Stay Healthy or Stay Home: Germs in the Workplace
It's as inevitable as the changing of the seasons; we're talking about the cold and flu season. Although the spread of germs in the facilities we care for don't need a “season” to run rampant, it is during this time that we must start paying attention to those nasty germs. It's time to revisit our plans to keep our customers' buildings as healthy and germ free as possible, and keep our cleaning technicians from contracting the flu-bug, getting sick, and missing work. Or worse, showing up to work sick.
Keeping the workplace germ free and healthy
"The flu costs about $7 billion a year in sick days and lost productivity," Dr. Charles Gerba, professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona, told CBSNews.com. "The indirect costs such as missed work and reduced productivity are even greater -- studies have shown that sick workers on the job costs the U.S. economy $180 billion a year in profits and lost productivity."
A recent nationally-representative survey of more than 1,000 people conducted by Kimberly-Clark Professional showed that 59 percent of people still go to work when they are sick, according to CBSNews.com. Many of those workers that do show up to work sick do not take any precautions to avoid direct contact with others or warn others that they are sick. This is disturbing news for any business, including the cleaning industry; because it's our cleaning technicians that have a high risk of contracting illnesses while performing cleaning duties. It's simply the nature of our business.
When gearing up for the flu season, it's a good idea to revisit your health plans for your customers' facilities to address what steps need to be taken to keep them healthy and to create a preemptive plan to cover any health issues that may arise. If you have customers that have large numbers of employees that are missing work due to colds and flu, take the initiative and examine what additional cleaning practices you might incorporate to help protect and keep their employees and visitors healthy.
It's also a good time to retrain your employees on keeping the spread of germs to a minimum. Cleaning technicians should be versed on sanitizing and disinfecting common hot-spots or touch points in the workplace. Areas that commonly have high contamination include:
- door handles
- light switches
- elevator buttons
- desktops
- computer mice
- telephone handsets
- restroom surfaces
- push plates on doors
- break room appliances such as refrigerator handles, microwave buttons
- tables and sink areas
- copy machines
They should also be reminded to protect themselves from getting sick while at work. Frequent hand washing and being vigilant about wearing protective gloves and masks will go a long way towards keeping employees healthy and on the job.
Send your customers educational flyers or put an article in your company newsletter about preventing the spread of germs. It's a good reminder for everyone!
Be sure to include the following tips:
- Wash hands frequently and for at least 20 seconds
- Use an alcohol based hand sanitizer when hand washing isn't possible
- Keep hand sanitizer at the reception desk for people to use when entering the building
- Try to avoid touching your nose, mouth, and eyes
- Use a tissue if you need to sneeze or cough, if nothing is available, tuck it into your elbow, or use your sleeve (wash hands immediately)
- Regularly sanitize/disinfect work areas and touch points with wipes
- Avoid close contact with sick people and avoid shaking hands
- Stay home if you are sick
- Get a flu shot
Here are some additional tips on how to provide added value to your customers during cold and flu season.
Practicing Good Health
Let's not forget to mention to our employees how important it is to eat a well-balanced diet, stay hydrated, and get plenty of sleep and exercise. This allows the body to function at an optimum level, reducing the chances for getting sick and if they do, recover much quicker. If they do feel like they are getting sick or are sick, follow company policy regarding sick leave and to stay home until they are fully recovered.
It is our responsibility as building service contractors to not only help prevent the spread of germs within our customers' buildings, but to do our best to keep our employees safe and healthy.
Help protect the health of your employees and be a resource for your customers by providing information and reminders on how to stay healthy during flu season. They'll appreciate you for it.
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