Green Workplace Reminder: Go For Reusable Crockery & Cutlery

Get a green workplace.  This means everyone is on board with the changes to turn the office green.

Because we know that your team is working hard enough already, we made these handy posters that will remind everyone in your workplace (including you) of simple green ideas.

All you have to do is download them here, print, and pin or post them anywhere in your office with a blu-tack, pushpins, or glue.

Download PDF file (782 KB)

You can also start using green products such as floor mats made from recycled materials and continuous cloth towel for hand drying – all simple but effective ways to ‘green your office’.

Alsco Evolution Mats

Alsco’s Entrance Mats

Alsco offers a range of commercial and industrial mats, including the Evolution Mat.

Aside from having a great range of features that include thicker pile and premium quality, Alsco’s mats are also made from recycled materials that help eliminate the need for raw production materials.

These re-engineered materials produce more efficient products that use less water and energy in the cleaning process.

Alsco’s Anti-Fatigue & Wet Area Mats

Keeping your convenience in mind, Alsco also provides a fully managed rental service and supplies clean and undamaged mats every time.

Alsco is committed to improvements that promote environmental sustainability and social responsibility.

Contact Alsco to enjoy a Free Evolution Mat Trial.

Photo: Startup Stock Photos

Your Workplace Hygiene Level Greatly Depends On Your Restroom Facilities

Cleanliness in the workplace is as important as the devices used to make life in the workplace easier and faster.

It’s a lot better to work in a clean environment because it makes you happier and less prone to sickness, don’t you agree?

We at Alsco have recognized that more and more companies have made major changes to their hygiene levels, most especially their washrooms.

However, toilet paper and bleach are not always enough to accomplish this.

Providing the most practical facility and the perfect design for it, specifically the workplace washroom, is the right thing to do. We have a simple guide that you can use to maximize the hygiene levels at your workplace.

Items You’ll Need in Your Workplace Washroom

• Hand Sanitizers
  Hand sanitizers are important to help keep your hands clean at all times. However, they only kill germs that are on the surface of your skin. Some bacteria lie underneath the surface of your skin, making frequent hand washing with clean soap more suitable.

• Hand Dryers
  There are three types of hand dryers that you can use: disposable paper towels, electric hand dryers, and cloth roller towels. However, not all of them keep your hands clean after drying them.

You’ll definitely dry your hands faster with an electric hand dryer, but the level of bacteria on your fingertips just increased by 194% and bacteria level on your palm increased by 254%.

Photo courtesy: Flickr Image by Sarah Poole

Modern jet air dryers can also spread bacteria up to 2 meters away. Not only did you get bacteria all over your clothes and hands, but also on the people behind you.

Using disposable paper towels is a smart move because it reduces bacteria by 76% on finger pads and 77% on palms. Just make sure you throw them in a bin with a cover! We wouldn’t want those germs flying back in the air again, now, would we?

The cloth roller towel is also another good way to clean and dry your hands. Cloth towel dispensers are closed, therefore greatly reducing the spread of bacteria. Research in 2007 found that when cotton roller towels are being used, bacterial level on hands drops by 85%.

• Hand Soap Dispensers
  Soap keeps our hands clean, but you may have to think twice about using the old-style bar of soap. These things accumulate dirt and bacteria on the surface. So, you can end up transferring bacteria from the soap to your hands. A more effective way to keep bacteria away from the soap you’re using is to use a hand soap dispenser. You can find them in liquid or foam form, this way you lessen the chances of bacteria spreading on the soap.

Facility Layout and Design

Talking about the design of the workplace washroom includes choosing the type of hand soap dispensers to be used, the actual layout of the washroom, the sinks that you’ll be using, type of toilets to be installed, etc. This means we’re talking about a wide variety of decisions to be made.

Photo courtesy: Flickr Image by U.S. Department of Agriculture

An example would be – having a hands-free soap dispenser dramatically reduces the risk of germs spreading from the dispenser button. Especially, when compared to using a regular soap dispenser with a button to release the soap.

Another example is, installing an automatic flush on a toilet. This means you won’t have to worry about bacteria getting on your fingertips after flushing.

Sanitation in the washroom is definitely the starting point of a clean working environment. Using swing doors in the washrooms is better in this regard. You would use dividers instead of doors to block the view of the restroom.

We must not forget that cubicle doors must be locked when being used, so using slide latches or push-button locks on cubicle doors is more hygienic instead of twist latches because you don’t have to grip the door lock.

If you manage a school, this is your lucky day because you can avoid the headache by finding all these details and much more in our ultimate School Washroom Guide.

The Upkeep of Facilities

Choosing the right facilities is important, but keeping the loo at the workplace clean is crucial too. After all, maintaining everything in perfect condition will make it more effective. Having a facilities manager is the best way to keep everything in an orderly manner.

