Mold In The Workplace: How To Handle It!

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Mold in the workplace|Mold In The Workplace: How To Handle It!When you own a commercial property, you want to ensure that it’s as safe as possible for you, your staff and for any clients who come into the building. The best way to ensure safety is to invest in the right insurance policies. You will know that you have to have public liability insurance and other insurance ranges to take care of people, but have you considered your commercial property? Fire, flood, earthquake and all manner of natural disasters can really affect your business, but if you’re smart about your insurance purchases, you can ensure that you are covered much of the time. If there is one thing that can have a devastating impact on your business it’s flooding.

Whether flooding is because of a burst pipe or a natural storm, your business is going to be badly affected by the water rising in the property. Floods that start in the basement can have an impact on the structure of the building, causing damage that is expensive and interrupts your business hours. You will also find that a side effect of flooding is often mold. Mold can present some serious issues for your business. Not only does it have an impact on the health of your staff and any guests, it can lead to devastation for the structure of the building, too. Those who are dealing with allergies and asthma are particularly vulnerable to the effects of mold and if you have people getting sick as a result, they are not likely to be particularly productive for your day to day needs. Mold can also lead to business interruption as you will need to think about the time taken to clean your business from the mold on the walls and in the ceiling. If the mold is ingrained into the walls, you will have an even bigger job, as there may need to be replacement and replastering efforts made.

Did you know that if you can see mold, it’s not necessary for a company to come in and test for it? They can see the mold is there already, so there is no real need for them to take the time to test for something that they can already see. Mold can be a blessing in disguise if you haven’t considered your flood insurance or your commercial drainage options before. However, you don’t want to have mold in the business property if you can help it! If you suspect mold in your business premises but you haven’t seen any, we’ve got eight situations that warrant booking a mold test. Let’s take a look:

  1. You or your staff are sneezing and experiencing allergy symptoms. Whether it’s sneezing or other symptoms like stuffy heads, headaches, scratchy and itchy throat, runny nose and more, you need to get a mold test booked in. This is especially important if you’ve had some drainage issues and flooding lately.
  2. You think that you can see some mold in the building, but given your lack of expertise with mold, you’re not sure and you want confirmation. There’s nothing worse than mold being in the corners of the bathrooms or the basement. It’s unprofessional to see mold blackening the corners of the room, and if you are seeing mold, you have to assume that it’s in the walls, too.
  3. There is a weird, musty smell in your building but you can’t identify what is causing the smell. The cleaners are doing their usual excellent work, but you haven’t got rid of the smell and it’s getting worse. This can indicate mold in the home – even if you cannot see it.
  4. If you have recently had a flood or plumbing leak, you may not notice the beginnings of mold coming from the damp. Any leaks or drainage issues should be looked into ASAP, too, as this can lead to mold if it’s not caught early enough. If you have a professional come to check your drains, you need to ask them to check out the damp a wet spot has left behind, too.
  5. You can ask for mold testing to see whether a removal has been successful. This is a great way to check if any mold is left behind after you have paid for it to be removed. Air testing is going to be done by a professional and they can tell you if the levels of mold normalized.
  6. If you are buying your commercial property, a mold test is an essential and it’s a great reason to get your commercial place checked by a professional – just in case.
  7. Another good reason for getting a mold test is whether you need to prove that there is a problem. This is especially important if you are a tenant and your landlord is asking for evidence before they spend their money making changes.
  8. If you want to make sure that your staff are breathing in high-quality air, then a mold test is a must.

StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Mold in the workplace|Mold In The Workplace: How To Handle It!There are several things that you can do to handle mold in the workplace, and we’ve got some of those things for you below:

