The workplace is a hotbed of germs, and those disease-causing organisms are easily spread as people interact with co-workers and clients.
While you can never eliminate all the germs from your workplace, there are steps you can take to reduce their number, thereby decreasing the number of sick employees, reducing costs and increasing productivity, says Marty Hauser, president of SummaCare, Inc.
Smart Business spoke with Hauser about the simple and inexpensive things you can do to help keep your employees healthy while at work.
What can employers do to encourage their employees to stay healthy?
Study after study shows that washing your hands is a highly effective method of reducing the spread of the viruses and bacteria that can cause illness. But to be effective, it must be done regularly and in the right way.
Because germs can live on surfaces for up to 48 hours, employers should encourage employees to wash their hands several times a day, especially before eating, after using the restroom, after coughing, sneezing or blowing their noses, after using shared office equipment such as the fax machine and copier, and before and after meetings at which they shake hands.
Employees should be encouraged to use soap and water and wash for a minimum of 15 to 20 seconds, according to recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control. For workers unable to leave their workstations or those out in the field, sanitizing hand gels with a minimum alcohol concentration of 60 percent can provide an effective alternative.
In addition, employers should encourage sick employees to stay at home. Having one employee out for a week is better than having that person infect the rest of your staff and cause even more people to be out of the office or working at less than full capacity.
Can an employer mandate that employees get flu shots?
While most employers can’t make employees get flu shots, they should encourage them to do so. Start by educating employees on the benefits of being vaccinated and post information about the shots in prominent places in the workplace.
To further encourage vaccinations, employers can subsidize the cost of the vaccines or host an on-site flu clinic, as the more convenient it is, the more likely employees are to get vaccinated. The employer will be repaid the cost of the clinic several times over because employees won’t be missing work or underperforming as a result of illness.
What can employees do to help prevent the spread of germs?
People think they’re being sanitary when they cover their mouths to prevent releasing germs into the air when they sneeze. But that simply transfers the germs to their hands, where they can then be spread onto everything they touch.
Using a tissue and immediately disposing of it is the best option. If no tissues are available, encourage employees to sneeze into their sleeves, which can significantly reduce the spread of germs.
