards productivity. Some individuals claim to be more productive when listening to music of their choice. While the right amount of noise might provide some benefits to certain kinds of work challenges under the right circumstances, prolonged exposure to moderate noise levels can lead to hearing damage and loss over time. Individuals can make use of personal earphones/headsets to listen to background music, if they choose to do so. When it comes to obstructive noise however, there is simply no way to focus. A study at the University of Berkeley analysed acoustic satisfaction in office environments. Researchers found 40 percent of respondents indicated noise interferes with their ability to complete their work. A further 64 percent were dissatisfied by their colleagues’ phone conversations, and 76 percent found overhearing private conversations distracting. I know that I personally dread Mondays not for the reasons you may think, but because that’s the day that the lawn gets mowed, even my poor Labrador hides under my desk shaking in fear of the dreaded lawn mower. And as luck would have it that’s usually when the phone rings – up goes the blood pressure! Solutions to combatting noise in the workplace Excessive noise can mean more than just mild irritations, it can harm

What are the benefits of off-site monitoring? An ongoing debate within the security industry is the topic of reliability between remote monitoring and on-site monitoring. In truth, off-site monitoring is just one way to protect your property and can deter criminal activity before it even happens. Conventional methods of booms, guards, high walls and controlling key access points have long been seen as the norm, but is this really the most secure and cost-effective method? Off-site monitoring enables an active full-view over the entire property and specific movement management that can be customized by user requirements. The outlay of capital is also not as tremendous as one might think, but the biggest saving is in the operation cost – where conventional guarding solution takes a big toll on month-month operational expenses the operational expenses for off-site monitoring is comparatively significantly less saving you tremendously in the long run without compromising on security comfort. Furthermore, there is always the risk of a mistake being made by security guards on-site, which can sometimes be costly. By removing or mitigating the conventional with the added solution of monitoring from a control room, there is less of a risk for mistakes to be made by those on-site. Sometimes, having security guards on-site also boasts a negative impact. While they can invoke a sense of security in clients, or deter any risk of crime, these security staff can also do the opposite, by either intimidating people or participating in the crime themselves, bringing trust into play. Now, we’re not saying that remote monitoring will prevent this, but it will at the very least deter any sort of mistrust or wrongdoing from anyone. But what makes off-site monitoring special? Well, it allows for quicker reaction time because having these systems in place can bring along the extra