Clean Your Way to Better Relationships?

Here’s the short of it: People don’t like dirty places. They make them feel grouchy or on edge. People like clean places because they make them feel good. This is especially true for the workplace.

Are you happy when you walk into a dirty restroom, when the floor is sticky, an empty toilet paper tube is behind the toilet, the mirror is spattered, and the toilet is…very used? Of course not! When people show up at work and things are dirty or disorganized, they don’t like it, either. And when people are unhappy, they become irritable and difficult to get along with. This leads to damaged relationships and unproductive workers.

This is the kind of workspace that makes people feel energized and productive

Here are a few examples:

• Have you ever “lost” something and become frustrated with the clutter and the people surrounding you?
• Have you ever tripped on clutter and become angry with everybody around you?
• Have you ever walked into a dirty room and started griping at those around you?
• Have you ever played the “blame game” about which coworker made the bathroom disgusting?

You probably answered “yes” to all these questions. Most people do. Unfortunately, getting frustrated with others and griping at them (or harboring grudges) damages your relationship with them. It creates tension between people and in the workplace in general.

An office that has people in it will get dirty. That’s just a fact, but the good news is that it doesn’t have to lead to relational strife. If you clean the building regularly, or hire somebody to clean it, these frustrations can go away and relationships and productivity will be improved. Clean spaces help people feel good, and people who feel good will be happier, kinder, and more productive.

As Darth Vader once said: “Search your feelings; you know it to be true.”

This is the kind of workspace that makes people feel anxious, grouchy, or sluggish