How to prepare your business for 2024 🗓

You may have heard the phrase ‘start as you mean to go on’, but when it comes to businesses, the new year prep actually starts in December! 

January is notorious for ‘back to work’ lists that are a mile long, and we certainly don’t want to add to yours. Instead, we’ve got your weekly to-dos for December that will help you kick off the new year in the best way possible. It’s a kind of facilities management advent calendar for those who like to open the doors all at once. Let’s get stuck in.

Week 1 of countdown: Booking the big stuff

This is your very last opportunity to book an external party to carry out the bigger tasks. Whether you book services with someone else or choose to go with us (we offer many different services throughout the year) – it’s still essential that these things get done!

For example, if your staff are away over the Christmas holidays, it’s the perfect time to book a deep clean to ensure every nook and cranny has been seen to before shutting down. The lack of people around makes it an excellent time for jobs like floor restorations and window cleaning. 

There are also multiple greenspace tasks to take care of before finishing the year. General lawn maintenance is a good one to book so you know that the leaves are raked, lawn cut and litter picked before heading out. If you want something bigger like a mechanical sweeper to clear out larger areas like car parks, you’ll want to get that booked in as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. 

Week 2: Fresh new beginnings

The end of the year is a big time for going over or renewing contracts. It’s good to catch up with where you’re at if you want to renew and, of course, see if there’s anything else you need coming into the new year. 

The good thing about Totally Local Company is that we’re, well, totally local. We put a lot of effort into working with local businesses, big and small, to make a better place for our community. That means if you need something a bit different, we’ll work to meet you where you’re at. If you want a slightly more tailored approach to your facilities management, whether you’re contracted with us already or thinking about it, just get in touch with one of our helpful teams, and we’ll make sure you get what you need. 

Speaking of new beginnings, now is a great time to hire a skip and do the big clearout! We’ve got skips suitable for smaller and larger companies, and emptyings are done on demand when you’ve filled your skip – so you can really make the most of it.

Week 3: Tidy rooms and thank yous

This week is about ensuring you don’t leave everything for next week. 

If you’ve opted for hiring a skip and doing a big clearout, then there’s no better time to do the general clean. Even if you didn’t do a clearout, it’s still a great time for a general clean, so there’s not so much to clean on your final week of the year when you want to rush home to be with loved ones. 

Part of cleaning and clearing out is getting rid of rubbish, and it’s so important to recycle. T’is the season for giving, so make sure you’re giving back to your planet by recycling your commercial waste correctly. Our local team can help you from beginning to end – helping you with a place to store recyclable waste right through to collection and responsible disposal. 

Now for the thank yous. It’s important to show proper thanks to your staff for their hard work throughout the year. We think it’s best not to leave this until the last minute because you may have people taking holiday days in the last week before Christmas and also because you want to give yourself the time to give thanks properly. Whether with individual cards, a speech, or arranging a small activity.

Week 4: It’s the final countdown…

If playing the Rocky theme song in your head makes this more fun, then go ahead!

You’ll want to go ahead and dispose of any perishables (don’t forget to check drawers and cupboards). Ensure bins are emptied into your outside bin storage – even better if you’ve arranged a commercial waste collection before you leave. 

For the outside areas, check in with our greenspace team for your winter maintenance. They’ll make sure people are safe in your greenspaces during the harsh weather, including gritting roads and car parks, snow removal and the supply and refilling of grit bins – avoiding those slippy situations. 

And of course, for indoors, make sure your air conditioning and heating are switched off and that windows are correctly locked with blinds shut, too. Not only do the blinds function for safety, but they also help stop condensation on your windows during a break, helping prevent mould in the future. 

And that’s how to make 2024 the best year for business yet! If you need to chat facilities management with us, please get in touch today.