Your office is a petri dish for diseases. No matter how clean it may appear, countless viruses and bacteria thrive on every surface, threatening to infect your hardworking employees and disrupting your business.
According to a study by the University of Arizona, there 400 times more bacteria found on computer keyboards than on a toilet seat. How do you make sure that your office is safe from harmful pathogens?
Regular Cleaning
People come and go inside the office. With them, they bring disease-carrying microorganisms. If needed, hire professionals to do the cleaning. Many entrepreneurs have entered the business of commercial cleaning and the franchise opportunities available to anyone interested means that you have plenty of services to choose from. Go with a team that will know how to disinfect your office from any pathogen and schedule a thorough cleaning frequently, especially during flu season.
Encourage Frequent Handwashing
The best way to prevent the spread of germs is through frequent handwashing. Remind your employees to wash their hands several times throughout the day, especially if they just arrived, before they eat, and after they use the bathroom.
Make sure that there is handsoap available at all times. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, using soap and running water can effectively remove germs from your hands. In addition, print out proper handwashing guidelines and post them above the sink. There are five simple steps that experts recommend: wet, lather, scrub, rinse, and dry.
Place Hand Sanitizers at the Entrance
The second best way to kill germs is through the use of hand sanitizers. Place hand sanitizers strategically in areas where there is traffic such as the entrance and exit, meeting rooms, the pantry, etc.
Similarly, provide sanitizing wipes to each employee. They can use these to wipe common office equipment on their respective desks, including their keyboard and the telephone, so that they do not pick up and spread pathogens.
Allow Remote Work
Unfortunately, because healthcare is expensive, many Americans will continue to go to work even if they do not feel well. This is where you should be lenient. Allow people to opt out of going into the office and accomplish their tasks at home. This way, they will be able to properly recuperate and prevent them from infecting their colleagues.
Dissuade Eating at the Desks
Your employees may want to catch their deadlines and, therefore, have decided to work on their desks while they eat. This is not a healthy habit.
When they eat at their desks, they are exposed to viruses and bacteria that are hiding in their workstations. Food that sits in a cold place for too long creates the perfect environment for germs to multiply. It also promotes mindless eating, which may lead to the development of metabolic problems in the future.
Make meal breaks a time for eating. Encourage employees to go to the canteen or visit a nearby restaurant. Not only will this prevent any issues from arising later on, but it will also establish a strong bond between co-workers.
As they say, prevention is better than cure. Your employees will feel more at ease and motivated knowing that there is no risk that they will catch diseases at the office. Moreover, it is part of your responsibility as a boss to keep your employees from harm because, when they are not around to work, business operations will be heavily affected.
