New Tork research reveals link between clean, well-functioning workplace and employee satisfaction
10/03/2023
PHILADELPHIA, PA. – October 3, 2023 – Tork, an Essity brand, today announced new research revealing the link between clean, well-functioning workplaces and employee satisfaction. Notably, the research found that 86% of office employees regard cleanliness as the most important aspect of a good work environment.1 For facility leaders, the new findings signal the importance of hygiene in improving employee satisfaction, and how partnerships with trusted hygiene advisors can enable the delivery of high-quality hygiene more efficiently and reduce complaints with proven products and solutions.
Challenges facing facility managers
Today, facility managers face a challenging landscape. They face a growing list of tasks and demands on a daily basis, yet budget and resources are increasingly squeezed Additionally, there are higher employee expectations regarding cleanliness, hygiene, and sustainability post-pandemic, and supply chain issues, labor shortages, sustainability legislation and staff turnover are making an already difficult job harder. Facility managers only manage to spend about 18% on their time improving cleaning performance and quality, yet they name cleaning quality as their number one priority.2
Research shows cleanliness is more than just a ‘hygiene factor’
The new research from Tork reveals a clear link between a clean, well-functioning workspace and employees’ appreciation of it. 85% of employees think that how clean restrooms are reflects how clean the building is overall and 67% of employees say that they are more likely to complain about a restroom than any other aspect of their office.1 Restrooms are a particular problem area, accounting for over 45% of office building complaints3 – more than any other aspect of the workplace.
The research signals that facility managers can contribute to a significant reduction in complaints from office employees by ensuring restroom maintenance is run efficiently. A more efficient restroom means more time to clean in other areas, and a cleaner workspace means happier office employees and better workplace satisfaction.
Improve workplace satisfaction with the Tork Office Hygiene Package
The Tork Office Hygiene Package™ can help businesses elevate workplace satisfaction with smart hygiene solutions for the entire facility. For example, Tork high-capacity dispensers ensure refills are readily available and designed to be easy to use and quick to refill for cleaning staff, helping them to work efficiently.
The latest example of how Tork solutions can help ensure a consistently good user experience by enabling cleaners to work more efficiently is the new Tork Counter Mount Soap System, designed with saving cleaners time when refilling in mind. It comes with a six-foot hose for mounting the dispenser unit where easiest for cleaners to reach. In addition, to be easy to service the system is front loading and the refill bottle is designed for easy gripping.
Part of the package is Tork Vision Cleaning – the world’s leading data-driven cleaning solution. Using real-time data from people counters and connected dispensers, Tork Vision Cleaning takes the guesswork out of cleaning operations and shows facility managers and cleaning staff when and where cleaning and dispenser refilling are needed. This not only saves time, for example up to a 91% reduction in dispenser checks4 but also enables consistent high-quality cleaning, for example with dispensers stocked up to 99% of the time5.
The Tork Office Hygiene Package also includes tools, and the support businesses need to improve workplace satisfaction, including the Office Complaints Minimizer™, a new and unique gamified digital challenge for facility mangers to test their knowledge against industry data and learn about hygiene and cleaning solutions to reduce complaints and save time.
“Taking the pressure off for facility managers is important for us, we’re always looking at how our products and services deliver both a great user experience and drive more efficient cleaning – if restrooms are run well and efficiently, cleaning teams have more time to clean in the rest of the facility. This leads to a reduction in complaints related to cleaning. As our research proves better cleaning quality builds better employee workplace satisfaction” says Anna Königson Koopmans, Marketing Director Commercial for Essity’s professional hygiene business.
For more information:
1 June 2022 Behaviorally - Qualitative and quantitative office segment research with 600+ respondents in North America and Europe
2 Bringing the Office Customer to Life, a quantitative study done in 2020 for Essity
3 Statista: average across 2017 to 2021, 185 respondents North America, building service contractors and commercial cleaning provider
4 Based on customer measurements and feedback for dispenser checks over 6 months before vs after installing Tork Vision Cleaning (between June-December 2019). Measured across 16 sites connected to Tork Vision Cleaning, with each dispenser check taking approx. 20 seconds
5 Measured across nearly 13,000 connected dispensers between June-December 2019, based on time per month that a dispenser is in an empty status against total time per month.
About Tork
The Tork brand offers professional hygiene products and services to customers worldwide ranging from restaurants and healthcare facilities to offices, schools and industries. Our products include dispensers, paper towels, toilet tissue, soap, napkins, wipers, but also software solutions for data-driven cleaning. Through expertise in hygiene, functional design and sustainability, Tork has become a market leader that supports customers to think ahead so they’re always ready for business. Tork is a global brand of Essity, and a committed partner to customers in over 110 countries. To keep up with the latest Tork news and innovations, please visit www.tork.ca
About Essity
Essity is a leading global hygiene and health company. We are dedicated to improving well-being through our products and services. Sales are conducted in approximately 150 countries under the leading global brands TENA and Tork, and other strong brands, such as Actimove, JOBST, Knix, Leukoplast, Libero, Libresse, Lotus, Modibodi, Nosotras, Saba, Tempo, TOM Organic, Vinda and Zewa. Essity has about 48,000 employees. Net sales in 2022 amounted to approximately SEK 156bn (EUR 15bn). The company’s headquarters is located in Stockholm, Sweden, and Essity is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. Essity breaks barriers to well-being and contributes to a healthy, sustainable and circular society. More information at www.essity.com.
For more information, please contact:
Raquel M Carbonari
Brand Activation Director NA
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