4 Ways to Keep Your Office Flu-Free - InteGrand
Each year, the flu leads to workers missing 111 million days from work. The lower productivity levels that these absences cause result in businesses losing about $7 billion a year. If you are like most Minneapolis area business owners, finding a way to reduce the amount of sick time you and your employees have is essential. Focusing on keeping your office place flu-free is a great way to keep productivity levels high all year long. Read below to find out about some of the things you need to do to keep your office space germ-free this year.
Encourage Employees to Get Vaccinated
Many of the larger corporations in the United States make a habit of sending their employees reminders about getting vaccinated for the flu. There are a number of clinics that will actually set up a day to come to a business and give these vaccinations to the employees. If you cannot find a doctor’s office who can provide this service, you will need to give employees information regarding where they can go to get their flu shot. While suggesting that employees get this vaccination, demanding that they get one is against the law. Be sure you are careful when wording the announcements that you make about flu vaccinations in order to avoid problems.
You Should Set an Example
Setting sick policies that you don’t follow is a bad idea. Your employees look to you to be the example of what is acceptable in the workplace. If your workers see you coming into work when you are clearly sick, they will usually do the same thing. When employees come into work when they are sick and contagious, it is only a matter of time before the flu takes over your workspace. If you have a policy in place that workers need to stay at home when running a fever, you have to abide by these guidelines as well. Encourage employees to take a sick day if needed and make sure they know they won’t get in trouble.
Clean Hands are Your Friend When Trying to Combat the Flu
There are a variety of scientific studies that show washing your hands is the most effective way to prevent the spread of illnesses. Posting signs around your office space about the importance of hand washing is a good idea. If employees are constantly reminded about washing their hands, they are more apt to do it on a consistent basis. You can always provide each employee with their own desk hand sanitizer. This makes it easy to continuously sanitize throughout the day.
Have a Contingency Plan in Place
Creating a plan about how to deal with increased sick days before they actually happen is a great idea. Providing sick employees with the opportunity to work remotely is essential. If an employee is feeling up to working, providing them with the tools they need to get their work done at home is a great way to decrease productivity problems.
While fighting the effects of flu season may be difficult, it is well worth the effort you invest. Let InteGrand handle your office supply needs while you attack the flu problem head-on. Contact us today to find out more about the products we carry.