Well Kept Workplace Washroom

For all your stock and maintenance management needs, look no further than Alsco. We provide high-quality maintenance services.

You can choose from any of our rental programs such as washroom equipment, supplies, and maintenance services. Your staff can now focus on their jobs instead of worrying about washroom maintenance and hygiene.

For more details, call Alsco now! Our friendly representatives will always be happy to assist you!

Photo Courtesy from: Flickr Image by Aqua Mechanical

Paper vs Cloth: Which Towel Is Best For Your Kitchen?

Working in the kitchen will always involve getting messy. Spills, splatters, and vegetable or fruit peelings are just some of the mess you will have to deal with.

When you’re busy cooking, you know that there will always be mess that needs to be cleaned up and you could definitely use an efficient cleaning solution.

What kind of towel do you use to clean up? Do you usually hoard paper towels or go for cloth towels instead?

The Thing With Paper Towels

Oops! Spilled something? Grab a paper towel, wipe that mess, toss it in the trash bin and you’re done.

No wonder paper towels are the most popular choice people go for when it comes to dealing with kitchen mess. But while it’s the most convenient solution, it’s not always the most cost-effective.

Paper towels are only good for fixing small messes but when there’s way too many spills to wipe and clean up, it might not be a very wise choice after all.

Aside from being an expensive option, recycled paper towels still create a lot of unnecessary waste so they don’t do too much either in reducing unnecessary waste.

Photo courtesy: Flickr Image by Your Best Digs

Why Cloth Towels?

Consider yourself lucky though because there is actually a better option for cleaning up those messy spills on your kitchen counter – cloth towels. How are they better than paper towels? Read on:

• They are efficient – The fact that they are made with fabric means these towels are much more absorbent and they have a thicker pile that lets you collect dirt easier.

• They cost less – Because they are reusable, you wouldn’t ‘run out’ of these towels. You can simply wash them after use and they’re ready to use again. You can even keep up a supply of these clean cloths through a rental system and it’d still be much cheaper compared to buying rolls after rolls of paper towels forever.

• They’re environmentally friendly – Having a reusable cloth towel in your kitchen means less unnecessary waste from your household; which also means less waste for the environment. You get to tap yourself in the back for it.

It’s pretty obvious now that reusable wipes are the wiser choice between the two. They are not only more efficient and cost-effective, they are also environmentally friendly.

Now, it’s really all in the matter of how you get them cleaned. How can you make sure that you are conforming to the health and safety regulations for commercial kitchens? A rental program can take over from here.

Alsco food and glass wipes (cloth towels) are collected, laundered to Australian Quality Standards and delivered back ready for use and reuse.

We also provide colour-coded food wipes to prevent cross-contamination and glass wipes for detailing and cleaning. Alsco conforms to the health and safety regulations so you can rest assured that your wipes are always clean.

So if you’re running a commercial kitchen, you can stop worrying about the mess now. Give these Alsco food and glass wipes a try, enquire now!

Photo courtesy: Flickr Image by Josh Mormann

Go ‘Green’ on your Cutlery and Reduce Unnecessary Waste

There is more to going ‘Green’ than opting for green lunches. It’s more than just munching on a healthy salad. You might also want to consider the cutlery you use.

Are you using real eco-friendly cutlery or the usual plastic ones that go straight to the bin after just one use?

Eating healthy is good for everyone. Or is it, really? The thing is, while going for the ‘Green’ diet is good for your body, it may not necessarily mean it’s also good for the environment.

Most local healthy food joints deliver food in biodegradable packaging and wrappings but what about the little spoons or forks that you use? What are they made of?

This eco-friendly cutlery is usually categorized as ‘biodegradable’ – those you can dispose of without doing harm to the environment, or ‘reusable’ which means those you can simply wash and wipe and they’re good to use again.

Eco-friendly Cutlery Choices are within your reach

Image from: Pixabay by Hans

• Bring Your Own Cutlery– Zero disposable utensils means zero extra waste. You can always bring your own utensils to work – or pretty much anywhere you go, so you wouldn’t need any cutlery from the food suppliers.

• Metal Cutlery – Metal cutlery definitely helps in going ‘Green’ because they last for a really long time; except for when they disappear one by one over time. But the beauty of having them is that you no longer need to use disposable utensils. A lot of office pantries have metal cutlery that employees wash after use.

Go for Bio-degradable (or compostable) Cutlery

• Wood – They are lightweight, sturdy, and are produced from a completely chemical-free process. Most of them are made from hardwoods like maple, birch, and fast-growing bamboo. So going for wooden cutlery instead of plastic knives, forks, and spoons is definitely more eco-friendly.