  • Keep All Of Your Flood Insurance Documents Accessible
    You need to avoid mold after a flood and you should call a professional water damage company to help you out. You should consider that the longer you are delayed, the longer it will take for your insurance company to come out and reimburse you some costs.
  • Work On Any Leaks Right Away
    If you see any leaks in your business, then the best thing that you can do is clean them up straight away. Mold can present an issue everywhere there is moisture, and you need to prevent that moisture from collecting in the first place! Calling a plumber to deal with your pipes and drainage regularly will mean catching any leaks that you could be unaware of. You want to make sure that you stop any water from getting into the surfaces around the building. This will prevent further damage.
  • Work On Ventilation
    Bathrooms and kitchens are notorious for being full of steam and moisture in the air. With the proper ventilation, you can ensure that moisture is out as fast as possible and avoid any mold and damp patches forming. Installing fans throughout these spaces as well as vents and open windows will help, and standing fans will blow the humid air away!
  • Buy A Humidity Monitor
    You don’t know how truly moist your property is without a humidity monitor. These monitors will tell you how much moisture is in the air and they’re not particularly expensive, which means that you can get answers without breaking the bank. Not only will they check the current moisture levels, they’ll tell you if there is a spike in the amount of moisture in the air.
  • Stop Using Bleach
    If you want to clean off any mold that you have spotted, you need to stop using bleach. The bleach may be a quick fix, but it only takes off visible mold and the idea is to eradicate the problem entirely. To do this, you need the professional to come in. Store-bought solutions just won’t do the job on stubborn mold, but the professional cleaning companies have everything that you need to get rid of the problem properly.
  • Keep The Moldy Areas Empty
    If one office in your building is dealing with mold, you need to cordon it off and have the affected area away from the rest of the property. This prevents the spreading of spores on shoes, jackets and even in the hair of your employees. Don’t wait too long to get help from your local cleaning company, though, as it can be a widespread issue and this is the “ground zero” for it. Close the doors and shut the vents to avoid spreading the issues, too.
  • Get Rid Of Any Contaminated Property
    If your desks and cupboards have become “infected” by mold, you need to get them taken away and scrapped as soon as possible. Even the smallest patch of mold can cause health and long-term issues for your property, so you need to get rid of it as quickly as possible!
  • Listen To Your Employees
    Are your staff complaining of a musty smell or difficulty with breathing? Their complaints have to be taken seriously – as seriously as the mold problem you have. Your employees health matters, and if you’re not listening to them, there could be some serious legal issues coming back to bite you as a result.

Mold in the commercial property you work in is a big problem. If you’re not looking after your staff and yoru building, you’re not going to notice it creeping up on you. Handling the mold as quickly as you can will help to stop the problem from spreading, but are you ready to get rid of it? Start today! If you notice leaks or damp anywhere in the building, you need to get on top of it as soon as you can.

Creating The Perfect File Organization System For Your Business

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Managing file storage correctly is important in business for a number of reasons. Firstly, if your business computers are clogged up with unnecessary files, they will run slowly and it will be harder for employees to find the files that they need, which means that productivity will take a hit. It’s also important to make sure that all of your files are stored securely to reduce the risk of accidental data loss. Unfortunately, a lot of businesses don’t put enough thought into their file storage system, which causes them some big problems. However, if you follow these simple steps, you can create an effective file storage strategy for your business.

StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | Creating The Perfect File Organization System For Your Business

Clean Out Unnecessary Files

The first step is to clear out any unnecessary files that you have stored on your computers. This will speed your computers up and make it a lot easier to organize things moving forward. There are some great applications that can quickly find and remove duplicates on Mac or Windows, which will make a big difference immediately. Once you have cleared all of the duplicated files, go through the rest and delete anything that you don’t need anymore. This may take a while but as long as you keep on top of things in the future, you should only need to do it once.

Use Folders

Using folders is the easiest way to keep things organized, but it only works if you file things away in their folders right away. A lot of employees like to keep things on the desktop while they are working on them, with the intention of putting them in organized folders afterward. However, that doesn’t always happen and they end up with a big mess of files on the desktop with no semblance of organization whatsoever. If you ask them to pull up an old file a few months down the line, it’s going to take a long time to find. It’s a good idea to plan out your folders and categories on paper before you get started so you can make sure that everything has its place.

Back Up On The Cloud

Backing up all of your files is essential if you want to protect yourself in the event of a cyberattack or a hardware issue. If files are only stored in one location and you lose them, there’s nothing that you can do. But if you upgrade to a cloud storage system, you can easily recover anything that is lost.

Use Note Taking Apps

When you are making notes about things that you need to remember, you might decide that post-its or notebooks are the best option. But then you end up with a disorganized mess of paper and when you need to refer back to a specific note, it’s nowhere to be found. That’s why you should treat notes like you do the rest of your files and get organized. There are some great note taking apps that you can use to get everything in order and make life easier for yourself in the future.

If you can create the perfect file organization system for your business, it makes things a lot easier for you and your employees and you will notice an increase in productivity as a result.

Improving Your Office For The New Year

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Improve your Office|Improving Your Office For The New YearIn 2021, as professionals begin returning to their office spaces and welcoming a new year of hopeful normality, it’s important for all business owners to use this time as an opportunity. This opportunity can entail equipping the office with the equipment it needs, redoubling efforts to keep it hygienic, and using methods to improve team morale from top to bottom. Those kinds of investments are almost always worth it, because it will serve as a direct measure of trust in your brand, your culture, and your people.

