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Flu Prevention In The Workplace

Flu season can be difficult to navigate in the workplace. Flu prevention can sometimes feel impossible. Even if you have a flu shot, you are still exposed to millions of bacteria on almost every surface you touch at your office. In a University of Arizona Study, researchers found that there are almost 400 times more bacteria on desktop keyboards than there are on toilet seats. Many people don’t realize how quickly bacteria infect nearly every surface of an office. If one person is infected with a flu virus or other pathogen, within four hours 40 percent of the workplace will be contaminated.

Flu season doesn’t have to take you or your workforce down. By learning proper disinfecting and cleaning techniques, you can help prevent the flu from running amok in your office. Hiring a professional cleaning service like 1st Call Cleaning will also help reduce contamination and increase the health and safety of your workers. If you own a business in San Antonio, consider hiring 1st Call Cleaning for all of your commercial cleaning services. Our skilled and experienced staff will clean your office and give you and your coworkers peace of mind this flu season.

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Cleaning Tips For Flu Season

If you want to proactively protect your office from the flu, it is important to make sanitizers and disinfectant wipes available around the office. If you make access to these products easy, employees will be more likely to actually use them to disinfectant their personal workspaces. If your workers utilize disinfectant protocol, then items like keyboards and phones won’t harbor as many bacteria.

If your employees are keeping their personal areas clean, then when they go to public-use areas in the office, they are less likely to transport large swaths of germs and viruses. Items like coffee pots, refrigerator door handles, and water faucet handles will have reduced germs and viruses on them if each individual takes precautionary measure. Just remember, the office is only as clean as its dirtiest person.

Flu Prevention Education

It may be advantageous to hold a meeting or send information from the CDC about flu season in a company-wide memo. Many office employees don’t necessarily understand how contagious flu viruses can be, so a little information can go a long way. By informing your employees about flu season, you can potentially cut down on sick days in the office. If you also post reminders about hand washing after being in public areas like a break room or a bathroom, employees will also be more likely to wash their hands, thus cutting down on infections.

Other Flu Prevention Measures

Besides getting a flu shot, it is important to encourage workers to stay home if they are exhibiting signs of having the flu. If an employee comes into work with the flu, they expose everyone else who doesn’t have a flu shot to the flu, and the virus can linger on workspaces well after the employee has left. Be sure to let your employees know you would rather have them miss a couple days of work than get the entire office sick.

When flu season flourishes, it is typically during the dead of winter. While it is important to celebrate the holidays in the office, so you can have periodic morale boosters during the short winter days, these office celebrations can lead to harmful bacteria and virus exposure. Any time employees congregate to share food or drink, strict precautions should be taken. Make sure that you use clean serving utensils as well as direct your employees to wash their hands before eating. It might seem extreme, but this will prevent any flu outbreaks from occurring.

If you want to make sure that your office is thoroughly cleaned to prevent any flu viruses from lurking on surfaces, be sure to hire a reliable commercial cleaning company like 1st Call Cleaners in San Antonio. We ensure that carpets and surfaces are properly cleaned. We know that even if something looks clean, it may still hold a plethora of bacteria. Flu season can decrease productivity, but it doesn’t have to. If you have a business in San Antonio, be sure to call 1st Call Cleaners at 210-504-3415 or visit our website for more information!