Image from: Pixabay by Hans

• Celeplast or PSM (Potato Starch Material) – Who would’ve thought potatoes actually make great eco-friendly cutlery? Celeplast or PSM (Potato Starch Material) may look like plastic at first glance but they are 100% biodegradable. They can resist heat up to 205 F and are durable enough to cut through even steak.

Beware of another version of PSM on the market though. Always check with the caterers what kind of PSM they are using. This Plasticized Starch Material contains 20% petroleum-based resin which definitely not biodegradable.

• PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) – Aside from potatoes, corns are also being used to create ‘Green’ cutlery. Poly Lactic Acid is a type of plastic that is 100% biodegradable. It’s made from corn and is just as durable as the regular plastic cutlery available on the market.

While they can only handle up to 110 F of temperature, PLA utensils are still sturdy enough to handle solid food. The best thing about PLAs is that they will decompose between 60 to 90 days when used and set for composting, doing zero harm to the environment.

Finding Restaurants or Suppliers

The good news is more businesses are now into promoting their ‘Green’ ethics so finding a restaurant that encourages the use of eco-friendly cutlery or biodegradable (compostable) utensils have become a lot easier these days.

Just take a good look around and you’ll surely find a salad bar or restaurant near you. Can’t find them? You might want to check out our Greenfinder.com.au, an online listing or directory of thousands of ‘Green’ businesses and the eco-friendly products they offer.

There is no need to resort to using your fingers to reduce waste and save the Earth. Just take a quick look around and you’ll see. There are actually a lot of more eco-friendly cutlery that you can use.

Sources:

• ‘Compostable Cutlery, Biodegradable Cutlery: The Newest in Green Cutlery Options’, Mr Take Out Bags blog.
• ‘Compostable Cutlery Made From Cereplast’, Treehugger.com.
• ‘What are the Pros and Cons of Using Wooden Cutlery?’, Wisekgeek.com.

Photo: Free-Photos

Make Your Workplace Trip and Slip Free

More often than not, when someone slips or trips, we can’t help but giggle or laugh.

This incident is used countless times in reruns of slapstick comedies where a character lays flat on his face after a chasing scene.

Slipping or tripping are actually not laughing matters. Alsco understands the reality of this commonly perceived ‘ridiculous accident’.

From minor cuts to bone fractures, these incidents can lead to serious injuries and sometimes even death.

All employees, visitors, and guests are all equally at risk. According to statistics, slips and trips are among the most common causes of injuries at work. Both employees and employers are affected by the consequences of a nasty fall.

They cost employers a hefty amount in lost production and other costs. Conversely, from an employee’s perspective, aside from the excruciating pain, it can also lead to long-term injuries.

How to Keep Your Workplace Safe from Slips

Alsco’s Anti-Fatigue & Wet Area Mats

1. Customers and guests can come in from the rain dripping wet. It is best to use water absorbent floor mats to prevent accidents caused by a wet floor. These ingenious mats can absorb a high volume of water and are easy to maintain.

2. Keep a conspicuous area near the entrance for wet umbrellas and overcoats. Make sure they are easily accessible but away from busy traffic routes.

3. Maintain your machinery on a regular basis. Their condition is essential not only to your productivity but for any untoward incident they can cause if leaking. Some of those leaks can be toxic and require the use of appropriate spill kits.

4. Always consider that water and other liquids can spill on the floor. Prioritise having special work area matting, they can resist oil and liquids and definitely lessen slippage among workers and customers.

5. Design your work area to have a systematic location of your cleaning equipment and materials. They should all be easily accessible at any given time.

How to Keep Your Workplace Safe from Trips

Image from: Pixabay by officerent

1. Clean and inspect your workplace regularly. Clear areas of traffic from any items that may cause tripping. Segregate storage areas for tools, equipment, and boxes. See to it that all cables are out of sight.

2. Level your floor surface at all times. Secure ridges and cover floor power sockets, whenever possible, flatten all inclines.

3. Check the edges of carpets or tiling, always making sure that they are not warped or chipped on the edges, especially in the areas where flooring type changes.

4. Instead of laying cables, install extra power sockets. When there is an actual need for cables, consider placing them overhead rather than on the floor.

5. Spread the information among your workers. Communicating safety measures to your employees will result in a more coordinated workflow.

6. Put up signs for high-risk areas. When cleaning the floor, always keep in mind to also put up precautionary signs.

A Mere Tip of the Iceberg

Image from: Flickr by USACE Europe District

We only scratched the surface with the tips provided above. In promoting safety and health in a workplace, it is important to formulate a systematic plan. Implementing some changes in work operations is also beneficial to update safety protocols.

Appointing a point person to act as a leader in executing safety measures is crucial to this endeavour. If you have multiple work areas handling different functions, it is recommended to have one point person per scope of work. Taking time to explain your plans can be a very productive move while training can actually be even better.

