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Owning a business brings with it lots of responsibility and involves juggling many different tasks. One part of running a company that you shouldn’t ignore is maintaining your business premises.
Your business premises are vitally important for several reasons. Your office space is the hub of your company, providing the base for all its activities. Your business premises are a place where your members of staff spend a large chunk of their time each day and a place where your clients come to meet you and your team. The many essential functions provided by your business premises highlight why it is crucial that keeping your offices running at their best is a high priority.
Keeping your office space well-maintained requires a variety of different tasks to be performed across the building. Here are some of the things that you will need to address in the upkeep of your building:
Health and Safety
Health and safety in the workplace is the most significant responsibility that employers face. Keeping your staff safe, and ensuring that your building doesn’t compromise the health and safety of your employees or visitors is crucial.
Businesses in Great Britain have to comply with the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, which is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). You will need to read through the Health and Safety at Work Act to understand how the Act relates to workplace health and safety at your business premises. You will also need to display Health and Safety Law posters for your employees to see. These posters should be clearly displayed so that employees understand the role they play in keeping the work environment safe.
To keep your building compliant with health and safety legislation, and to keep your staff safe, you will also need to carry out risk assessments where appropriate. You will also need to ensure that you and your employees stay vigilant so that any potential hazards are spotted before they cause a problem.
Remember to keep in mind any issues specific to your workplace that could impact health and safety. For example, if your building uses suspended access equipment, you will need regular Access Equipment Maintenance so that you know it is safe for use. Keeping up with the maintenance of your suspended access equipment is vital to ensure that tasks such as window cleaning and external repairs can be safely completed.
Insurance Cover
Hopefully, you won’t ever need to make an insurance claim but is it still essential to have insurance in place at your business premises.
Getting insurance cover for your workplace is essential, but you will need to ensure that it provides the correct level of cover for your needs. Gaining advice from an insurance expert will help you to choose the right insurance policies to protect your business.
Cleanliness
Your business premises says a lot about your company. How well-looked after your workspace is will lead to customers and potential employees, making assumptions about your business. A workplace that requires a good clean is never going to make a positive first impression. This may give the idea that the company is either struggling or merely unorganised – either way, this is something that you will want to avoid.
A clean and tidy workspace helps to encourage your staff to keep it that way, and also provides a more attractive place to work.
Hiring cleaning contractors to keep your workplace looking at its best is always useful. You will then know that each morning, the building will be fresh, clean, and ready to welcome your staff and customers.
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Building Maintenance
As with cleanliness, a well-maintained building also helps to create a great first impression. Keeping the walls freshly painted is just one of the simple ways that you can keep your building looking good. Of course, keeping up with the maintenance of your building is not merely about it looking good. Taking care of your workplace by staying on top of repairs and odd jobs can save you lots of money on expensive repair bills in the future. It is far better to take care of things now, rather than wait until they need to be replaced.
Ensuring that the heating system and air conditioning systems are regularly serviced will help to keep the working environment comfortable for your staff. This will hopefully keep them in good working order without any major problems occurring. If your building has a lift, this should also be serviced regularly. Without your lift, you could experience significant accessibility issues for staff and visitors that are unable to use the stairs.
Security
Keeping your building secure is vital for keeping both your staff and your equipment safe. During opening hours, you may want to employ a security guard to oversee the daytime security and to monitor who comes in and out of the building.
Technology is an integral part of business security measures nowadays, and it is pretty much expected that companies have CCTV installed. CCTV acts as a useful deterrent, as well as providing vital evidence if a crime was committed.
An electronic entry system is a useful way to allow only authorised people access to certain areas of your building. Electronic entry systems are operated with a security pass with a barcode that needs to be scanned to open a door, or a keypad with a passcode could be used. Automated entry systems are particularly useful for businesses that are accessed by customers and visitors. Implementing electronic entry systems helps to ensure that business-sensitive, back-office areas are out of bounds to everyone except those with a specific need to access these areas.
To keep your building safe overnight, it is a wise idea to install door shutters, so that the entrances to the building are not compromised. Coupled with this, it is useful to have a security alarm system installed as an extra deterrent.
Employee Comfort
There are many aspects to successfully maintaining an office space, some of which are practical, while others relate directly to the wellbeing of your staff. As this is a place where the majority of their waking hours will be spent on weekdays, you want to make it a welcoming place for them to come into each morning. Many of the areas mentioned above feed directly into employee comfort and need to be considered from the employees’ perspective. Therefore, making your workspace comfortable and appealing to your staff requires some thought. Here are some of the factors that can directly impact your employees:
The office temperature – ensure that it isn’t too cold in winter, or too hot in summer.
Cleanliness – the facilities should be clean and hygienic for staff to use.
Health and safety – you are responsible for providing a safe place for your employees to work.
Well equipped – employees need all the equipment required to perform their job to the best of their ability.
Time out – don’t forget that staff will also need access to areas where they can take breaks. They will also need facilities to use for their breaks; this could include a small kitchen area and comfortable seating.
The work environment can influence the way that employees feel about their job. A run-down, poorly-maintained workplace with a lack of facilities for staff is likely to make employees feel undervalued. In turn, this can impact on staff productivity. The relationship between the work environment and staff wellbeing is an important area to consider to keep all aspects of your business running effectively.