It’s that time of the year when the flu season comes into full swing, and business owners are having to deal with more and more instances of staff absence due to this annual winter bug.
The chances are, your workplace is already full of coughs, sneezes and throat clearing at the moment. Colds and flu were in fact rampant last year, and 2019 is not likely to fare any better. And let’s hope the UK escapes the Australian flu that caused many thousands of British workers to call in sick and spend days with their heads under the blankets in 2018.
To avoid unmanageable instances of absence, keeping your workplace as germ-free as possible should be a major priority for any employer. The health and safety of your staff is your responsibility, after all. But it’s not just maintaining standards which is important; keeping your workforce healthy, productive and on the job is a prime concern for any business, so reducing sick leave is paramount.
How to become more hygienic
If you want to keep your staff as healthy as possible during flu season, implementing policies that prevent unwell colleagues from coming in (even if they’re on a tight deadline) is very important. What’s one missed day compared to a month of absences?
But good health policies aren’t the only steps you can take to keep your workplace off the sick bed. There are lots of small, practical steps you can take to help cut down on the spread of germs.
The team at JDK Cleaning has come up with the following guidelines to help business owners battle the germs in their workplace:
Keep the kitchen clean
The kitchen is the place where hands and mouths come into the most contact. If you’re preparing lunch in the microwave, you may leave a used spoon on the side while your meal heats. After multiple uses, this area quickly becomes a hotbed of different germs. If one person is carrying anything nasty, it could very quickly spread from your workplace kitchen.
Ensure antibacterial surface wipes are readily available and encourage staff to wipe down any surface or equipment they use immediately. You should also make sure that the kitchen is properly cleaned at the end of each day including microwaves, fridges and coffee machines as well as sinks and surfaces.
Wipe down keyboards
We all know that our hands are one of the worst offenders when it comes to collecting and spreading germs, so it makes sense that keyboards are often full of nastiness. Encourage staff to wipe their keyboards with an antibacterial wipe after use and arrange for regular deep cleans of this “everyday technology” to keep surfaces as germ free as possible – especially in workplaces where equipment is shared.
Cleaning desks and all computer equipment should also be carried out regularly and at least weekly.
Keep bathrooms spotless
The bathroom is another hot spot for germ transmission, so arranging a daily clean of these areas is very important, especially when it comes to things like taps and door handles. Ensuring hygienic equipment such as sanitary bins, antibacterial soap and surface wipes are well stocked in your bathrooms will help staff keep spaces germ-free themselves, but professional cleaning is essential to removing all traces.
Hygiene Health Check
If you’re concerned with the hygiene standards in your workplace, then it may be time for a cleaning health check. JDK Cleaning can visit your premises and give you an overview of your hygiene and related cleaning processes. We also offer regular weekly cleans through to one-off deep cleans through our specialist commercial cleaning service.
Let us help you to keep the flu at bay this January. Just give us a call and we can fix it all.