It requires hard work and cooperation but keeping your workplace free from slips and trips is always attainable. Do not let your organization be a part of accident statistics. Securing it will even make it more productive.

The Safety Mats from Alsco can also help you achieve your goal for a slip and trip-free workplace. It is both practical and economical as it can help reduce the wear and tear of your floors where heavy traffic is experienced.

Ask for Alsco’s two-week free trial to experience first-hand our top-of-the-line solutions! Get in contact with us today.

16 Ways Your Staff Will Start to Love Your Green Initiative

More work for the same paycheck? No wonder your green initiative at the workplace is not working out the way you planned.

In theory, everyone wants to live in a cleaner and greener world, but that enthusiasm deflates rapidly when it involves giving up on one’s comfort.

So, in order for your green initiative to be successful, you will need to sugarcoat it a bit.

Still, it pays off, because going green is much more than a fashion trend. It is a necessity that concerns all of us.

Here are some great tactics for you to use in order to inspire your employees to take a more active role in making your workplace a greener, safer and healthier environment.

1. Make Recycling Easy

The last thing anybody wants is more chores at work. Therefore, do all you can to not make recycling a chore. Put the bins everywhere and make sure that they are convenient.

For example, use a plastic bin with a narrow opening so that the plastic bottles and cups have to be crushed to fit in. it will take a little bit of getting used to, but very soon, people will stop thinking about it and just do it.

2. Bring out the Recycling Posters

Honestly, people sometimes just forget. Help them remember. Put a poster on your paper towel dispenser with a sad monkey cartoon saying “two pieces are enough, don’t you think” or something cooler than this.

“Turn off the lights when leaving, please” is a good thing to put on the inside of the doors. “Make up your mind and then open me!” on the fridge, and the like.

Make sure to include a simple sentence below that explains why that is necessary. For example, opened fridge doors waste up to 120 kWh a year. That is enough for 50 runs of your washing machine.

3. Educate Your Employees on the Reasons for Your Initiative: Be Graphic

Image from: Pixabay by jamesoladujoye

It is much easier to get involved in something when you know why you are doing it. Explaining the reasons and the effects of recycling and other green initiatives will take you a long way.

Don’t be afraid to get graphic. Present the employees with charts, numbers and the comparisons that they can relate to. For example, play a video about plastic bottles and what happens to them.

4. Offer More Environmentally Friendly Workplace Supplies

If you want your employees to be more on the green side, you have to give them examples of how their comfort will not be affected by these changes.

For example, explain how personalised, awesome water bottles are better than the paper cups they use for water.

Show them that their workplace washroom can be thoroughly and perfectly cleaned by using effective, healthy bio-friendly soaps.

Don’t miss out on any opportunity to show them that going green will only change their life quality for the better without causing any inconvenience.

5. Figure Out a Green Dollar Point System

Image from: Pixabay by stevepb

Each time, any of your coworkers do something great, award them with green points or even coins. Figure out the point system together.

• For a great new idea, offer a 25 green dollar coin.
• For the ongoing effort to go green, offer a 15 green dollar coin.
• For constantly separating trash, give out a 5 green dollar coin.

Allow those green dollars to be used for additional perks around the office. For example, 1000 green dollars can earn the employee a day of working from home. Twice as much can earn them an extra day of PTO.

Don’t be worried about losing money on so many days off. Get your accountants involved and you will soon see that the money saved from the green initiatives will cover for the days that your employees weren’t in the office.

6. Make It a Game or Contest

The examples of awesome eco-friendly games and contests around the office are endless. Do your research and involve your employees in choosing the game or contest they want to do.

Let the games begin and watch your coworkers enjoy going green.

7. Make an Example Out of Yourself

It is hard for your employees to believe you really care about something if you are the first one who doesn’t put in the effort for it to happen.

Image from: Unsplash by Igor Peftiev

Go on the rideshares and carpool with them. Be the first one to recycle and bike to work. Set an example that everybody will gladly follow.

8. Get All the Certifications Possible

It is always nice to have your efforts acknowledged. Therefore, getting all the green certificates you can get your hands on will be a strong motivating force. Some of the great certificates and labels you can get in New Zealand include:

• Eco Choice Aotearoa
• Enviro-Mark Solutions
• Green Star
• NABERSNZ

9. Partner Up with Green Businesses

One of the ways to get your employees to accept all that eco-friendly movement is to make their surroundings environmentally conscious. A great way to do this is to do business with other companies that have an ongoing green initiative.

Image from: Pixabay by denvit

After a while, going green will become the only way to go and anybody who is too lazy to do it will simply stand out.

10. Make the Earth Day Fun

If you make Earth Day a day when people are really having fun, you will promote it and people will start anticipating it with great excitement.

