Flu season is now in full effect. With colder and windier weather, many find it difficult to avoid even the briefest bout with the flu during this time of year. While there are certain methods for preventing the flu in your home, it’s much more difficult to do so in a shared office space.
Because your office is home to a number of unique individuals with different habits and preferences, it’s tough to know that all your employees are doing everything in their power to avoid coming down with the flu this fall.
In addition, many commercial office spaces schedule a comprehensive cleaning during this season. This cleaning can, if completed improperly, stir up a number of dangerous bacteria and compromising allergens that can severely impact the health of your entire staff.
At Regency Cleaning, we strive to assist with the cleaning needs of many commercial office spaces. We know that avoiding the flu is especially important this time of year, and we want to make sure your space remains as healthy and productive as possible. With this goal in mind, here are a few easy tips for slowing the spread, and preventing, the flu in your office this fall:
Hold Employees Accountable
According to Staples.com, nearly eighty percent of all infectious diseases are spread by touch. Depending on the size of your company, there can be a significant number of hands touching the water fountain, and other communal areas, everyday. Unwashed hands are sponges for dirt and bacteria, and, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), washing hands with soap and water for as little as twenty seconds can reduce the risk of spreading the flu and other respiratory illnesses by as much as 21 percent.
In order to foster a healthy work environment during flu season, each and every employee needs to be aware of the importance of washing hands regularly, as well as avoiding touching their nose, mouth, or eyes throughout the work day. It’s simple, but covering the nose and mouth when sneezing and properly disposing of soiled tissues can significantly improve the health of your commercial office space.
Offer Flu Shots at Work
While this, admittedly, isn’t the cheapest option for avoiding the flu in the workplace, the CDC does identify workplace vaccinations as a critical first step in flu prevention. While your company’s medical provider may provide complimentary vaccinations, it can be tough for many employees to find time to get vaccinated amidst their otherwise busy schedule.
However, when employees are present for regular office hours, they are a ‘captive audience’, to a degree. Many organizations now offer on-site vaccination clinics, which means employees will only need to put work aside for less than an hour in order to get vaccinated. In the grand scheme, this lost time is very minimal compared to how much time employees may miss if they do come down with the flu after neglecting vaccination.
Cleaning and Disinfecting
To a certain extent, the accumulation of germs in the workplace is inevitable. This is why you need to hire a professional commercial cleaning company to perform regular cleaning and disinfecting, especially of communal areas such as bathrooms and shared kitchens. If you’d like to discuss your commercial cleaning needs, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 403-520-7788 today!
