With winter comes the inevitable cold, wet weather, and an increase in seasonal coughs, colds and flu. Winter is an exciting time too, as people celebrate the festivities. For sectors such as hospitality and retail, demand inevitably increases.
So, it makes sense to start preparing your business for winter, to keep your operations running smoothly.
In this guide, we discuss our top tips for preparing your business for winter and making sure your washroom is ready.
Table of Contents
How to prepare your business for winter
Review staff schedules
If your business operates within the retail or hospitality sector, then you’ll need to ensure your staff schedules are well coordinated before heading into the busy festive period. Christmas sales account for over 20% of total sales annually, so having enough team members in place will help to maximise sales.
- Hire temporary staff – this is one of the most common methods of meeting the increased demand over the holiday period. Hiring temporary staff provides extra cover, without having committing to permanent staff members.
- Offer overtime & Christmas bonuses – whilst this is a great method to keep up with demand, it also gives employees the opportunity to earn a little more cash over the expensive festive period.
Offer deals and discounts
Depending on what sector your business operates in, you may want to consider offering deals and discounts to existing and new customers. With many businesses competing for sales during this time of year, it’s important you don’t get lost in the crowd. Offers are one way of attracting and retaining customers but use them tactically as they can cut into your profit margins.
Get festive
Keep your customers engaged with a festive environment. Get the Christmas decorations out, put the Christmas music on and get your staff and customers in the Christmas spirit. You can even carry the festivities over to your social media accounts to showcase your brand and encourage a sense of community.
Invest in money saving solutions
With gas and energy prices soaring, looking for cost saving solutions is high on the agenda for many businesses. Citron Hygiene offers various energy and water saving solutions that can minimise the cost of your bills:
- Energy efficient hand dryers – our range of eco hand dryers take only 10-13 seconds to dry your hands, meaning you could reduce your hand drying costs by up to 80%.
- Intelligent water management solutions – you can also make savings of up to 90% on your water bills by installing a variety of intelligent water saving solutions.
Install effective floorcare
With winter comes wet weather and it can become hazardous when people are walking in and out of your building. It’s estimated that as much as 80% of dust and dirt is carried into your building by footwear. Commercial mats are designed to stop dirt in its tracks, helping to keep premises clean and tidy. First impressions are critical for every business, which is why an Image Mat with your company brand or logo on is a smart and practical way to keep dirt at bay. And, with plenty of options to have mats regularly laundered and replaced it’s now easier than ever to have a fresh supply of clean mats.
Protect your staff and customers this winter
Encourage proper hand hygiene
With colds and flu peaking at winter, clean hands are an absolute must for stopping the spread of illnesses. Adding educational posters on proper hand hygiene around your business’ facility will educate your washroom users on correct handwashing. You should ensure your commercial washrooms are well equipped with a sufficient number of well stocked soap dispensers. Speak to your hygiene services provider if you need more supplies at this time of year.
Add hand sanitiser dispensers around your premises to encourage good hand hygiene when on the go. Citron Hygiene’s Hand Sanitiser System kills 99% of harmful germs such as MRSA, Influenza, E-Coli and Salmonella. The fast-drying spray is delivered with a hygienic dispenser, which allows people to quickly clean their hands.
Install fast hygienic hand dryers
Washing your hands with soap and water is a vital step in the hand hygiene process, but don’t forget the importance of providing a proper hand drying solution too. Wet hands can transfer bugs and germs more easily than dry hands, so it’s in everyone’s health interests to use a fast dryer that will dry hands in seconds. Wiping damp hands on clothing or shaking water off won’t help in the battle of the bugs!
Consider installing commercial air purifiers
Commercial air purifiers will make an excellent addition to your business premises this winter. A commercial air purifier removes hazards such as viruses, allergens and bacteria from the air. Commercial air purifiers offer a whole host of benefits for your business, such as reduced employee absenteeism, increased staff productivity, improved air quality and mould prevention.
Read our blog to find out more about why your business should install a commercial air purifier this winter.
Clean surfaces and control germs
Bugs can thrive on hard surfaces like keyboards and desks, making it easy for illnesses to be quickly spread amongst staff. Hand and surface wipes available from the Citron Hygiene Shop are designed to protect workers and visitors, by providing an effective way of removing bacteria and viruses from hands and surfaces. No more bug-covered cleaning cloths…just dispose of the wipe in a bin, to ensure germs are trapped and destroyed.
Keep your business washroom well stocked
As footfall in your business premises is likely to be on the rise during winter, the demand for your washroom will also increase. You should keep your commercial washroom well stocked throughout this period to ensure you can fully cater for all washroom users. Review your supplies in line with demand. It may be that over this period you need to order some extra soap, toilet roll, or period products for vending machines.
Review baby changing facilities
Don’t forget about your smallest guests when prepping your business for the winter period. A family-friendly business should consider how it can provide a positive customer experience for guests of all ages. Consider your current washroom set-up, is it well equipped for babies and young children? Adding facilities such as baby changing tables, nappy bins and nappy vending machines will ensure you meet the needs of your smallest guests and their parents.
Benefits of preparing your business for winter
Adopting these various strategies will allow your business to thrive this winter, with a number of benefits:
- Reducing illness and absenteeism – ensuring your business is prepared for the winter months will help to keep illness and staff absenteeism to a minimum, and your business operations running smoothly.
- Increasing productivity – creating a safe and hygienic business premises will help to boost morale amongst your team members, which in turn will see an increase in productivity.
- Reducing business costs – adopting the various energy and water saving solutions will keep costs low.
- Increasing customer loyalty – creating a safe and welcoming environment for the winter months helps to deliver an all-round better customer experience.
On-time, expert washroom hygiene services
Citron Hygiene specialises in providing businesses across a range of sectors with all the essential washroom solutions they need to enhance the experience, reduce business costs and protect their staff and visitors. Contact a member of our team today to find out how we can help your business prepare for winter.
