This is the time of the year when more than holiday snacks are getting passed around the office.
It’s prime cold and flu season. And speaking of snacks, did that co-worker with the sniffles just dip his hand way down into the caramel popcorn tin? Arrghhh.
For germs and viruses, it’s truly a winter wonderland. We’re all spending a lot of time indoors. We’re sharing food. And, with staffs thin at many companies, there’s pressure to show up for work no matter how bad you feel.
In the U.S. alone, companies lose $1,685 per employee a year from calling in sick or coming to work sick and being unable to perform at their normal pace, according to a Kimberly-Clark report. Altogether, such absenteeism costs businesses $74 billion a year.
Make no mistake: Health experts want to bust the myth that you’re being a hero by showing up sick. Yet, that’s what 59 percent of people do, the Kimberly-Clark study shows.
“There are several problems with this behavior,” Sarah Elneser, D.O., a physician at Utica Park Clinic in Jenks, Okla., said in a telephone interview.
“First, you will be less productive. Second, you risk getting others sick. And third, it will take you longer to begin feeling better.”
Employees often feel they will get in trouble if they don’t work through colds or the flu, but educated managers won’t want an ill staff member around, Elneser said.
“Businesses need to make sure workers know they should not come in,” the physician said.
Here are some of tips:
– Cough or sneeze into a tissue or, if you have to, your elbow, not your hands.
– Clean your desktop and office door handles regularly with disinfectant.
– Use an alcohol wipe for phones that are used by more than one person.
– Wash your hands after touching elevator buttons, stair rails or escalator arms.
– Use a tissue or the edge of your sleeve or shirt to open doors.
Source: Tulsa World
Finding germs
Where are the germs lurking in the office?
– 75 percent of break-room faucet handles.
– 48 percent of microwave handles.
– 27 percent of keyboards.
– 26 percent of refrigerator handles.
– 23 percent of water fountain buttons.
– 21 percent of vending machine buttons.
