Survey Reinforces Importance of Cleaning for Return to In-Person Work

Although many employees continue to work remotely more than two years into the pandemic, employers see value in bring their workers together in a central location. A new survey from the Cleaning Coalition of America, a partnership of six of the nation’s largest facilities services companies, found 76% of C-suite executives said the in-person workplace is essential to their company’s bottom line and revenue.

The survey polled C-suite executives from companies in New York City representing a broad range of industries and sizes. Most respondents said they believe that stricter cleaning protocols will improve employee confidence in returning to the workplace.

The survey found:

• 75% of respondents say cleaning is the No. 1 incentive that will bring employees back to their work facilities.
• 68% have moved their office location during the pandemic.
• 20% cited the importance of cleaning as the most important lesson they learned from the pandemic, followed by the importance of improved technology (17%) and the benefits of remote work (15%).

“The pandemic required New York businesses to fundamentally rethink their operations and the value placed on workplace health and safety,” said coalition member Paul Budsworth,  Diversey North America president.

“In this post-pandemic era, increased cleaning and disinfection must be the new standard for any shared space,” added coalition member Stanley Doobin, Harvard Maintenance Inc. owner and CEO.