Top Tips for Preventing Illnesses in Your Workplace

Every employer with a small team knows the havoc that a bug being spread around can wreak in their office. What begins with a simple sneeze can soon turn into several weeks of staff absences. Sadly, this will always be a risk at any workplace where people breathe the same air or touch the same objects as others.

Every year, viruses like influenza cost economies hundreds of millions of dollars in lost productivity. However, there are preventative measures that you can take to reduce the chances of an outbreak or limit the damage if one does happen. Here are a few top tips which you should be able to apply to any workplace to help prevent illnesses from spreading. 

Create a health-conscious environment

Your employees’ health should matter to you as an employer or business owner because good health is associated with useful traits such as more focus and energy. But while it is good for you if your employees have the ability to work harder for longer, it is important that they are not always expected to do so. 

Do not create an environment where employees are afraid to take time off if they are sick. The limited amount of work they are able to get done by powering through will be vastly outweighed by the trouble they will cause if they infect their colleagues.

Keep hygiene supplies stocked up

While most of your employees will probably be okay bringing their own tissues or a small bottle of hand-sanitizer, this will not be enough to keep your workplace as sterile as possible. They are almost certainly not going to bring their own disinfectant sprays and wipes, so the onus is on you to provide them.

You will also want to keep hand soap dispensers filled up in the bathrooms, and perhaps place some sanitizers near places that many colleagues touch, such as elevator buttons, light switches, and doorknobs. 

Keep the office clean   

Cash registers, keyboards, phones, tables, and practically anywhere else where people put their hands end up covered in germs by the end of the day. Make sure that your cleaning cart is well-stocked with appropriate disinfectant solutions for these items, and create a simple cleaning plan for your employees to follow each day if you do not have dedicated cleaning staff.

While daily cleaning is essential during flu season, you may be able to relax this schedule at other times of the year when an outbreak is less likely. 

Promote healthy habits

Reminding employees about the basics like washing their hands regularly and covering their mouths when they cough and sneeze is important because it actually does make a difference. To avoid seeming too patronizing, you could do this by including links to third-party advice in your emails rather than instructing them directly.

Conclusion

When it comes to preventing sickness in the workplace, there is no need for innovative cleaning solutions. The basics of avoiding contact with the sick, maintaining good hygiene, and disinfecting surfaces are all that is needed, but it is not always easy to get everybody on board with them. The tips above should help make sure that your team are, so that they stay healthy and your business experiences minimal disruption.

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