Despite the increase in hybrid working office, this year’s office party is still likely to be a highlight of the corporate calendar. Organising the food, drink, and dancing is intrinsic to the Christmas do, but the festivities come at at a price when it comes to clearing up.

• Hybrid working has increased but many companies will still hold a Christmas party.
• The Christmas party requires organisation and provision for food, drink, and entertainment.
• Prior to the event, some preparation to minimise the upheaval is a good idea while after the event, there will be a clear-up operation to restore the business environment.

After a Christmas party, the clean-up operation can be a mammoth task. Although it’s to be hoped that everyone had a great time, it’s imperative that office spaces are thoroughly sanitised to protect a safe and productive workplace.

It’s worth setting up bins for food waste, diposables and recyclables before the event. You can’t guarantee that people will use them, but if they’re obvious and accessible, there’s more of a chance. It’s also worth thinking about exactly what equipment and products might be needed for the clearup and get them ready beforehand. This might include rubber gloves, refuse sacks, mop and bucket, disinfectant, microfibre cloths, dustpan and brush, and vacuum cleaner.

Nevertheless, if party food and drink forms part of the celebration, as the evening goes on and becomes more relaxed, it’s inevitable that spills and stains happen, food is dropped, and crumbs are trodden into the carpet. Not only can this cause unpleasant odours due to bacteria, it could potentially attract pests.

If there’s left over food that can be saved until the next day, it should be refrigerated on the night of the party. Any uncleared and dirty plates and cups can become breeding grounds for allergens, mould, and spores which may cause a health hazard so they must be cleared away. Any broken glass can that’s lying around is, of course, a health and safety issue that needs dealing with immediately. So, the rubbish needs to be cleared out and the dishwasher needs to deal with dirty crockery and cutlery.

Restrooms are hotbeds of bacteria at the best of times, but potentially more so during a Christmas party. It’s imperative, therefore, that all bathrooms are properly cleaned after the event to prevent the spreading of harmful bacteria.

Ideally a party clean up should begin straight after the guests have left, but if this task falls to one person it can be overwhelming. So, when planning the Christmas event, it might be worth allocating part of the party budget to pay for professional cleaners who could come in as soon as the party is over. Otherwise, it’s unlikely to be sorted out by the time staff return the next day – or even worse – after the weekend.

The best, safest, and most efficient means of tackling the post-party clean-up is by employing the services of a professional cleaning company who are trained, experienced, discreet, and will get the office back to pristine condition and ready for work. Hopefully, that means that people are just left with the memory of a great night.