How can keeping a clean workspace help reduce the risk of illness?
Frequently wiping down surfaces in your workspace with disinfectant and paper towels can help kill germs and viruses that may be lurking. It’s also important to keep your keyboard, phone and mouse clean, especially if you are not the only one using those items.
Communal items such as the fax and copy machines can also harbor infections and should be cleaned frequently, which has the added benefit of increasing the lifespan of the equipment. However, touching even clean equipment can result in illness if the person who used it previously was infected, so employees should avoid touching their faces until they’ve had the chance to wash their hands.
What are some other tips for lessening the chance that employees will get sick at work?
- Educate employees about the danger of sharing food, utensils or cups.
- Use paper towels to turn the water on and off in the restroom to avoid touching potentially contaminated knobs.
- Consider alternatives to shaking hands when greeting people.
- Discourage employees from eating at their desks, which often harbor more germs than anywhere else in the office.
- Remind employees to keep pens and pencils out of their mouths, as these items can contain a high concentration of germs.
- Use paper towels and soap to wash dishes, as sponges and cloth towels retain germs. Dry items with a paper towel before putting them away to avoid leaving them on a potentially contaminated counter surface.
- Encourage employees not to come to work if ill.
- Clean out the refrigerator once a week to discourage the growth of bacteria.
- Make sure your cleaning staff is using products that kill germs.
- Provide hand sanitizer and tissues at locations in your office that experience high traffic, such as lobbies, meeting rooms and lunch rooms.
What are the benefits of promoting a healthier workplace?
Healthy employees are happier, more productive and perform better than those who aren’t feeling well. Healthy workplaces also have higher morale, a lower incidence of absenteeism and fewer injuries, accidents and workers’ compensation claims. And fewer illnesses can mean lower health insurance claims, as well.
In the end, the cost of doing nothing is much higher than the cost of taking a few simple steps to help your employees stay healthy.
MARTY HAUSER is the president of SummaCare, Inc., a provider-owned health plan located in Akron, Ohio. SummaCare offers a full line of health plans and ancillary products. Through its extensive network of more than 7,000 providers and over 50 hospitals, SummaCare offers coverage to more than 115,000 members throughout northern Ohio. Reach him at [email protected].
