While more people are working remotely than ever, working in an office or a shared environment with colleagues remains the most common way of working around the world. While this has proven to be highly effective, spending so much time in close proximity to others makes it very easy for bugs and germs to spread. When there is a bug going round, larger companies usually have enough employees to weather the storm, but small companies can experience real difficulties if lots of staff are absent within a short period of time.
Fortunately, there are proactive measures that employers can take to minimise the chance of illnesses spreading in the workplace. This short step-by-step guide explains exactly what you can do to maintain a healthy working environment.
Encourage employees to be health conscious
Studies have shown that people who are healthier are better able to focus and possess more energy than those who are not. So if productivity matters to you, then so should your employees’ health, and you should make it clear that it is a priority for you. If you instead create the kind of workplace where employees feel like they have to put in the hours no matter how sick they feel, you will likely end up creating more work for yourself when they infect the rest of the office.
Keep a regular cleaning schedule
Workplaces are full of frequently touched surfaces like keyboards, switches, phones, and even cash registers. Even over the course of one day these can be touched by many people and end up caked in germs and bacteria. It is important to make sure that these are cleaned properly and regularly, using appropriate disinfectant solutions.
However, do not neglect places where people do not usually put their hands, such as the floor. Some bacteria can survive for days on hard surfaces and it is best not to take any chances. Be sure to use floor liquid cleaner and also to clean other places where germs might be hiding, like the undersides of desks.
Support good hand hygiene
While technology is changing commercial cleaning, some things will never change. For example, washing and sanitising our hands remains one of the most effective ways to prevent illnesses from spreading. That is why there are so many sinks and sanitiser gel dispensers in hospitals. We all know this, yet there are times in many workplaces when the soap in the restroom runs out and is not replaced for days, and few employers provide hand sanitiser even though it is not very expensive. Placed near points of contact like switches, door handles, and elevator buttons, it can be highly effective.
It may also be advisable not to monitor employees’ bathroom breaks as this can lead to them not washing their hands thoroughly enough if they are in a rush to get back to their desks.
Remind your employees of good health practices
It can be tricky to find a way to do this without being patronising, but it is important because basics like covering mouths when coughing and washing hands for 20 seconds really do work. One approach might be to link to an online article about how to avoid illness in an office memo. You could also use strategically placed posters, such as a poster by the sink reminding employees to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds.
Conclusion
Bugs going around the workplace can have a strong negative impact on productivity, especially for small businesses with few employees. While this is generally outweighed over time by the benefits of everybody working together in one location, it is actually possible to have the best of both worlds by reducing the number of people who get sick at the workplace. No innovative cleaning solutions are needed, just a few simple steps like those outlined above.
