After working day in and day out to grow your business from the ground up, you shouldn’t sacrifice any of your hard-earned success to a wildlife infestation. While you may not be able to control the practices of businesses you share a building with or prevent a stray dirty dish from ending up in the sink, you can still take concrete steps to turn your office around. Here are five habits that will help prevent the invasion of pests in your place of work.
1. Improve Your Pet-Friendly Policies
It may seem counter-intuitive to allow select animals into your office while maintaining a system to keep others out, but you can easily lead a pet-friendly office without inviting pests. By insisting that employees are promptly clean and store pet waste after a bathroom break, you can reduce pest attractants. Likewise, dissuading staff from leaving dirty pet bowls and leftover animal food around the office can cut off a food source that would otherwise attract wild animals.
2. Remind Staff to Properly Store Food
Depending on the day and workload of the week, employees might choose to head out for lunch or hang back and eat at their desks. When it comes to employees who mainly brown bag their meals to the office, encourage them to store leftovers in airtight containers and clean up any crumbs, dirty dishes, and exposed food left behind. This will better protect food from spoilage, but it will also minimize the likelihood that your kitchen will pique pest interest.
3. Prioritize Office Waste Management
If you already have a dedicated cleaning crew for your office, revisit your sanitation schedule to understand if it is entirely wildlife-proof. Ensure that your plan consists of daily trash removal, weekly vacuuming, and outdoor waste storage that is distant from your office and tightly sealed. Keeping a tight lid on your trash routine can put off rodents like rats, mice, and squirrels. For businesses that don’t have enough room in the budget to hire a waste management professional, implement a similar in-house cleanup policy, and personally stick to it.
4. Encourage Workers to Report Office Issues
Sometimes, a pest issue can sit right under your nose and still go unnoticed. While you’re busy meeting with clients, overseeing employee needs, and potentially looking for more staff to add to the workforce, you might not be keen to notice the issues around you. However, your employees will be. Anything from a plumbing problem to an electrical issue can be the direct cause of a pest infestation. So, whether there’s a leak in the bathroom or a flickering light in the kitchen, remind your staff to speak up.
5. Partner With a Local Wildlife Professional
Break the habit of DIY wildlife management and partner with the professional technicians at Critter Control® of Orlando. Our team of licensed critter professionals can create a personalized wildlife management plan that protects your office without pushing your budget. Using humane and eco-friendly pest alternatives, we’ll secure your space the safest way possible. For more information on our commercial wildlife services or for a free inspection of your office, call us today at 407-295-7194.
