A Cleaner Office Supports a Healthier Business: How Office Cleaning Services Reduce Sick Days

When companies work to reduce sick days, they often focus on sick-leave policies, vaccination drives, or flexible schedules. Those are important. But an equally practical and sometimes overlooked step is investing in professional janitorial services.

Consistent, targeted cleaning and disinfection reduce the reservoirs of pathogens on surfaces and in shared spaces, cut opportunities for transmission, and support employee health in ways that add up to fewer absences and improved productivity.

How Contamination In Workplaces Leads To Sickness

Offices, break rooms, conference rooms, shared printers, elevator buttons, and restrooms are all “high-touch” locations where viruses and bacteria can accumulate. Respiratory viruses (such as influenza or common cold) and some gastrointestinal pathogens can survive on surfaces long enough to pass from the hands to the face, seeding new infections. Professional commercial cleaning interrupts that chain by removing organic contaminants and then disinfecting surfaces where pathogens linger.

The CDC and OSHA emphasize cleaning of high-touch areas and provide step-by-step guidance for facilities to reduce the spread of infectious disease.

The Evidence Linking Office Cleaning Services with Fewer Sick Days

Data published in the Journal of Occupational Environmental Medicine, based on a random sample of 28,902 United States workers, found that health-related lost productive time (LPT) costs employers $225.8 billion per year, or $1,685 per employee per year. Data published in a recent Value of Clean whitepaper shows that comprehensive commercial cleaning can reduce absenteeism costs by 46%.

Research also shows a positive correlation between the health of working environments and employee productivity. Data from a European study found that a higher objective cleanliness correlates significantly with higher perceived office employee productivity.

Harvard Business Review analysis also highlights that when leaders create environments that lower infection risk and make staying home while ill acceptable, overall workforce health improves.

Reducing Absenteeism and the Benefits for Your Bottom Line of Office Cleaning Services

Benefit	Description
High Employee Productivity	A clean, organized workspace helps employees focus better and work more efficiently, directly contributing to improved business performance and output.
Lower Risk of Workplace Outbreaks	Professional cleaning reduces the spread of illness and contamination, minimizing the risk of partial closures and operational disruptions that can severely impact your business.
Happier & Healthier Workspace	Create a welcoming environment for both employees and guests with consistently maintained facilities that promote wellbeing and make a positive impression.
Competitive Business Advantage	A tailored cleaning program from an experienced commercial cleaning company helps your organization thrive in Greater New York’s competitive business landscape.

Business owners throughout Greater New York are now vying for a competitive advantage to ensure their organization and employees thrive. Hiring an experienced commercial cleaning company to institute a tailored cleaning program can help ensure:

• High employee productivity
• Lower risk of workplace outbreaks that can force partial closures or impact operations
• A happier and healthier workspace for employees and guests

It’s clear that professional janitorial services bring immense value to modern businesses. Hiring the right cleaning company means analyzing the factors that separate high-caliber cleaning firms. Consider the following when assessing local commercial cleaning services providers:

Protocols and training

What are the company’s standards of practice for cleaning vs. disinfecting, handling symptomatic cases, and prioritizing high-touch surfaces? Well-trained staff follow evidence-based cycles rather than ad hoc cleaning .

Environmentally-friendly cleaning products

Your cleaning company should work with EPA-registered disinfectants and harness effective cleaning cycles while using modern equipment (microfiber, HEPA vacuums, electrostatic sprayers), to ensure the highest levels of pathogen reduction versus generic products.

Documentation standards

Leading commercial cleaning providers have custom-built checklists, logs, and regular audits to ensure the highest quality cleaning. Their approach to documentation is critical when their staffing levels fluctuate and team members rotate.

Tailored cleaning strategies

High-traffic zones, HVAC considerations, restroom protocols, and touchpoint schedules can be customized for different facilities. Whether you’re an office building owner or looking for custom janitorial services for a manufacturing facility, ensure your janitorial services provider can accommodate the specific cleaning demands within your building.

Answering Common Questions on How Janitorial Services Reduce Employee Absenteeism

How often should high-touch surfaces be cleaned in an office?

During normal operations, daily targeted cleaning of high-touch points (door handles, elevator buttons, shared equipment, conference tables, break areas) is recommended; during outbreaks or high-transmission seasons, increase frequency and add disinfection steps per CDC guidance.

Will janitorial services prevent COVID and flu cases entirely?

No single measure guarantees zero cases. Cleaning and disinfecting the surface cuts the transmission risk, but should be combined with vaccination programs, sick-leave policies that discourage working while ill, hand hygiene stations, ventilation improvements, and employee education to achieve the best protection.

How can companies measure the effectiveness of their commercial cleaning service?

Track illness-related absenteeism rates over time, correlate spikes/drops with changes in cleaning protocols. Use audits and surface testing where appropriate, and review employee feedback on workplace cleanliness and health. Programs with clear baselines can often help show measurable improvements.

What should building owners look for when hiring a janitorial contractor?

Ask for written cleaning protocols, training documentation, insurance and liability coverage, a chemicals and equipment list (including EPA-registered disinfectants), references from similar facilities, and a transparent audit/reporting process.

Protect Your Staff and Support Your Business Goals with Cleantec Office Cleaning

Illness-related absenteeism costs employers in direct wages and lost output, as well as through indirect costs such as slower project completion and client dissatisfaction. While figures vary by sector, numerous business summaries cite substantial economic losses from preventable workplace illness. Reducing sick days through effective environmental cleaning is a low-risk investment with an exceptionally high return.

With over 50 years’ experience cleaning buildings throughout Upstate New York, Cleantec brings world-class commercial cleaning services to communities across the region, including Ithaca, Syracuse, Albany, Buffalo, and Binghamton.

Discover why New York building owners are turning to Cleantec for custom cleaning projects. Schedule your property walkthrough today with a Cleantec project manager!