Safeguarding the Workplace As the Winter Bugs Set In

While we are all getting festive during the Winter months, Bacteria which harbours the common cold, flu and potentially more harmful illnesses are just preparing to thrive. Whether business is beginning to wind down for Christmas or it is in fact the busy season, it’s integral to keep staff fit and healthy so that productivity is not hampered significantly. Protecting against any infection whatsoever is obviously unattainable, but introducing safeguards from the start and aiming to prevent the spread of any illness can stop an outbreak which could potentially grind the business to a halt. From simple solutions such as making tissues and anti-bacterial soap available to integrating more intricate mechanisms into the design of your office, there are a variety of options available which can be used to keep employees in peak condition during the festive season.

1. Starting Small

Preventing illnesses from spreading stems back to what you were probably told as a child all those years ago. Tissues and covering the mouth when sneezing is a great starting point to stopping bacteria from spreading in the office. While no incentive you could introduce will force people to remember to abide, it always helps when tissues are provided and necessary information is laid out which informs employees of how to the keep the space clean. Generally, the problem is easier to address in smaller spaces, as the early onset of any cold or flu can be identified; so in larger offices, it can be necessary to introduce anti-bacterial soaps and gels. Again, you cannot hope to force everyone to abide, but having these available at key points in the office can provide ample opportunity for employees to clean their hands when they require.

2. Eating Healthily

Sounds fairly rudimental at this point, however eating a balanced diet is more important than ever during winter. As our immune systems become weakened by the cold weather, we gradually become more susceptible to the effects of the elements. While the immune system in general can be left to its own devices; boosting it with a fresh supply of fruits and vegetables can help to make it more effective when protecting against invasive bacteria. Encouraging all employees to lead a healthy lifestyle throughout the year is always encouraged, but regardless of whether you have a scheme in place or not, it can be beneficial simply to lay out a bowl of fresh fruit which employees can use to keep them going throughout the day.

3. Attacking the Areas Where Bacteria Likes to Hide

Anti-bacterial surfaces can be a wonderful thing in the fight against bacteria. The reason being, rather than trying to fight the bacteria, they instead create conditions which do not allow the bacteria to grow. So even if a nasty strain is released into the office, if it lands on an anti-bacterial surface, then it will not be able to spread, grow and potentially infect one of your employees. Now, applying this everywhere would be a very costly investment, so instead, applying it to select areas where bacteria is likely to head is a great way of addressing the bacteria at the source. For example, implementing anti-bacterial fabric into Safeguard Office Partitions helps to provide unsustainable environments for bacteria across your office.

4. Addressing the Nooks and Crannies

As bacteria cannot be seen by the naked eye, it can hide pretty much anywhere. But thanks to some testing done over the years, we do know the places in the office where it often can be found. Telephones and keyboards are renowned hotspots for where bacteria can thrive and keeping them clean can prevent unnecessary colds and flu cases from being contracted. Whether you have a cleaner in house or require staff to do this themselves, provision of anti-bacteriaal wipes is a quick and effective way of keeping these clean.

With all of these provisions in place, you can hope to start protecting the office against the spread of nasty bacteria. By reducing the number of illnesses contracted as well as the amount of Sick Days taken, it is possible to keep productivity at an effective level throughout the festive period. As well as the practical benefits, its also an ideal way of keeping morale up, especially as we move towards the end of the year.

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