Alasdair Sharp, UKI sales manager at Satino by WEPA, reports.
From an impending recession to rising energy bills and a supply chain crisis, for facility managers, the road ahead is paved with uncertainty. Yet, an effective hygiene strategy doesn’t have to be another unknown. Hygiene consultants offer the solution to executing a robust, cost-effective strategy that keeps staff and customers safe whilst protecting the reputation of businesses and contributing to key sustainability targets.
Protecting reputations
The public’s renewed focus on personal hygiene is helping dictate whom they spend their money with. Businesses that fail to maintain the standards of recent years risk damaging their reputations as public standards remain high. Numerous studies point to concern from UK residents about the hygiene standards in public buildings and workplaces. If a hospitality business has a poor hygiene reputation, 65% of the UK would never use the business again, with 78% deeming visible efforts towards infection control as either 'important' or 'extremely important' when visiting a customer-facing business. If customers are to return, it is because they felt like their hygiene was valued on their first visit.
Protecting the workforce
Having a robust hygiene strategy in play can help keep workforces healthy, reducing the likelihood of sick days so that your business is always firing on all cylinders to help navigate the complexities of the current climate. To that end, staff wellbeing should be nurtured just as much as a business’s reputation. This is particularly important in winter months as fresh colds and flu variants rear their heads. Showing a clear commitment to hygiene will also reassure staff that their employer cares for them, helping boost morale and productivity.
Personalised procurement
A key benefit of having a consultant shape your hygiene strategy is being able to tap into their in-depth knowledge of products and the benefits they provide. With so many choices available, sifting through the options can be complicated and time-consuming for a busy facilities manager. A consultant, then, can be your hygiene encyclopaedia, pairing your needs with the right products to achieve them, saving time, stress, and money. Their knowledge of the industry and its products can help ensure you are making the most reliable, impactful, and cost-effective choices whilst greatly streamlining and speeding up the process. In turn, this allows you to focus on pressing operational matters, safe in the knowledge your hygiene strategy is being taken care of with their best interests in mind.
Invest in sustainability and people will invest in you
With environmental credentials now a big driver for where customers spend their money, it’s important that your sustainability and hygiene strategies work in tandem with each other. A hygiene consultant can help bridge that gap, cutting out unnecessary expenditures in favour of products that best support the business’s wider sustainability commitments and objectives.
Investing in sustainable hygiene can help set your business apart from the competition and gain from investment in businesses looking to meet their sustainability targets by partnering with planet-first businesses. With 80% of consumers saying that sustainability is a priority, and 70% of those willing to pay a premium price for more sustainable products and services, there is great value in aligning with brands that share these values. That relates to every aspect of the business and its supply chain and so sustainable hygiene should not be overlooked.
Tailored support
Hygiene consultants, therefore, represent a turnkey solution in freeing up valuable time for businesses without compromising on health standards. Industry experts will be able to advise on tailored products and services to suit the specific needs, budgets, and challenges of each business. A consultant will oversee all hygiene logistics so that you can focus on other pressing matters. They are the most effortless, risk-free gateway to ensuring your business is safeguarding your staff, customers, and stakeholders, as well as your reputation.
It's vital that businesses maintain high hygiene standards and continually seek to improve their environmental credentials. However, with so many challenges demanding the attention of customer-facing businesses right now, hygiene consultants can ease the pressures of hygiene maintenance without compromising a business’ reputation, the safety of its staff and customers and the preciousness of time.
www.satino-by-wepa.co.uk