We’re on daylight saving time, the weather’s getting warmer and the sun’s getting brighter, which means that summer is just around the corner. At the same time, lockdown restrictions are easing and stores are opening for business. This means there’s only one thing left to do: get your workplace ready for summer.
Depending on where you work, this can mean a lot of different things: increased foot traffic, higher sales, different opening hours and more! We’ve created this handy blog post highlighting everything you need to do to get your workplace ready for summer. From turning on the air con to buying the best outdoor mats and door mats to protect your floor, we’ve got you covered.
Prepare Your Staff
Having an open line of communication with your staff is a good business practice anyway, but especially if you are predicting a busy summer. Ensuring that your staff are prepared means that they will be able to handle anything that comes their way. This includes being up-to-date on the latest business information, having access to PPE and being able to draw on support as needed.
If you really think you’re going to be busy, it could also be a good idea to hire more workers for the summer. This is especially relevant to those of you working in retail, restaurants and hotels: it’s important that you have the staff, and the furnishings, that you need in order to thrive this summer.
Adhere To Government Guidelines
This is probably the most important piece of advice within this blog post, and the most complicated. Your business will need to adhere to ordinary business regulations and new COVID-19 guidelines. Let’s break it down.
You’re probably familiar with the ordinary regulations you need to follow. This includes making sure your premises is accessible (which is why we always recommend door mats and outdoor mats which promote easy access, and aren’t a trip or slip hazard), making sure you are providing a safe working environment (which is why we suggest purchasing anti-fatigue mats and made to measure outdoor mats, so that you’re always ahead of the curve) and more. The laws that you need to adhere to will vary depending on your business premises, and according to your wider industry.
The COVID-19 guidelines are centred around ensuring the health and safety of both customers and employees. Although you’ve had the last year to familiarise yourself with them, the most up to date guidelines can be found on the government website. This includes employing social distancing measures, and wearing the appropriate PPE. There are more things that you can do as well, if you’re interested in going the extra mile. For example, Coronavirus door mats and anti-microbial outdoor mats prioritise hygiene and prevent germs and bacteria from spreading.
Boost Morale
The best way to prepare your workplace for summer is by getting in the right frame of mind. A happy workforce is a productive and efficient workforce, therefore it’s in your best interests to prioritise their working experience. The transition from spring to summer is the perfect time to evaluate their current working conditions, and see how you can improve them.
Some fun things you could do to boost morale include:
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Introduce a casual uniform
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Offer an occasional half day
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Send them a care package
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Organise an office party
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Redecorate the workplace
The last is our favourite, but if you’re going to do it, make sure you do it right! Invest in made to measure furnishings and protective covers to ensure longevity. Even something as simple as a door mat will keep your carpet or floorboards looking nice and new for so much longer. Why not go the extra mile and invest in a logo door mat? Our customers tell us it helps their employees feel proud of the company they work for and it is a great way of displaying that same pride to your visitors too!
Invest In Air Conditioning
Most businesses already have air conditioning, which means it’s just a case of flipping the switch. Nothing feels better in the hazy heat of summer than cold, crisp air. If you don’t have an air conditioning unit, it’s either time to get one, or time to crack the windows open. If you’re going to be relying on having your windows open, make sure little animals can’t get in- the last thing you need is a bee in the office or a bird in the factory!
Keeping cool in the summer is hugely important for customers and employees alike, helping to avoid heat exhaustion, dehydration and much more sinister illnesses that are easily prevented.
Spring Clean
There’s no better time for a deep clean. It’s your opportunity to brush out all of the cobwebs and set yourself up for a clean and tidy summer season. You’ll want to dust, sweep, vac, polish and more. While it seems like a lot, and if you have a large business premises you may want to hire a cleaner (or a team of cleaners!), you’ll be so pleased that you did it. A clean and tidy workplace is one that people want to visit and spend time inside.
