Post pandemic recovery sparks demand for cleaning industry
UK businesses are prioritising the health and wellness of their employees more than ever, as new data reveals an increase of up to 90% demand for office cleaners across the UK.
New research from facilities management provider Samsic shows that search terms for topics such as ‘health and wellbeing in the workplace’, ‘wellness at work’ and ‘office cleaners near me’ have increased by as much as 90% in the UK over the last 12 months.
As the nation began to plan for a gradual return to offices in early 2021, Google search data reveals how business owners and decision-makers have been taking workplace cleanliness seriously and looking to put new systems in place to prioritise their employees’ health and wellbeing.
Data shows how the number of people searching for ‘office cleaners near me’ around the UK steadily grew throughout 2021, and peaked around September and October – just before one of the latest Coronavirus variants hit the UK.
Overall, the number of people searching for the term has nearly doubled year on year, increasing by a massive 85%.
Similarly, searches for ‘commercial office cleaning’ also increased by 52% and ‘industrial cleaners London’ by a whopping 600%.
Samsic believes this trend represents a shift in attitudes on how to approach health in the workplace, and a move to prioritising employee wellness.
This is also evident from looking at other relevant search terms – ‘health and wellbeing in the workplace’ has increased by 52%, ‘wellness at work’ by 90%, and ‘staff wellbeing ideas’ by 50%.
Samsic has noticed a significant increase in businesses requesting bespoke cleaning services, from touchpoint cleaning and swab testing, to simply requiring that cleaners are present and visible during their office working hours.
Adrian Farrow, Sales & Marketing Director at Samsic commented: “The pandemic has completely changed how we all work, and most importantly what employees want from their workplace and workspace.
“In particular, we’ve noticed that more customers have been asking for more detailed and robust cleaning services, as well as requesting the most innovative cleaning solutions, for example the use of non-chemical cleaning products to support an eco-friendly disinfecting strategy.
“It’s reassuring to know that businesses in the UK are responding accordingly and willingly prioritising their people’s health and wellbeing.”