Holiday edition: are you prepared for the holidays?

We all dread the almost inevitable phone call that says something has gone wrong at the office. Even more so when you are on holiday. The festive season is here and most of us are already on holiday.

We want to provide you with a checklist to help ensure that your office stays afloat while you take a well-deserved break.

1. Who are your emergency contacts?

Whether your office is shutting down for the festive season or you have a team of skeleton staff working, make sure that you have an emergency contact list.  You may want to consider having one central contact person to which problems get reported, or a list of numbers visible in the office.  

There are the obvious telephone numbers to put on the list like a trusted plumber and electrician.  You may want to consider contact details for the building’s security company, property manager, armed response (if applicable) and the number for the company’s insurance provider.  

If you have a skeleton staff arrangement, ensure that you include the number for IT support and your telecoms provider on the list.

2. Clean the fridge

Remove all food from the fridge, and if you are shutting down consider defrosting the fridge (switch it off and leave the doors open while the office is locked up).  This will ensure that you don’t have anything strange growing in your fridge when you get back to the office.

It’s worth saying that you should be cleaning the fridge on a regular basis. Switch off and unplug electrical equipment like microwaves, kettles, PCs and desk fans.  This will save energy and protect equipment from surges and lightning damage. 

3. Empty out wastebaskets and dustbins

Ensuring that wastebaskets and dustbins are empty before the festive break will help to control odour in the office and ensure that pests don’t thrive in the deserted space while you away. (Discarded food to a rat is like candy to a child, so don’t give them an excuse to settle in while you are away).

4. Do a pest control survey

You might not see pests but have you looked for the signs of pests in your office?  As a failsafe, you may want to ask the experts in pest control to come out and conduct a free survey of your premises or book a preventative spray treatment for general pests like ants, flies and cockroaches while the office is empty. 

5. Arrange a bathroom deep clean

Even with a good cleaning regime, limescale and uric acid build up under the rims of your toilets and in your urinals.  The end of the year is a perfect time for a routine bathroom deep clean to ensure you start the new year with an odour and germ-free bathroom.

6. Lock up

If your office is going to be deserted make sure that all your windows are closed, the doors leading outside are locked and important documents are secured.

7. #loveyourplants

There is nothing sadder than coming back from leave to find an office full of dead plants. If your interior plants are not on a contract with a provider, ask your colleagues working the skeleton staff crew to water them for you. If you are with Ambius there’s no need to worry, our container reservoir technology will ensure that your plants are well looked after during the festive season and they won’t require any additional care.

Rather be safe than sorry. Adding these few checks to your routine will give you that little bit of additional peace of mind during the festive season.

If you need some help managing your office hygiene during the holidays, contact us for expert advice.
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