Once you’ve finished your deep clean, you can start thinking about the future: what can you do to minimise mess in the workplace? Some things that you can do to reduce mess and shrink time spent cleaning and tidying include:
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Having a system in place
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Throwing away clutter
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Prioritising organisation
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Protecting your flooring with an outdoor mat
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Transitioning to a paperless office
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Adopting the mantra “If it doesn’t fit, get rid of it”
Protect Your Flooring With Outdoor Mats
This is our area of expertise, so you’re in safe hands here.
An outdoor mat goes at the entrance of your premises to scrape dirt from footwear and wheeled traffic, effectively protecting your carpet, floorboards or linoleum. This is great for a few reasons: it keeps everything much cleaner, it minimises possible slip hazards, it ensures the longevity of your flooring, it provides a safe walking surface and it prioritises customer experience from the moment they lay eyes on the premises.
As you can see, there are so many reasons to protect your floor with outdoor mats- which is why we’re also going to recommend our favourite. We like to go the extra mile for our customers, and we can imagine that you do too.
The Superscrape Non Slip Rubber Mat is one of our best-selling products, and for good reason. It’s hugely popular in kitchen and industrial areas because the non-slip, 100% nitrile rubber offers excellent traction, preventing possible slips and falls. The Superscrape mat is bi-level, which means that the raised rubber nubs remove dirt from the bottom of shoes. This is then collected on a lower platform, preventing it from being tracked inside. Simple, yet incredibly effective.
Know Your Customers
One of the best ways to get your workplace ready for summer is by understanding and anticipating the behaviour of your customers and clients. Adopting a somewhat analytical approach can help you to plan accordingly, and so it is incredibly useful if you can access business data from previous years. Knowing peak times, popular products and average spending habits can be really useful when it comes to ordering stock and staffing the premises.
This doesn’t just apply to retail. No matter what sector you work in, anticipating the needs of your customers will help you to avoid having a build-up or backlog of work. To have the most successful summer possible, you need to be prepared!
For example, we know that our sustainable door mats are becoming increasingly popular, because more and more people are aware of the impact they have on the environment, and want to be more sustainable. So we’ve planned accordingly, and made sure that we have more of our eco-friendly door mats in stock, such as the WD Waterhog Diamond Eco Entrance Mat.
Ensure Health And Safety With Door Mats
We’ve touched on this slightly already, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t emphasise it with it’s own section, because it’s an important one. Health and safety within the workplace is hugely important, moreso now than ever; like we said above, there are both ordinary and Covid guidelines to adhere to. And since it’s our area of expertise, we know how investing in the right door mats and outdoor mats can boost the health and safety of your workplace, with little to no effort.
Our mats have different qualities that can hugely benefit your workplace. They make it a safer, more inclusive environment, by minimising possible risks without impeding access. Some speciality features that you may be interested in, include:
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Anti-fatigue
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Anti-microbial
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Non-slip
Once again, we want to recommend our best door mat that checks all of the health and safety boxes.
The Tri-Grip Heavy Duty Mat is hardwearing and reliable, which is why we recommend it as the ultimate answer to safety in the workplace. This mat combines a thick nitrile base with a twisted nylon face, which means that it was designed to be highly durable. If you anticipate a busy workplace this summer, it is definitely the mat for you!! The Tri-Grip offers excellent value for money, because it is a solid, practical choice. It is well-suited to all sectors, so whether you work in education or in an office, you can’t go wrong.
Get Summer-Ready With Door Mats And Outdoor Mats From Mats4U
We have been supplying high-quality, value for money matting solutions for domestic, commercial and industrial applications for over 25 years. Our team are industry experts, with an unmatched knowledge of all things matting. Whether you’re looking for a business with stringent quality control or a team that is more than happy to offer advice and recommendations, you’re in safe hands. At Mats4U, we’re always here to help.
We hope you’ve found this blog post helpful, and that one of our outdoor mats or door mats has caught your eye. For more information on all things mats, head over to our blog. And if you want to discuss any of the products on our website, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Contact us today by completing our online form, phoning us at 0121 313 6748 or emailing us at sales@mats4u.co.uk.
