Whether you're an employee or an employer, you will want to be as prepared as possible at the office for when cold and flu season hits. Today’s blog will cover some tips and strategies that you can start using today in order to be prepared for and (with any luck) stay ahead of cold and flu season. 

Promote Hand Hygiene

The first line of defense against diseases like colds, flu, and COVID is going to be your hands. Having employees keep their hands regularly sanitized is going to be a must. But, it goes beyond just asking employees to do so. It helps if you are able to provide hand sanitizer that people can keep at their desks and to have in high-traffic public places around the office like the breakroom, bathrooms, and conference rooms. 

Encourage Sick Employees to Stay Home

Yes, it can seem like a productivity hit to encourage your employees to either work from home or to stay out of the office completely if they feel they are coming down with something, but it is better than that one person giving the flu or COVID to the whole office and have everyone out sick for a week. 

Disinfect Common Areas Regularly

This can be done by management or by individuals, but it is important to ensure that it is being done. After every conference room meeting and after every lunch hour, those high traffic areas should be disinfected as thoroughly as possible to avoid any germs from lingering and spreading to the next team to occupy that space. It helps to have a signup sheet at the door or near the entrance area.

Improve Air Quality

Since most of the diseases faced in cold and flu season are primarily spread throughout the air, it helps to take steps to improve the safety and quality of the air in your office. If possible, take steps to help improve air filtration and ventilation systems in the office. Upgrade your building’s HVAC filters and ensure that the systems are well-maintained and not infected with mold or mildew themselves which can cause sicknesses of their own. Barring that, you can also place air purifiers in highly populated and used areas like break rooms and conference rooms which can reduce the chance of infection spreading. 

Encourage Healthy Habits

Consider starting an office-wide “wellness initiative” that can help to educate employees on sanitization, hygiene, and other helpful ways to combat the spread of infections. 

Communicate Preventive Measures

To help give your employees valuable peace of mind, you might want to consider sending out a weekly or bi-monthly email blast that covers exactly what you are doing to help curb the spread of illnesses in the workplace. Also let them know how they can take steps on their own to help reduce the impact of infections. 

For The Road

Getting your office ready for cold and flu season is no small feat, but with a little preparation you can be ready for anything that comes your way this year. Contact us if you or someone you know may be in need of a residential or commercial cleaning service like ours. We can’t wait to hear from you. Give us a call or email us here. Have fun and stay safe out there!