Improving your offices for the new year also helps you shake up this space, likely long-vacant thanks to the pressures of this year. But what measures will actually make the difference? How can firms allocate their budget and spending towards this goal when times may be tight in the first place? These questions are worthwhile to ask, because they can provide you with a means in which to justify your approach, and better understand the investments you are making. With our following advice, you’re sure to step in the right direction:

Upgrade & Outfit Your Office

There are likely many little niggling issues that have been getting on your nerves, and that was before remote work became the norm. Upgrading and outfitting your office can be as easy as buying office furniture online and provide you with the means to get the ball rolling as soon as you return, and the space necessary to resolve those issues from the offset. For instance, office cell phone boosters from WilsonPro are proven to up the cell phone reception and signal in your office space, which can often be difficult considering the materials the building is made from.

Little resolutions like this, with inexpensive yet reliable equipment, can provide you with the functionality necessary to bring your A-game to the new year. If you can achieve that, odds are you’ll notice the difference in productivity compared to the start of 2020, when offices were populated in the best possible sense.

Ensure Devices Are Well Stocked & Maintained

Ensure your office devices are well stocked and maintained. Replenishing your stock of toner, ensuring your laptops are fully backed up with the latest anti-virus protocols, collaborating with your managed IT services, all of this will help your office functionality stay sharp and ready – much like your returning employees.

It might be that you need to recall your company devices for a moment just to ensure they are updated with the latest protocols. For instance, Google Suite has now changed into Google Workspace, and that may mean you use lesser apps to manage your workflow.
Part of renewing your devices means educating your staff in how to use them, and figuring out new methods of improving your productivity. To use an example, Google Meet could be a perfect addition to your Hangouts policies, only this may require the installation of new apps to work phones. As your devices are part of your workflow, they are also part of the office, and so this is a viable use of your time.

Thorough Cleaning Measures

Thorough cleaning can make all the difference when returning to a normal working schedule. It’s important for your office to shine, and to protect itself against the growing number of difficulties offices have faced.

Deep cleaning will help your staff feel comfortable that you have taken the right precautions, and that they can trust you and your attempts at keeping the space as clinical as possible. Window cleaning, tidying up the exterior of your business, reshining the brand signs and making sure the carpets are refreshed can help the entire space shine, inner and outer. That can help you inspire pride in your office and workplace, something worth encouraging when you hope to kickstart the renewed morale of your employees. Furthermore, cleaning also helps you identify issues that you may not have addressed for some time, from growing damp in your bathroom to scuff marks left by chairs on your carpet.

Sometimes a renewal can help you see this space as it should be seen – radiant, new, vibrant, and worthwhile. That can help any brand feel renewed confidence in itself, from now into the future. That kind of perception you cannot by, but you can come across with hard work, and it’s perfect for a new year full of positive possibilities.

Adjusting Workspace Terminals

Adjusting the terminals in your workspace will help you ensure a regular flow of productivity when staff feel safe, protected, and your space is used in the best possible manner. For instance, seating staff far enough apart with dividers can ensure nothing spreads, while also ensuring staff feel dominion over their workspaces.

It’s important to remember that staff are coming in from remote work options and have had full control over their space for some time. Moving into an office once more can certainly be an adjustment for them, and so it’s up to you to make this approach as friendly and reliable as possible.

Adjusting your workspace in this capacity can also mean investing in worthwhile ventilation, to ensure the space is breathable yet not cold over the winter period. Workspace terminal adjustment may also mean rededicating yourself to cable management, to totally reduce trip hazards and improve desk space. This can give staff the capacity to bring in their own devices, something they may have become used to during the remote working period.

Managed IT Maintenance

Managed IT maintenance will restore your business functionality in the best sense, but upgrading your serviced package or asking to renew certain measures, such as your cloud functionality support and accessibility, can help you refine your workflow.

This might involve slowly backup up all of your data onto the cloud, or it might mean ensuring you are still working with the latest cybersecurity compliance possible. Those measures can help any firm stay thoroughly capable, well-developed and measured from the offset. These efforts can make any firm retain its standing in the best possible sense, even if that means servicing the devices our staff use. Keeping everyone on the same page and encouraging a tune-up of our workflows can make a big difference after everyone has been working at home for some time – a lesson we could all do with learning.

Considering Ergonomics

It’s a good time to invest in staff health. Ensuring they are as functional and able as you hope they would otherwise be can be taken into your own hands. For instance, you may decide to invest in better office furniture, or standing desk toppers to help your staff work and exercise as they may be better off doing.