Once that happens, it will be easy to introduce all the ideas that this amazing day is all about. Make it the best holiday in the office and everyone’s favourite day.

11. Be Open to Initiatives and Suggestions

Perhaps one of the best ways to make your coworkers enthusiastic about the entire idea is to include them in the decision-making process.

Award all the individual and group initiatives and talk through all the suggestions. People are much more inclined to do things they came up with themselves.

Their initiatives can become their pet projects. What better way to become invested in a green project?

12. Help Organising Carpooling or Environmentally Friendly Transportation

The ecological footprint of each of your employees depends, to a great extent, on their preferred transportation method.

If there is no convenient public transportation to your workplace, help your employees organise rideshares and carpools. Everybody will love those because they reduce their expenses, as well as their ecological footprint.

13. Make Seasonal Actions for Variety

Doing the same things over and over again can kill enthusiasm. You don’t want that. To prevent it, try to add some variety to your activities. For example:

• Water conservation actions during the summer months
• Insulation efforts in winter times

14. Make a Green Team

It’s much easier to get people inspired when they have a go-to person or a team. Moreover, if they are a part of such a team, they are bound to be at the centre of the activities.

The team can organise activities, come up with new ones, monitor the workplace and do many more things.

15. Let the Results Be Tangible and Visible

Give people charts, veggies from the office garden that everybody grows together; numbers stating how much paper is saved in the last quarter – in other words, anything that can directly show the progress.

This will give purpose to their actions and inspire them to do better in the future. Let the amazing mechanisms of what motivates us to do something work for you and the environment.

16. Give Your Employees Something to Brag About

Let’s not forget that going green and doing something good for the environment is trendy, as well. Everybody loves to brag a bit, so give your employees a reason to brag about it.

• Organise a ‘green’ competition on the city level and win
• Implement the additional PTO for exceptional environmentally friendly initiatives
• Offer to make a contract with local markets to reduce the price of the organic food for your employees

This about the stuff that your coworkers can be proud of. It will inspire them to do more.

It has already been told that you should try to make your eco-friendly initiatives as effortless as possible. Also, setting an example and doing business with other green businesses and make a green network.

By partnering with Alsco, you will do all these things at once. Here is how we can help you be a ‘greener’ business and how to include your employees in that initiative:

• We offer eco-friendly cleaning agents that can show your employees just how powerful they can be without hurting the environment.
• We offer managed washroom services that take all the work regarding your washroom off your hands.
• We wash uniforms
• in the most efficient and eco-friendly way,  showing your employees that it can be done and boosting their green efforts.

All this is included in a fantastically low annual fee that is tailored according to your business needs.

Call Alsco today and get your best quote. Things will get a lot easier from that point on. We promise.

Why Being a First Aider Makes You a Superhero in the Workplace

Without the first aiders, all those first aid kits and Work Health and Safety regulations are useless things that cannot help anybody. Only in the hands of a skilled and trained first aider, they get to serve their purpose and even save lives.

Being a designated first aider does not mean that you will have more to do on a daily basis. Your job description remains the same.

Your role is active only when an emergency happens. In that case, all heads turn to you and everybody follows your directions.

You get to be the first one that treats a burn, dresses a wound, performs CPR or even uses a defibrillator on a colleague in grave danger. It feels good to know that you can help the people you meet every day when they are in trouble – using your skills and training.

Still, to do a proper job, you need a fully stocked first aid kit and other supplies that are compliant with the WHS Act.

Does Your Workplace Even Need a First Aider?

This depends on several factors. These factors include:

The size of your company

Larger companies will need more certified first aiders. Providing proper first aid can make all the difference between life and death. So, you need to have enough first aiders so that every employee can be helped in the case of an emergency in a matter of minutes or even seconds.

Number and location of your employees

More people present at your building means more first aiders needed. The same goes if your building is designed so that employees are scattered in remote parts.

Type of work your company does

Light office work with a small number of employees means that first aiders are not essential for your workplace. On the other hand, a high-risk workplace requires more trained people.

The proximity of medical services

If you have an emergency medical facility nearby, your need for the trained staff is very much reduced.

Shift work and sick days

When organising first aiders, think about your shifts. There should always be one first aider available. Also, consider the fact that some of the first aiders will be absent from work at times and that somebody else has to replace them during that period.

Things You Need to Know About First Aid Training

Being a first aider is a serious job, so not just anybody can be assigned this duty. You need to be properly trained by organisations accredited by New Zealand Qualifications Authority. There are several things you need to know about your training:

• It can last 8 or 12 hours plus an assessment
• The certificate is valid for 2 years
• A refresher course is obligatory after 2 years
• A first aider must repeat the full course again if 3 months elapsed since the certificate expiry

Duties of a First Aider

According to the WorkSafe website statistics, one in four workers reports that they had a serious work-related injury in the past 12 months.

