Washroom facilities are one of the most crucial ‘backstage’ areas of your business. In many ways, they represent who you are as a company, your attention to detail and your standards of hygiene. While it may be tempting to adopt a do-it-yourself attitude when it comes to maintaining these facilities, you may want to reconsider bringing your facilities management in-house. 

Small businesses can often struggle to maintain adequate standards due to the pressures that come with the day-to-day running of the business. That’s not even taking into account whether or not it’s even cost effective to run the entire operation by yourself. In the long run, you might want to consider the advantages of outsourcing these services and how it can lighten your workload, make sense financially and improve the overall impression of your business. 

The cost of outsourcing your facilities management

Like any investment, your decision to outsource will largely depend on whether it’s financially viable to bring someone else in. For businesses that are largely based in the cleaning industry and may be able to train their employees to manage the washroom services alone, outsourcing may not make a lot of sense. 

However, for many business owners, facilities management will likely cost more to implement in your current workplace than to hire an affordable washroom services provider. Ensuring staff members maintain the appropriate health and safety standards alone will be a cost in itself due to the training that may need to be provided. There is even the possibility that you could be forced to hire new staff if your current team is stretched too thin. Additionally, time spent on facilities management is time spent away from completing the work that your employees are actually hired to do; this can incur long-term costs such as a decrease in productivity.

Knowing what to look out for when choosing a washroom service provider can help you determine whether or not this solution will be a cost effective one. At VR Sani-Co, we don’t tie you into a contract and our flexible approach to service means that you’re never paying for more than what you need. 

Does outsourcing washroom management lead to efficiency?

A business runs smoothly when everyone is responsible for not only what they excel at, but what they were brought into the company to do. Unfortunately, the responsibility of facilities management often falls to managers when the chips are down and there is no specialised individual or team to manage this. 

For managers and senior members of staff in particular, the focus should be on supporting their employees and managing the business and the distraction of facilities management is only going to help to reduce efficiency in the workplace. While multitasking or ‘wearing too many hats’ is not the one and only answer to potential decreases in productivity, research has suggested that this factor alone could cause a decrease of 40%; a large price to pay in terms of overall workplace efficiency.

At its core, outsourcing washroom management simplifies the process for everyone involved. When you entrust your washroom facilities to professionals who will get the job done as quickly as possible, causing minimal disruption and freeing up your time to focus on maintaining a productive environment. 

Reliability is key

It’s not only productivity and efficiency that you can count on when outsourcing facilities management; having a provider that you can rely on is key to giving yourself peace of mind. After all, a dedicated washroom service provider is there to take care of all your needs, whether it be physically showing up to refill your soap and empty your sanitary bins, or on the other end of the phone for any sort of advice. 

Unlike relying on your own employees – who may be unwell, on holiday, or just too busy to do an adequate job on top of their usual duties – to complete facilities management tasks, washroom service providers will always be there when you need them depending on the schedule you have worked out. 

But when it comes to washroom management, reliability means more than just showing up on time. Particularly in the last year, employers are more careful than ever before regarding workplace hygiene and what that means for people’s safety. Even as the country slowly comes out of lockdown, it’s safe to say that many of us will never be taking our cleanliness for granted again, especially in a public washroom. Employers can no longer excuse subpar hygiene standards and bringing in professionals is the best way to maintain these high standards.

Professionalism leads to a good reputation

Ultimately, the trust and confidence of clients is what will keep them coming back to your premises. And while not all will be immediately put off by washrooms that are not looked after to an adequate standard, this does not seem to be the majority opinion. In fact, 92% of us are thought to experience a bad smell when we use a public washroom, with 88% admitting that these poor experiences hasten our trip to a public bathroom. 

Keeping up good standards of cleanliness, hygiene and appearance is much easier when you have excerpts taking care of your washroom services for you. For example, even if you establish a cleaning rota in your place of work, it is important that qualified individuals take care of the waste disposal duties in order to ensure they are being dealt with properly. Sanitary bins, nappy disposal bins and general waste all have different needs, not all of them necessarily apparent to everyone. 

Additionally, not only are products such as sanitary bins a legal requirement for businesses, but they also provide a level of professionalism. Disposing of sanitary products in a regular waste bin that is incorrectly emptied does not look as hygienic or pleasant to clients or even to staff as a properly designed sanitary bin, branded with a name that they can trust and may have even seen at other businesses. 

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Standards of cleanliness are more important now than ever before, and no place is that more vital than a public washroom. Businesses have a responsibility to ensure that their employees and clients feel safe and hygienic at all times and oftentimes, that means outsourcing their hygiene services and facilities to professionals. If there is one thing we do not wish to gamble with these days, it’s our health; if there is one investment worth making in order to uphold consistent and lasting standards, it is within facilities management. 

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VR San-Co work with clients across Kent, Sussex and London providing Washroom Services and Sanitary Care Solutions.

We provided many services including feminine hygiene, commercial air fresheners, commercial soap dispensers, medical waste bins, sanitary bins, and more.

Please check out our other services pages to find out more about the services we offer and contact us for more details.