Every year, countless workdays are lost to cyclical cold and influenza outbreaks. Actually, these days aren’t countless at all; research complied by the CDC and multiple organizations that track workplace safety statistics estimate that 70 million workdays are lost to colds and flu annually across the United States, putting a dent in productivity that falls between 3 and 12 billion dollars.
Between 5 and 20 percent of your workforce will probably get the flu this year, and a slightly higher number will lose work productivity due to cold symptoms. What can you do to keep these numbers down, keep your workplace healthy, and bolster your bottom line against this annual attack? Keep these tips in mind.
Prevent the Spread of Colds and Flu
1. Discourage heroism. Don’t let your workplace culture reward those who spread outbreaks. When employees are sick, send them home. Make sure all managers in all departments get this message, and make sure they walk the walk and set a positive example. “Powering through” and struggling into work with flu symptoms should not be implicitly or explicitly encouraged. The sick stay home. End of story.
2. Keep things clean. Some studies show that an average office desk fosters more cold and flu germs than a toilet seat. That’s because cold and flu germs travel from face to hand to surface and back hundreds of times a day. Provide hand sanitizers and encourage your employees to use them.
3. Hand washing is key. Healthcare and food service workplaces are besieged with hand washing messages and instructions, but offices usually aren’t. Consider placing a poster or two in the break room and washroom as a gentle reminder during flu season.
4. Encourage employees to cough and sneeze into the crook of the arm instead of the hand. Again, germs are spread by hand-face-surface contact, so clean hands break the chain.
5. Try to keep the most commonly handled surfaces in your office germ-free. These include doorknobs, the “go” button on shared fax machines and copiers, elevator buttons, stair railings, and phones. Just hitting these key areas with a little hand sanitizer a few times a day can slow the spread of germ populations.
For more workplace safety tips, both seasonal and year-round, contact the Texas staffing and business management pros at Expert Staffing. No matter the size or sector of your company, small moves like these can have a big impact on your annual budget.
Munro's Safety Apparel
“When employees are sick, send them home.” This is so important for two reasons. When employees force themselves to work while sick, they risk infecting others. They also risk hurting themselves on the job as sick individuals aren’t as alert and focused as they normally would be which is a safety risk for not only the sick individual but their coworkers as well.