As outdoor temperatures rise and the grass becomes greener, everyone starts to relax. After all, another flu season has passed. When spring and summer come, it is easy to forget about germs. But germs don’t just disappear.
- Did you know that a typical telephone hosts 25,123 germs on a spot the size of a postage stamp?
- Would you pick up the phone if you knew that over 1400 bacteria thrive on just the mouthpiece?
But these aren’t the only places germs abound. Computer keyboards, doorknobs, and light sockets are contaminated with hundreds of microbes that make us sick. However, it does not have to be that way.
There is proof that when businesses get rid of germs, people stay well. After Air New Zealand began sanitizing their telephones and computers, their absenteeism and sick days improved by 52%. Smart business people know that cleanliness saves money.
There are several economical measures you can take as a manager or owner to keep your company staff productive and healthy. The steps are not difficult, but they do require reminders and simple systems. Keeping the office healthy hinges on the efforts of both the office staff and the janitorial services of professionals.
Personal Measures That Bring Safety
An uncovered cough can bring your office to a standstill within days. Everyone in a business needs to be taught how germs spread and how to avoid contamination.
- Encourage employees to wash their hands often
- Put bottles of hand sanitizer on desks, by doors, and in the restroom.
- Teach people to keep their hands away from their eyes, mouth, and nose.
- Encourage people to use tissue to cover their cough or sneeze.
- Used tissues should be discarded immediately in a wastebasket and not a drawer.
- The wastebaskets need to be emptied daily.
- Minimize face-to-face contact with people, especially those who are sick.
- Encourage telecommuting where possible.
Janitorial Services That Insure a Healthy Office
Viruses, fungus, and bacteria grow almost everywhere. Door handles, telephones, and chairs become especially grungy. But how many businesses really sanitize?
Mundane cleaning tasks are easy to overlook and often go undone. Investing in an office cleaning service helps businesses remain productive and healthy. When you hire a commercial cleaning company, ask about the proven methods and checklists they use. Insist on a safe electronic cleaner. In addition, confirm that they will sanitize:
- telephones, copy machines, fax machines, calculators,
- desk tops, desk handles, filing cabinet drawers, cabinet doors,
- doorknobs, light switches, push plates, door posts,
- sink knobs, soap dispensers, water taps, hand dryers,
- toilet handles, toilet paper dispensers, bathroom stall handles,
- refrigerator handles, microwave ovens, table tops, cabinet tops,
- and any other area people’s fingers touch.
Ask your commercial cleaning vendor to thoroughly disinfect your work area several times a year and then to follow a regular schedule of maintenance. You may want them to sanitize daily, monthly, or three times a week. It may seem like wasted effort, but remember how much money the airline saved once it began sanitizing work areas.
You also need to have an ample supply of preventive supplies on hand. Make sure to stock:
- tissues for each desk and sitting area,
- soap,
- hand drying supplies,
- bottles of sanitizer, and
- anti-bacterial towels.
Here is an easy tip. Disinfecting wipes can reduce bacteria and germs by 99% on commonly touched office equipment and phones. Keep them handy and encourage their use.
A clean workspace is everyone’s responsibility. Keep your company healthy, happy, and productive by keeping microbes at bay. So what do smart people know? They know that daily maintenance keeps unseen germs from wreaking havoc on profitability. Pass the wipes, please.
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