7 things for office and facility managers to do during that weird week between christmas and new years

The week between Christmas and New Year’s is well, kind of weird. The anticipation of Christmas is over but it’s still not back to business as normal as we approach New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.  Many people are still on holiday vacation until after the first of the year, so our offices are lightly staffed and in general this is just a very slow week. It’s no wonder it’s so easy to lose track of time during this week.  

If you are not among the people who are on vacation this week, it could be really, hard to make this a productive week.  Well thankfully there is always something that can done when managing a facility. We’ve pulled together a list of things that won’t require too much exertion, (we are just coming off the Christmas holiday and all) but also aren’t just busy work.  

These tasks are a perfect mix of things that actually need to be done and not wanting to take on something too major. You’ll also have the extra benefit of that great feeling of accomplishment of being able to cross a completed project off your list and being set up for a productive new year. Pick one, two or all the tasks and have a great lull week between holidays. 

1. Purge security and other access codes

Over time a lot of people can receive access codes or key cards our buildings.  Deleting or deactivating this access can easily slip through the cracks. But by not frequently purging building access logs, we are allowing people who we may no longer want in our facilities free access to enter as they please.

The week between Christmas and the New Year is a great opportunity to clean up these records since we may have some available time on our hands. Simply make a list of the following people who may have access code or cards to your facility: 

• Terminated employees 
• Old vendors or contractors 
• Past tenants 
• Temporary codes/cards 

​
Once you have a list of people that may have been given access to your building but no longer need this access you can begin the process of purging your security database. After completing this task you’ll feel great knowing you have a more secure facility for the new year.

2. De-clutter your office and work space

No matter how awesome your janitorial service may be, clutter will make even the “cleanest” office look messy and unattractive. Hosting an annual (or more frequently) purge the clutter day is a good way to keep the clutter under control, or at least to start the new year off with a clutter free, clean office. The week between Christmas and New Year’s is the perfect time to organize an office clean up event. Our office does this every year during the lull week after Christmas and our team actually looks forward to it.  

A cleanup day can also be planned as a team building event to make it more fun. Consider ordering pizza for the office for lunch, donuts for breakfast or a snack bar that participants can munch on throughout the day. Adding a little competition to the mix may also be a good way to encourage participants to do a thorough job cleaning. Give a small reward or trophy to the cleanest desk, office or departments who do the best job cleaning up their areas and watch how fast your office gets organized.

Want More Tips on De-Cluttering Your Office? Here you go!

7 Tips to Organize your Desk for Maximum Productivity

3. Update contact lists (employees, tenants, vendors, ect)

Everyone knows having an accurate contact list for employees, tenants and vendors is very important. But contact information can change fast. While you have some extra time during the week between Christmas and New Year’s, pull out your contact lists and review them for accuracy. Or if you don’t have a contact list at all, now is an opportunity to create them.

On your vendor contact list we recommend having: 

• Company name 
• Service/Products provided 
• Sales rep or account rep name, email, office phone and cell phone 
• A phone number to reach your contact after hours for emergencies 
• Billing address 
• Mailing address 

You’ll want to keep both a digital and printed copy handy. This will also be a nice resource to share with your team to make everyone more productive. ​

4. Make a Paint Color Chart

The paint on the walls may look white, but when it’s time to do touch up painting, you’ll soon realize there are thousands of shades of “white” and just as many paint manufacturers.  If you don’t know some key facts about your paint color you’ll have a challenge on your hands purchasing paint if you want to keep the walls the same color.  

Instead of waiting until you need to have this information, gathering it when you don’t need it is really the way to go.  On your paint color chart make note of: ​

Ready to Talk About Cleaning Your Office?

We help businesses just like yours everyday finally get a clean office and one less thing to stress about. Schedule call today to learn how we can help.

schedule a call

• The paint manufacture (the company who makes the paint) 
• The paint color with number (so the supplier will now know to mix the paint) 
• Where the paint is used in your facility (important if you have more than one paint color in your office) 
  ​

When you complete this task, you’ll be ready for any touch up paint project that comes your way in the new year.

5. Do a Safety Risk Assessment

A safety risk audit is very easy to do, but it will help make your facility safer for everyone in the new year.  Take some time and walk through your facility and inspect for potential hazards. Look for anything that could pose a: 

• Risk for slips, trips of falls 
• Fire 
• Water damage  
• Bio hazard 
• ​Health risk
  

Make a note of what you find and solutions to correct the risk. You can share your findings with the safety team or at your next management meeting in the new year. 

6. Measure Your Office

​Whatever your facility maintenance plans are for the new year, one resource that will make pretty much all of them easier is to have detailed measurements of your offices. It would be even better and more helpful to have these measurements on a floor plan or drawing of your office.

​Why is this? This is such a handy resource because one of the first questions you’ll be asked for when getting quotes for maintenance tasks is: “How big is your office?” Whether you’re working with a janitorial service, flooring installers or even buying furniture knowing how large your building is and the dimensions of each area will save you so much time and money.  
 
If you’re not very artistic and not able to draw a floor plan, don’t worry. A simple document describing each room by name or room number if used in your building will be enough. Here’s what we suggest gathering for your document: 
 

• Location and description of each area. (Examples: Room number 124, second floor break room, executive conference room) 
• The dimensions of the areas 
• The flooring type of each area (Examples: Carpet, VCT, ceramic) 

Once complete, you’ll have tool that will be well used by you and your team

7. Do a Consumables Audit

Consumable products can add up quick. Taking the time to review what you’re using is a good way to evaluate if you’re getting the best value for your dollar. There could be the possibility to be more efficient with spending and usage. You can uncover these opportunities through a consumables audit. Essentially with a consumable audit you want to look for: 

• Dispenser upgrades that help reduce waste 
• Any areas that use different types of the same product (Using multi-fold and center pull paper towels) and if it’s necessary. 
• Ways to reduce theft of products 
• Lower cost products 
• Try a new product that’s of better quality 

A consumables audit can be completed rather quickly but can help you identify ways to make the most of your spending for these products in the coming year.

---

About Quality Maintenance & Repair Service, Inc
Quality Maintenance & Repair Service, Inc is a full service commercial janitorial company servicing the Jacksonville Florida and surrounding areas. We provide expert, quality and affordable cleaning solutions for large and small properties. In addition to janitorialservices we also provide maintenance services such as window washing, carpet cleaning , tile floor care and general building maintenance.

Office: 904-388-8790 Fax: 904-388-8799
​Email: amanda@qualitymaintenance.co
www.qualitymaintenance.co