Simple a renewed intra-office campaign reminding staff to sit up straight, to lift the monitor to the top of their eyeline, and to stretch when possible can help the office serve as a functional, health-abetting resource in the best possible sense. Considering ergonomics can mean investing in chairs with good lumbar support, purchasing left-handed mice and keyboards for your left-handed employees as appropriate. This will all combine to help your staff feel thought of, and it can help them iron out any undue aches and pains that may have otherwise came from bad posture sitting at home for a time. A good place to begin, then.

Making The Most Of Your Space

Making the most out of your space can also be important at this time. For instance, it might be that you’ve been using your conference facilities as a storeroom since the remote work requirements started taking place. Making the most of your space could mean opening this back up again, and using this as a spill-in room to enact social distancing when your employees return to their stations.

It could be that you’ve been meaning to refurbish your office kitchen since forever, due to the fact that space has been disheveled for a while and you haven’t quite gotten around to it. A new refrigerator, a new microwave, and new doors on the cupboards could mean a lot to your staff, who will likely use part of this space as a means of collaborating and connecting with one another once more.

For some, making the most of your space could mean simply ensuring that your smoking area is cleaned up and that the shelters are in place to protect against the weather. Renew your standards, they can make a massive difference regarding how you see your firm, and how it presents itself to the wider world.

Simple Aesthetic Additions

It can be nice to have the little things speak to your office culture, and celebrate it. For instance, a large ‘welcome back’ sign, or a list of people who have done outstanding work remotely, or perhaps signs that reassure your staff they can visit your HR office anytime. Little additions, to help the office culture shine, can help everyone feel comfortable returning to it.

With this advice, we hope you can more easily improve your office for the new year. Your staff, your brand, and you deserve it.

Keeping it Simple:The Right Cleaning Method for 8 Types of Floors

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Cleaning Method for Floors|Keeping it Simple:The Right Cleaning Method for 8 Types of FloorsThere are at least eight types of flooring in homes and commercial buildings, and it is important to use the correct method and cleaners for each floor. The goal is to keep each type of floor looking clean and new without damaging it in the cleaning process. There is a correct cleaning and care method for each type of floor. Using the correct cleaning method will help the floor last longer and look better every day.

Using Professional Cleaning Services

Homeowners who have busy schedules , homeowners with limited mobility, or business owners may find it more convenient to hire floor care from Grime Scrubbers. A professional floor cleaning company has the training and equipment to clean every type of floor correctly for the best results. If a building owner has high traffic or multiple types of flooring, it may be easier to leave the cleaning to professionals then to try to figure out cleaning methods for each type of flooring.

Professional floor cleaning companies have all the correct chemicals and machinery on hand to do the best cleaning job in a short amount of time. When building owners sign up for a weekly, monthly or other regular cleaning program, there are often price breaks. Some types of flooring need regular cleaning and waxing with periodic stripping, sealing and re-waxing. This is a difficult job better left to professionals with the correct equipment. Other floors need buffing periodically to look their best.

This takes special equipment.

Buildings or homes with carpet need a different type of cleaning because of the carpet pile. They often need spot treatment, pre-conditioning, cleaning or shampooing to look their best. After cleaning, the carpet needs to be dried before the room can be used. if the wrong cleaners are used, they will attract and trap soil in the carpet pile.

The Best Methods for Homeowners to Clean Different Floor Types.

Homeowners who want to clean their own floors should follow the manufacturer’s cleaning directions if they are available or try these cleaning tips for the 8 types of floors. There are some general tips that apply to all flooring types such as always clean up spills right when they occur, vacuum or sweep the floor before mopping. When a floor is not swept or vacuum first, the mopping will just spread dirt around for a dingy look.

Use cleaner sparingly to avoid leaving a residue that will attract dirt. Use a different bucket for rinse water to rinse a floor after mopping it with cleaner. Empty both dirty water buckets down the toilet rather than the sink. This water is full of dirt and germs. When mopping, wipe in the correct direction and start at the end furthest from the exit door and mop toward the door so you will not be walking on a freshly cleaned, damp floor when done. When done cleaning the floor, clean the mop with bleach water and wring out thoroughly and air dry. Do not let the mop sit in the bucket to dry.

