The common cold and influenza are among the largest contributors to employee absenteeism, loss of productivity, and employee morale issues. Fortunately, mitigating the effects of the season is possible with the right health and hygiene practices and a little help from your commercial cleaning company. Proper health etiquette and detailed knowledge of how bacteria spread around your facility can go a long way to helping keep your employees healthy and happy. Here are 5 ways to keep the flu out of your office or facility:
1 – Clean and Disinfect Regularly
The flu can spread when people touch infected surfaces and then touch their eyes, mouth, or nose. However, flu viruses are fairly easy to kill when using appropriate products as part of the cleaning and disinfecting process, but it must be done regularly, especially during flu season. Remember to always remove visible soil from surfaces, followed by targeted disinfecting.
2 – Encourage Clean Hands
In addition to sanitizing the office regularly, encourage people to keep their hands clean by keeping all soap dispensers filled with enough soap to last the day. To prevent the spread of the flu, it’s important to have enough soap sinks in the kitchen and in the dispensers in the bathroom.
3 – Identify and Clean Hotspots
Know what the main contact points are in your facility and aim to clean them three times a day. While bacterial hotspots differ from place to place, this includes restrooms, breakrooms, cafeterias, desks, floors, and more.
Being diligent in keeping areas clean and with as little risk of exposure to germs is the main goal of regular, systematic office cleaning. During flu season, we all must take an active, and even proactive role in ensuring the spread of germs is at a minimum.
4 – Encourage the Use of Sick Days
This may seem a bit counterproductive when we are talking about keeping performance high but encouraging employees who are sick to stay home. When employees are at the peak of their symptoms, they are not very productive, and worse, they can spread their germs to others, creating a domino effect of absences due to illness.
In addition to encouraging appropriate use of sick days, share information about signs of the flu and colds, as well as how to prevent them. Post signs and use memos to stress the importance of hand-washing, offer a flu vaccine clinic, and/or install hand sanitation stations. Being proactive and providing education and reminders can help staff to stay well.
5 – Consider Hiring
Minimizing the spread of germs in a commercial facility can be a taxing job. Consider hiring proper janitorial cleaning services to make sure that it is receiving the cleaning it needs to prevent people from getting sick.
North Hills Facility Services, Inc serves the Metropolitan New York area with all professional office cleaning services. Whether you need a one-and-done cleaning, or regular, ongoing cleaning, Our range of services allows you to obtain the cleanliness and sanitization you require for your office space to reduce the spread of germs and disease.
Call today to schedule your free quote at (516) 364-2800.
References:
Scott Kaplan, Executive Vice President at North Hills Facility Services (NHFS), and Brett Kaplan, Director of Business Development, bring a strategic blend of operational expertise and financial insight to their family business. With Scott’s leadership in driving growth and innovation, and Brett’s background in investment banking enhancing NHFS’s client-focused expansion, the Kaplan brothers work together to ensure high-quality, proactive solutions in facility services. Their combined vision keeps NHFS at the forefront of industry standards and client satisfaction.
