With how hard our food processing plants are working right now, you can’t afford to have a shortage of employees. Everyone is hiring, so it’s easy for employees to leave and go somewhere else where the grass may seem greener. So, what will it take to make sure your employees stay?
You may not have thought about how your plant smells. As a food processing plant, there are plenty of odors that can arise. You may not realize you can fix that. And not just fix it – you can add a scent that can help productivity and improve employee morale. It may seem small, but the impact can be large.
Rotting Food/Garbage
Your food processing plant will always have the problem of food spoiling and rotting in your garbage and dumpster areas. You can’t get away from that unless you pay to have your sanitation company come every day and haul it away before it starts to smell. Don’t shell out money for that. Add a scenting service that can neutralize the foul smells in those areas. There are products that can actually pinpoint the bacteria and cling to it to neutralize the smells coming from it. It’s made from both natural and synthetic molecules but is puffed out as a micro-mist so it’s barely noticeable. It can even help the odors that have seeped into other rooms in your facility. So, it’s not just the people that deal with the garbage and dumpsters that will thank you for taking care of it. Also, those odors can attract pests. Don’t provide the stink they like, and they will go elsewhere.
Happy Employees
A pleasant scent can you make want to stay and be much happier when you’re there as much as a foul odor will make you want to leave. That’s called scent marketing, and it’s been studied and proven to work. It’s more than just fixing a negative smell. It’s adding a scent that can promote clear minds and even enhance alertness. An alert employee is more focused on the task at hand and when it comes to food processing plants and the machinery that is used, that can mean a safer employee. Scenting is not just for the people using the machinery. A study done by Takasago Corporation in Japan found that the smell of lemon and other citrus reduced typing errors by 54%, 33% with jasmine, and 20% with lavender. Peppermint allowed better speed and accuracy when typing. Use the right scent for the right area of your plant. For a more alert workforce in the plant, pump in some citrus like lemon or orange. Encourage a relaxing atmosphere in the break room with lavender. The corporate offices could use peppermint for a more focused staff. During the holidays, you can change it up and use cinnamon since that scent is proven to improve memory and create more focused workers. Happy employees stay longer and work harder. Scenting can help with that sense of happiness and calm in your food processing plant.
Bathrooms
Everyone knows why bathrooms smell. That doesn’t mean you have to put up with it! You could just neutralize the odors, but why not add a calming aroma, too? There are scenting services that do both, and if the company you’re considering can’t provide both, look elsewhere. Having a pleasant scent in the bathroom (or anywhere else for that matter) can help your employees feel calm in their workplace without really knowing why. You’re not hitting them over the head with a strong smell. It’s subtle and interacts with the part of their brain that controls emotions. Smell is connected to that center part of the brain, so the reaction to the scent is purely psychological. Most marketing is, and scent marketing is no different. They may not realize why they are happier, but you will see the changes – and they will be positive.
Retaining Employees
Employee retention has never been so important. You need your employees to be happy, but it’s more than that. Workers want to feel special and appreciated. Oftentimes, the tactics you can use to raise morale don’t have to cost a lot. Free bagels on Friday, an employee of the month recognition that gives them the closest parking space, and dress down days for the office workers don’t come with a large price tag and can boost morale. Adding a pleasant scent can cost more than that, but if it’s the difference between a machine being manned or sitting there not making you money, it will be worth it.
If you decide to add scent marketing to your food processing plant, be sure to choose the right company. One with the experience and longevity to be there when you need them is paramount. One that knows the right scents for the right area and how much to use is also important. You don’t want to shove a scent in someone’s face. Waltham Pest Services can help you do it right whether it’s in the plant, in the restroom, or in an office.