This means that the first aiders are quite busy and very much needed. In order to do their job properly, first aiders need their training in first aid. Among other things, they need to know:

• the location and the contents of all first aid kits
• the location of AEDs and how to use them
• how to use protective equipment in order to protect themselves while helping others
• cooperate with the PCBU
• provide reasonable care to those in danger

It is hard to be a trained first aider in a company that does not take care of its first aid kits. All the first aid kits need to comply with the WHS Act and they need to be regularly and properly maintained.

Is that a job for a first aider? No. That is a job for Alsco.

Call 0800 4 ALSCO right now or contact us online. Our representatives will tell you everything about our first aid rental service. For a great price, we will bring you all the kits and AEDs you need and maintain them regularly.

Photo Courtesy: Flickr Image by ** RB **

If You Don’t Use Anti-Fatigue Floor Mats Now, You’ll Hate Yourself Later

Perhaps your employees see a boss, a colleague or even a friend when they look at you, but the law sees a PCBU. This is a short form for Person Conducting Business or an Undertaking.

This acronym attached to your name brings some responsibilities for you, as well.

Namely, a PCBU is responsible, to a reasonable extent, for the safety of all workers in their company.

Surely, it is not your job to hold their hands while they cross the street, but you must do your part in helping them stay safe and healthy.

One of the ways to do this includes getting anti-fatigue floor mats for the companies where employees stand throughout most of their shifts. It seems like a far-fetched idea that a floor mat will help your employees, but the facts are on our side.

What Is So Harmful About Standing?

A lot of people talk about the downsides of the sedentary lifestyle. Being on one’s feet is generally considered healthy. Just like everything else, standing is healthy when it is done in moderation.

However, if you are forced to stand for prolonged periods of time, those health benefits soon turn into the health risks.

Photo courtesy: Flickr Image by Connie Ma

Standing throughout a shift, day after day, will put additional pressure on your limbs, joints and even blood vessels. The risk dramatically increases if you are standing on a hard surface.

Negative effects of standing include:

• Lower back pain
• Hip pain
• Knee pain
• Sore muscles
• Painful feet
• Fatigue
• Discomfort
• Swelling
• Plantar fasciitis

When you stand day after day for a long time, the blood starts slowing down when circulating in your legs. It results in swellings and even creating blood clots. Also, varicose veins can occur, which is an inflammatory disease that is very unpleasant.

How Can Anti-Fatigue Floor Mats Help?

The first thing that anti-fatigue floor mats do is that they provide a layer of softness between the sore feet and the hard floor. The pressure on the joints is instantly reduced.

Besides the softness of the floor and the reduced impact on the joints, blood vessels benefit from these floor mats, as well. They encourage people to move slightly at all times. This helps the blood circulating, which is important for reducing the swellings and lowering the risks of varicose veins.

Anti-fatigue floor mats reduce the danger of slipping. This, consequently, means less work related injuries. With all these facts, it is obvious that these sorts of mats definitely make a difference. Moreover, they are the proof that you do take care of your employees’ well-being.

What’s In It For Your Business?

There are several ways your business benefits from placing anti-fatigue floor mats:

Motivated employees

If your employees suffer from back pains, varicose veins, fatigue and chronic discomfort, they will not do a very good job. Placing these mats on their workplace will show that you care about their comfort and the work they do. Such employees will be more motivated and more productive.

Reduced absenteeism

Back pains, rheumatic pains and fatigue can cause people to be unable to perform their job. That means that by diminishing these causes of different conditions, the number of sick days taken will also plummet.

Reduced inventory damages

When people fall down, they do not just place their hands tightly beside their bodies while they fall flat on the floor with their face down. Their reflexes command them to grab something or hold on to something to prevent the fall. In a bar or a restaurant, this means destroying a lot of glass. A very good mat prevents slipping and saves the inventory.

More professional appearance

Mats can really make your business look amazing. The presence of the anti-fatigue floor mats shows that you care about your employees, that you are able to recognise a smart move, and that you are a responsible businessman and employer. You will look like a real professional.

So, What Makes a Good Anti-Fatigue Floor Mat?

Now that you are aware of all the reasons why your workplace needs anti-fatigue floor mats, you need to know how to pick these high-quality mats. In order to know which ones work the best for you, you need to try them at your workplace.

Your best bet is always to rent them rather than buy them.

First, you can always return them if you change your mind. It’s hard to tell if the mat is all that you imagined. That is why Alsco offers a FREE 2-week trial period – no risk and no obligation.

Secondly, your own mats will wear out in time. If you rent any type of mats from Alsco, they will always be replaced with clean and good looking ones.