  1. Hardwood floors can be spot cleaned before overall cleaning starts using a cloth or sponge and a little wood floor cleaner. Now use a flat head mop, a microfiber pad, or a microfiber string mop that has been dipped in cleaner solution and wrung out thoroughly. Use a cleaning solution in a spray bottle and spread a heavy mist on the floor to mop off. Use a wood cleaning product off the shelf or make one with black tea or a mild PH-neutral soap and water. Wood floors will either be finished with a polyacrylic, urethane, polyurethane coating, or wax. If the floor has a wax coating avoid mopping and water and keep it clean with sweeping, and dusting.
  2. Laminate floors look like wood but they are very different. They are made with layers of backing, base, photographic layer and strong sun-resistant protective layer. They are installed in planks and it is important not to get water in those seams or under the flooring. This floor can be spot cleaned or damp mopped when necessary. The main cleaning should be vacuuming with the tile mode or dry mopping. Do not buff or polish these floors.
  3. Cork floors are often sealed to limit their moisture absorption. They are susceptible to water damage, so don’t mop them with a wet mop. Clean spills up ASAP and vacuum often. When they need cleaning, use a weak solution of vinegar and soapy water in a spray bottle. Spray a small section of floor at a time and wipe with a barely damp microfiber mop.
  4. Bamboo flooring needs to be swept often to get rid of dirt that could cause scratches in the soft bamboo. Strand bamboo is harder. This floor is cleaned as if it were hardwood with a very mild PH-neutral soap and writer. The mop should be barely damp, with any moisture wiped off with a cloth.
  5. Linoleum Floors are back because they are more environmentally friendly than more petroleum based floors. This floor is damp mopped with a spray bottle of a few drops dish soap and hot water sprayed on the floor, then wiped off with the damp mop.
  6. Vinyl floors can be cleaned with a commercial floor cleaning solution or a homemade solution of 1/4th cup vinegar, 1 drop dish soap and water in a 16 oz. spray bottle. Spray this on floor one section at a time and mop off with damp microfiber mop. Periodic deep cleaning with a steam cleaner gets germs and stubborn stains.
  7. Natural stone flooring must be cleaned avoiding vinegar, bleach, and ammonia. Damp mop these floors with water and a small amount of PH-neutral cleaner that won’t react with the stone, damaging it. Plain water and a microfiber mop are a good option.
  8. Ceramic or porcelain tile Floors and their grout can be cleaned with a mix of 1/4th cup vinegar and a drop of dish soap in a 16 oz bottle of warm water for weekly cleaning. Then, use steam cleaning for deep cleaning.

Cleaning all of the floors in the home or commercial building is an important part of maintenance, but do not use harsh chemicals or too much water. Carpeted floors need to be vacuumed often and then shampooed or steam-cleaned several times per year. Commercial floor cleaning companies have the right chemicals and equipment to do the best carpet deep cleaning. The home or building owner or their maintenance crew can do the daily or weekly vacuuming.

Well-maintained floors look better and last longer.

The Need for Commercial Cleaning

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | The Need for Commercial CleaningAlmost any commercial building absolutely needs some type of professional cleaning service. Commercial buildings can become messy very easily, even if the building in question is just an office building or something similar. Commercial building floors can get a lot of foot traffic, making them dusty by the end of the day. During certain seasons and areas, it’s very obvious if a building is not cleaned regularly enough. The businesses that try to save money on commercial cleaning will lose money later in some other form, even if it is not obvious at first.

The services that offer commercial cleaning are almost always very cost-effective. Businesses will get multiple services at once when they hire commercial cleaning services Winnipeg and elsewhere. The professional cleaners will make sure that the entire building is cleaned. Companies usually will not need to hire more than one cleaning service. They can get all of these tasks completed after working with one single business.

When business leaders think about the specific services that commercial cleaning companies offer, it becomes clear that there is no substitute for a commercial cleaning company. The technicians from these companies will clean all of the bathrooms and the washing areas. They’ll also clean the employee lounge and any of the sitting areas in the building. The employees will certainly be happy about this, and so will everyone else. It’s the sort of thing that can improve morale at almost any business, especially if the employees are social.

Commercial furniture also needs to be cleaned and maintained, or it will quickly fade and cease to look anywhere near as presentable as it once did. This sort of change can reflect very poorly on almost any company, and it’s important for all professionals to make sure that these sorts of finishing touches get added. The commercial cleaners are all careful to make sure that the furniture at any corporate building is in good condition. These sorts of cleaning services are ultimately an important part of commercial building maintenance, even if it does not look like that at first.

Almost any part of any building will start to degrade much faster if it is not cleaned all the time. A lot of people have found that they have run into similar problems in their own homes. Dirt and dust can cause anything to wear away that much more rapidly, even if people do not notice the change on a day to day basis. Companies that are careful to make sure that they stay up-to-date with maintenance usually outperform other companies. The organizations that are just as careful with cleaning will often get the exact same benefits.