The leaves are changing color, the air is getting colder, and that means one thing: cold and flu season is coming.
For business owners and facility managers, this can be a particularly challenging time.
Employees may start calling in sick, and your office may begin to feel like a petri dish.
But don’t worry! There are things you can do to prepare for cold and flu season and keep your office running smoothly.
In this blog post, we will discuss some tips on how to do just that.
Encourage Sick Employees to Stay Home
One of the most important things you can do to prepare for cold and flu season is to encourage sick employees to stay home. I know, it’s probably not what you want to hear but trust me, it’s better for everyone in the long run.
When employees come into the office sick, they not only risk making others sick, but they also tend to be less productive.
Now, in a perfect world, all of your employees would listen to you and stay home when they’re sick but unfortunately, that’s not always the case.
So what can you do to prevent the over-eager (or just plain stubborn) employees from coming in and infecting the whole office?
One way is to have a policy in place that requires employees to stay home for at least 24 hours after their last fever.
Another way is to provide extra sick days or allow employees to work from home when they’re sick.
This way, employees won’t feel like they have to come into the office when they’re not feeling well and will have the option to rest and recover or work from home if they desire.
Recommend Employees Get Flu Shots
In addition to encouraging sick employees to stay home, it’s also a good idea to recommend that healthy employees get flu shots.
This can be especially important if you work in a place where there are lots of people coming and going, like a school or hospital.
The flu vaccine can help protect your employees from getting the flu, which means they’re less likely to get sick and need to miss work.
Plus, it’s a simple way for you to show your employees that you care about their well-being and want to keep them healthy and productive.
Frequently Sanitize Shared Spaces
Another way to help prevent the spread of illness in your office is to frequently sanitize shared spaces.
This includes door handles, light switches, desks, countertops, elevator buttons, and any other surfaces that multiple people touch on a daily basis.
You can either do this yourself or hire a professional cleaning company to do it for you.
Either way, make sure these areas are being cleaned on a regular basis, preferably multiple times per day.
You should also place hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes in strategic locations around the office, such as near the entrance, in the break room, and in any common areas.
This will encourage employees to clean their hands and workspaces often, which will help prevent the spread of germs.
Encourage Good Hygiene Practices
In addition to cleaning shared spaces, you should also encourage good hygiene practices among your employees.
This includes things like washing hands often, covering coughs and sneezes, and avoiding touching their face.
To be fair, your employees are adults and don’t need you to remind them to do these things, however, it doesn’t hurt to send out a reminder email or post a sign in the break room just to keep these things top of mind.
Schedule a Professional Deep Cleaning
Finally, one of the best things you can do to prepare for cold and flu season is to schedule a professional deep cleaning.
This goes beyond just sanitizing shared spaces – a professional deep cleaning will clean all surfaces, carpets, and upholstery in your office.
It’s a good idea to do this at the beginning of cold and flu season, and then again periodically throughout the season.
This will help ensure that your office is as clean as possible, and help reduce the spread of germs.
So, there you have it!
By following the tips above, you can help prevent the spread of illness in your office and keep your employees healthy and productive.
What are some other things you do to prepare for cold and flu season in your office? Share your tips in the comments below!