In other words, renting high-quality mats means that you get all the benefits of new mats without even having to buy them. Your fee can get as low as $1 a day.

Call Alsco representatives or fill out a form on Alsco website to get your best quote.

Photo Courtesy: Alsco NZ

Warning: Your Workplace Washroom Is More Important Than You Think

Did you know that 3 out of 4 customers said they would never return to a restaurant with a dirty washroom? This is the result of the survey conducted by Harris Poll in 2010.

Moreover, people, today use smartphone apps to find establishments with clean toilets.

That is just how important clean washrooms are to people.

In the era of social media, you can be sure that people will take photos of your dirty restroom and share them online which can ruin your reputation.

Still, some companies neglect their washrooms due to the lack of time, will or manpower to regularly maintain it.

There is a way for those companies to have properly maintained workplace washrooms because Alsco can manage washrooms for any company.

4 Reasons to Have a Spotless Workplace Washroom

Even if you don’t run a business that involves your clients and customers entering your venue, there are still some good reasons for you to keep the washroom flawlessly clean.

1. Fighting off diseases and illnesses
2. Keeping your employees satisfied
3. Leaving a positive impression on your customers and clients
4. Aesthetic reasons

Dirty toilets make a perfect environment for spreading harmful bacteria. The flu virus, E.coli and even hepatitis A lurk at you from an improperly cleaned toilet, especially if your workplace is in a school or any similar place where there are many people around.

Therefore, unclean toilets mean that your business will deal with a lot of sick days.

Image from: Flickr Image by tszchungwing

It is far easier to hire more staff to clean your washroom more regularly. Even better, hire a deep clean service every once in a while and let experts scrub down your washroom professionally.

Your employees will not be satisfied working in an environment that is not sanitary. This influences their morale which translates to poor motivation and even poorer productivity. This is not something that any business can afford.

If your employees do not appreciate your washroom, your potential clients and customers will appreciate it even less. Dirty washroom will make your company seem unprofessional and that will cause you to lose business.

5 Key Factors of a Proper Workplace Washroom

There are several key factors that make all the difference when it comes to a nice and sanitary washroom.

1. Regular Cleaning

You need a regular cleaning service that will make sure your washroom is always in the perfect condition. This means daily service. You need maintenance staff and you need to work out a daily cleaning schedule with them.

It can be a timetable on which each member of the staff marks the job they have done for that day and sign the sheet.

While your toilets need to be perfectly clean, this is not enough. You need to have toilet paper at all times, and you need a disposable toilet seat cover. Of course, you need a proper bin that is entirely sanitary.

2. Additions for the Ladies

Sitting on a toilet seat means that a person is more exposed to germs. The first line of defence should be a toilet seat sanitizer that will kill those germs before they make contact with your skin.

Also, it would be great to equip your washroom with special disposal units. Alsco’s Feminine Hygiene units are sanitary and discrete. They make waste disposal clean and easy.

All the mothers will be happy to find a good nappy disposal unit in your washroom. They meet very high sanitary standards and Alsco replaces the entire unit every time they do their usual maintenance rounds.

3. Fighting Off the Odour

Your washroom can look flawless, but if it smells bad, all your efforts will be in vain. The odours are the result of the uric acid crystals build-up. Even if you have regular maintenance of your toilet, this can still happen.

Your best bet against these odours is wall mounted air sanitisers. They fight off odour even before it happens. Namely, they disperse the chemicals that kill the germs and prevent the uric acid build-up.

After regular cleaning and the amazing effects of the air sanitisers, you can add an extra touch and install a couple of air fresheners. Your washroom will not only be odour free, but it can smell lovely, as well.

4. Hand Hygiene Made Convenient

A good workplace washroom helps keep your employees healthy. In order for that to happen, you need to allow your employees to maintain proper hand hygiene.

A lot of germs are transmitted by dirty hands, so you need excellent soap dispensers beside every faucet. They need to be full at all times and you can never afford for them to be empty.

Drying one’s hands is just as important for their health as washing them. Wet hands are a perfect place for the germs to get stuck and wait for their chance to infect you. You can offer your employees different hand drying options that include air drying, paper towels or even cloth towels.

In order to go that extra mile in protecting your employees, install hand sanitisers at appropriate places so that disinfecting hands can be easy and convenient.

5. Good Workplace Washroom Management

Managing your washroom is a serious task and it takes a lot of time and regular checkups. Being a business owner or a manager, you definitely have more important things to do than to check on the condition of your washroom every now and then.

A smart move is to hire staff that cleans the washroom and to contact Alsco to help you with the equipment needed for its proper functioning.

You don’t have to buy anything – simply rent it. It is cheaper and more convenient.

