Flu season is quickly approaching. It’s important that your office is taking the right steps to provide a safe and healthy environment for employees.
Preparing Your Office for Flu Season
Here are some tips for preventing the spread of flu in the workplace:
1. Enforce hand hygiene.
Hand hygiene is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of viruses. Encourage employees to wash their hands often to remove germs. Hand sanitizer stations remind employees to maintain good hand hygiene habits throughout the workday.
2. Clean shared surfaces often.
Encourage employees to wipe down their desks, computer keyboards, and any shared workspaces before they leave each day. Set up sanitizing wipes dispensers near concentrated workstations to provide employees with easy access to antibacterial wipes.
3. Distance employees from one another.
Provide a reasonable amount of space between employee workstations to limit the spread of germs. Place floor markers throughout your building to remind employees to keep their distance from one another. If your employees’ desks are close together, set up protective shields to provide a barrier between them.
4. Provide flexible working accommodations.
Flexible leave policies and remote work permission can greatly reduce the spread of flu at your workplace. If an employee is sick, but still able to work, give them the option to work from home to avoid spreading sickness to other employees and maintain productivity. Flexible leave policies also allow for employees to return home to care for ill children or household members.
5. Review your sick policy.
Before flu season begins, employers should communicate their sick-leave policies and practices to employees. Advise workers to stay home if they feel ill until at least 24 hours after their fever is gone to prevent the spread of flu. Prepare a sick-leave plan with your employees to ensure a smooth workflow when employees are not present due to illness.
