During the winter, temperatures drop and more people spend time indoors, increasing the spread of viruses that lead to illnesses ranging from bronchitis to pneumonia. Additionally, winter can have a negative impact on mental health, as the sun sets earlier and individuals have to navigate darker days.
While it may not be completely possible to prevent employees from getting sick, you can take measures as a business manager to create a safer and healthier workplace as cold weather arrives. Learn more about workplace strategies to combat flu season and protect your staff.
1. Maintain Clean Workspaces
Keeping the work area clean and sanitized is the best way to mitigate employee illness. Some of the dirtiest places in an office are the keyboards, coffee makers and elevator buttons. Here are three ideas to encourage employees to maintain a tidy space:
- Provide desk sanitizer and antibacterial wipes.
- Discourage eating at desks and create a single shared space for lunch breaks.
- Educate employees on how dirty daily use objects like cell phones and coffee machines can get without proper care.
Outsourcing facility cleaning services can help you maintain a clean workspace. This way, employees can focus on their primary job functions while a team of experts handles the rest. Seeking professional cleaning services is a smart business move that can help save money typically lost to reduced productivity and sick leave.
2. Encourage Healthier Eating
An excellent way for employees to stay healthy at work is by adopting healthier eating habits. A varied diet that is rich in macro- and micronutrients and probiotics can improve their productivity and help prevent the flu and colds by keeping the immune system strong. Here are some ways to encourage teams to eat healthier:
- Provide healthy meals at team meetings.
- Supply a staff fridge for employees’ healthy, homemade lunches.
- Offer healthy food and drink options if your business uses in-house catering.
- Restock staff fridges with healthy drinks like natural fruit juices instead of soda.
- Create a workplace policy regarding healthy food and beverages.
- Supply staff with free fruit.
- Provide a blender, juicer, and sandwich press in the staff kitchen so employees can make balanced lunches at work.
- Make sure there are low-calorie snacks and vitamin-rich drinks in on-site vending machines.
3. Focus on Mental Health
Mental health can significantly impact workers’ productivity and focus, especially during the gloomy winter months. In fact, research shows that emotions play a key role in influencing the chances of getting a cold or the flu and the symptoms an individual experiences when battling influenza.
The World Health Organization recommends that employers establish organizational interventions like flexible work arrangements to promote mental well-being. Here are some ideas for businesses to place more emphasis on mental health:
- Give employees more options for where, when, and how they work.
- Provide management with well-being and mental health training.
- Offer stress-relief workshops for employees.
- Implement effective inclusion and equity policies.
- Provide a consistently clean work environment to improve mood and productivity.
4. Encourage Staff to Avoid Cross-Contamination
Infections spread through the air and can provoke cross-contamination. Printers, keyboards, and phones can hold harmful contaminants and pose a risk for those who use them. Here are some ways to prevent this problem during the cold winter months:
- Provide hand sanitizer: Set up alcohol-based hand sanitizer stations around shared equipment spaces so employees can easily wash their hands before and after use.
- Use alternative greetings: A handshake is a typical greeting in many workplaces, but during flu season, it’s a quick way to spread germs. Opt for alternative greetings like a wave, fist bump or a simple “Hello.” Put up signs to remind employees that handshakes can help spread germs and encourage them to use the handwash stations.
- Offer disinfectants: Keep disinfectants and paper or cloth napkins on hand to encourage workers to spray and wipe down equipment after use.
- Prevent food sharing: Sharing food can spread germs, especially without proper handwashing. If the workplace provides lunches for workers, avoid finger foods or self-serve meals. Instead, offer individual portions in sealed lunchboxes.
5. Provide Protection from Winter Hazards
The winter brings snow, sleet, and ice that can cause serious falls and injuries to employees, making winter workplace safety just as important as cleaning and sanitizing. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, employers should clear snow and ice from walking surfaces to prevent dangerous slips.
There are many steps involved in removing these cold weather hazards. To keep walkways clear and employees safe, hiring efficient snow removal services during the winter months is best. Managers should also provide winter safety tips for employees, such as the importance of using slip-resistant footwear, walking in well-lit areas and looking out for slippery surface signs.
6. Encourage Sick Employees to Stay Home
Since the influenza virus mainly spreads by transmission of droplets when infected people talk, cough or sneeze, it can scatter rapidly in the work environment. As a result, employees should stay at home until they feel better. Encourage employees to use their sick leave or work from home if they’re sick.
7. Promote Physical Exercise
Regular exercise promotes physical health and overall well-being. It’s especially important for those working sedentary jobs. Staying fit during the winter can be challenging, but it’s essential for productivity, focus, and immune system health. Encourage employees to stay fit in the cold season through the following methods:
- Replace standard desks with standing desks.
- Encourage staff to use the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Suggest stand-up or walking meetings (on the spot or around the block).
- Encourage regular breaks throughout the day.
- Bring in a fitness coach or yoga instructor to run weekly workplace sessions.
- Gift or incentivize staff with gym memberships.
- Provide employees with wearable fitness trackers and have a competition.
Find Professional Cleaning Services at The Facilities Group
If you’re looking for professional janitorial services, snow removal and more, TFG has you covered. For more than 30 years, we’ve been helping companies across the United States maintain clean and safe workspaces. Our janitorial crew is well-equipped to keep your workspace immaculate, and our snow removal team uses state-of-the-art equipment to keep your business accessible and safe in the winter.
Our quarterly reviews and operations field management inspections ensure we consistently keep your space spotless. We also go above and beyond to provide thorough support and communication to keep your business informed. Contact us today to learn more and request our services!