Make an enquiry about Alsco’s rates right now. For a price that comes down to a couple of coins a day, you can have washroom equipment installed, maintained and restocked on a regular basis.

Alsco employees do that for you – and we do it with a smile.

Photo: Movieshapers

Amazing Benefits of Work Uniforms You Need to Stop Missing Out On

You have two options: to go for work uniforms or to go for a DIY workwear policy. If you are in doubt, imagine yourself entering your business venue as a potential client.

Picture your workers wearing uniforms and then imagine the same scenery with all of them in their own clothing.

In which scenario would you be more likely to decide to take the business seriously and make a deal?

This simple test is not based on some strong scientific facts, but it is an indicator of the general attitude toward uniforms – clients like them. However, work uniforms need to be presentable and perfectly maintained.

Industries Where Work Uniforms Are a Necessity

Luckily for all other branches of industry, there are those businesses and services where uniforms are necessary. Their experience allowed everybody else to learn volumes about the good sides of having work clothes.

Uniforms in the health, military and police sectors are almost legendary. Besides those, people recognise uniforms of the kitchen staff, hotel employees and others who work in the food and hospitality sectors.

Other industries followed their lead and businesses have started to invest in proper workwear, significantly.

Frost and Sullivan confirmed that in their report on Western European Workwear Markets from 2010. Namely, companies in the UK spent over €640 million to uniform their workers. This was almost 20% of the entire amount spent on workwear in Western Europe.

Workers in Uniforms Have Better Attitudes

It has been proven that wearing a uniform changes the way employees think about themselves. Simply by replacing everyday clothes with work uniforms, employees change their attitude toward work.

Wearing uniforms :

• improves their attention span
• boosts orientation to detail
• increases overall motivation for work

This is best illustrated with a couple of experiments presented in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. The results showed that people wearing uniforms have better-sustained attention than those who perform the same task, but without the uniform.

However, the uniform should be appropriate for the task. For example, if people believe that they are wearing a doctor’s white coat, they will be very detail oriented and focused on the task that requires attention.

On the other hand, if they are told that the same coat is a painter’s coat, they will not show the same improvement in their attention for the task.

What’s more, workwear must be of the right size to ensure the proper protection of every employee.

Uniforms are Practical in Many Ways

There are two main ways in which uniforms are practical:

• They help workers protect their own clothing 
• Industrial workwear protects people at work
• They help differentiate employees who work in different departments

People working in the food industry cannot imagine going to work and not wearing their uniforms. Overalls, aprons, and headwear protect them from splatter and stains, while also protecting the food from being contaminated.

In large companies, there are many departments and people can get confused. However, if a company decides to provide logo uniforms in different colours for every department, this problem is solved efficiently.

Other practical sides of logo uniforms include the fact that customers can easily spot a member of staff when they need help.

Also, uniforms with a logo advertise your company wherever your workers appear.

Customers Have More Trust in Uniformed Staff

The first impression is very important and long lasting. That is why every business should make the most of the fact that uniformed staff leaves an excellent impression on the potential clients.

It is more likely for a client to have more trust in an inexperienced worker in a uniform than in an expert in a DIY attire.

Harris Interactive (now Harris Poll) conducted a research on how customers feel about businesses that have their employees wear uniforms. It shows that 2 out of 3 adults claim uniformed employees leaves a positive impression on them.

People said that uniformed employees seemed more professional and that they felt enticed to do business with that company.

DIY Workwear Is Not That Bad

There are situations when a logo uniform cannot be put into a good use.

Places that do not have direct and personal contact with their clients usually do not have uniforms. They may have a dress code – like law firms, but it is unlikely that their lawyers will have obligatory logos on their suits.

However, wherever possible, high quality and well-kept uniforms should be introduced. Today’s competitive market demands that businesses use every means possible to reflect their professionalism and excellent service. Uniforms greatly help achieve that effect.

Uniforms are a better option for those businesses that involve a large number of workers. They make much more sense when a company needs to boost the team spirit and the sense of belonging.

Alsco Uniforms Boost All These Benefits

Businesses can hope to get all these benefits from their logo uniforms only if the uniforms are flawless. They need to be perfectly clean, ironed and maintained.

One messy uniform on a worker can drown all your efforts to build an image of a professional business.

Maintaining all the uniforms at the same time is quite a chore. It consumes a lot of time and it is a work that needs to be done repeatedly. Luckily, you do not have to do it.

Alsco rents uniforms for all kinds of businesses. Your workers just need to wear them and put them back in one of our lockers. We will come over, take the worn uniforms and replace them with freshly cleaned and ironed ones. All this is included in one fee.

Contact Alsco representatives and make an enquiry about this excellent service. They will tell you all you need to know about how to get perfect uniforms for your business without having to think about their maintenance.