ServiceMaster Clean

2005 Office Cleanliness Monitor

Introduction
ServiceMaster Clean commissioned research, which we call the 2005 Office Cleanliness Monitor,
to learn more about the state of cleanliness and germ-fighting behavior in the workplace. A
similar study last year yielded some interesting information from office-workers, which you may
have read about in newspapers or magazines. To see if behaviors changed, we decided to
conduct a similar study again this year. This year’s version of the Monitor explores many of the
same questions as last year’s survey to help shed light on trends that may be developing. The
2005 Monitor also poses several entirely new questions to provide fresh insight.

This year’s Monitor also includes a survey of 330 building managers to highlight trends in
janitorial services and the way that buildings are cleaned. We hope that this approach paints a
more comprehensive picture of office cleanliness, and that you find this information interesting
and useful as we work together to create clean workplaces.

Consumer Research Findings

• The majority of office workers avoid germ-spreading behaviors in the office restrooms. Six in
seven workers report that they never leave the restroom without washing their hands (84%),
and eight in 10 report that they never take newspapers/magazines/work into the restroom
(78%).

• However, germ-spreading behaviors in other office areas are more common as almost half of
office workers on occasion sneeze, cough or yawn without covering his/her nose (48%) or
take their shoes off at work (47%).

• Almost half of office workers also admit to having brushed their teeth in the office (48%).

• This year office workers reported noticing germ-spreading behavior by their coworkers even
more than they did last year.
o Over half have seen a coworker leave the restroom without washing his/her hands,
up 11 percentage points from 2004 (45% in 2004 to 54% in 2005).
• However, the amount of office workers who report seeing this act on a daily
or almost daily basis has stayed almost the same as last year (13% in 2004
and 14% in 2005).
o Three in four say they have seen a coworker sneeze, cough or yawn without covering
his/her nose1, and the amount who see this act on a daily basis has risen six
percentage points, from 22% in 2004 to 28% in 2005.

• New germ-spreading behaviors were noticed this year as well:

o Two thirds of office workers notice their coworkers removing their shoes at work
(65%), with one in four seeing this daily or almost daily (23%).
o Over half of office workers have seen their co-workers take newspapers, magazines,
or work into the restroom (54%).
o Six in 10 say they have observed their co-workers leaving daily dishes out (58%),
with two in five reporting this behavior on a daily or almost daily basis (18%).

• Though the majority of workers do not clean their personal workspaces very often, many
reported better cleaning habits than in 2004:

1
Last year, the wording of this question was “Have you ever seen a co-worker sneeze, cough, or
yawn without covering his/her nose or mouth?”
 Cleaning Habits Are Improving
Year Ever Very Often Sometimes Occasionally Rarely Never
Straighten the items on or 2005 97% 67% 18% 11% 1% 2%
around desk 2004 96% 68% 15% 8% 4% 4%
2005 86% 28% 26% 21% 12% 13%
Dust desk with a cloth
2004 80% 23% 23% 21% 12% 20%
Wipe things with a germ-killing 2005 82% 26% 25% 20% 11% 18%
substance 2004 69% 26% 11% 17% 15% 31%
Clean your phone2 2005 87% 29% 21% 25% 12% 12%
Clean your computer keyboard3 2005 86% 24% 22% 27% 14% 12%

• Workplace germs are affecting co-workers, with office workers reporting that they believe
they catch a cold or other sickness an average of 1.5 times a year from the people they work
with, only slightly up from an average of 1.4 times a year in 2004.
o Illness does not stop people from going to work, as office workers report going to
work with a cold or other minor sickness on an average of three days a year.

• Office workers do feel that they have time to clean, (only one in ten reporting that they are too
busy to clean their workspaces (13%), but they don’t seem to be overly satisfied with the
cleanliness of their workspace.
o But almost half acknowledge that a clean workplace improves productivity.

Three in Four Don’t Believe Workplace is “As Clean As It Should Be”

2005 2004
A clean workplace makes employees more productive 47% 53%
I don't have the time to keep my workspace as clean as it should be 13% 15%
I never consider how dirty my office or workspace is 11% 15%
4
My workplace is as clean as it should be 24% n/a

• When asked what they consider the least clean areas of their workspaces, office workers
said the floor, the trash can/trash area and the door/doorknob.

One in Three Feel Floor is Least Clean Area of Workspace

Floor 33%
Trash can/trash area 20%
Door/doorknob 19%
Phone 10%
Computer keyboard 10%
Desktop 4%

2
Not asked in 2004.
3
Not asked in 2004.
4
Not asked in 2004.
• Respondents believe that the break areas/cafeterias/kitchen and the restrooms are cleaned
most frequently and most thoroughly by maintenance, but they also believe that these areas
are the least clean rooms in the office.

Restrooms and Break Areas Least Clean Rooms in Offices

Most Thoroughly
Least Clean Cleaned Most Frequently Cleaned
Break areas/cafeterias/kitchen 28% 19% 16%
Restrooms 26% 42% 51%
Storage areas 20% 0% 0%
Individual employee offices 17% 9% 11%
Lobby 4% 16% 12%
Conference room(s) 3% 5% 4%

• Surprisingly, when asked to rank the dirtiest items in the workspace, individual employee
phones and individual employee keyboards are believed to be the least clean items in the
entire office, coming in slightly before toilet seats.

Phones and Keyboards Dirtier Than Toilet Seats

Individual employee phones 22%
Individual employee keyboards 20%
Toilet seats 15%
Coffee pot 12%
Conference room phone 8%
Fax machine 7%
Kitchen sink 7%
Copier 6%

• Despite noticing germ-spreading behaviors in the office and feeling various areas are
unclean, six in 10 office workers (59%) never report feedback about office cleanliness to their
office manager or building manager.

Building Management Research Findings

Do you contract with a janitorial services company to clean your office or building?
• Yes 67%
• No 33%

Are you responsible for:

• Recommending/Selecting the contactor 14%
• Overseeing the contract 11%
• Both of the above 62%
• Neither of the above 13%

How has your janitorial services budget changed in the past year?
• Increased 43%
• Stayed the same 43%
• Decreased 14%

How has the frequency with which janitorial services cleans your buildings’ offices
changed, if at all, in the past year?
 • Stayed the same 75%
• Clean less frequently 13%
• Clean more frequently 12%

How has the range of tasks/task schedule performed by your janitorial services teams
changed, if at all, in the past year?
• Stayed the same 61%
• Increased 31%
• Decreased 8%

Does your buildings’ task schedule today include the following?

• Daily trash disposal 95%
• Daily vacuuming 85%
• Dusting items other than mini-blinds 81%
• Mini-blind dusting 46%
• Cleaning/disinfecting phones 43%
• Other 18%

Is your janitorial services team instructed to not move items on a desk and to clean
only “open areas”?
• Yes 97%
• No 3%

Are employees expected to do more of their own cleaning/maintenance/maid service

than in the past?
• Yes 21%
• No 79%

Which of the following areas does your task schedule allow most frequent cleaning?
• Restroom 70%
• Individual offices 12%
• Lobby 10%
• Break area/cafeterias/kitchen 7%
• Conference room 1%
• Storage area 0