The office is a place of work and focus however if you knew how many germs you were surrounded by would you be able to concentrate as much? You may rarely even consider cleaning your desk space as most business owners simply pay attention to only basic office cleaning chores such as a quick floor vacuum and basic washroom maintenance. COVID-19 has caused many offices to close for a period of time sending their workers home and therefore employees need to apply this to their home office space.
Whether your offices are still open, preparing for a re-open or if you’re working for home thorough and effective cleaning needs to become a daily habit. Whilst you may not get back to the office for a while, it won’t disappear forever and this is the time to work out what hygiene practices need to be put into placeto minimse the spread of harmful bacteria and keep your team safe. If you’re a business owner, your employee’s health should be the number one priority to keep them well and productive.
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The Importance of Good Office Hygiene
It’s often surprising to learn that the office can hold a few dirty secrets when it comes to hygiene. Whilst the office might look clean, the handsets, keyboards, water-coolers and door handles can be covered in high levels of bacteria that spread germs and illnesses. Whenever the UK returns to a more normal ways of working (whenever that may be), we need to be sure germ hotspots have been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected to in order to prevent further spread of infection.
With the world currently in a limbo situation, some offices are closed for the time being, some are slowly preparing to reopen, and some are still running with fewer business employees in at one time. By keeping your premises clean and safe, whilst also encouraging good personal hygiene and hand hygiene, the threats from coughs, colds, flu, coronavirus and other sick bugs can all be kept to a minimum and from employee to employee high standards of office hygiene can help reduce sick days and increase productivity.
Research including a 2010 study from The Work Foundation have shown that almost 50% of employees will come to the office despite feeling ill and displaying symptoms. The Work Foundation warned that “sickness presence” could in fact being costing more sickness absence because organisations were unaware of the hidden costs and under-estimated levels of employee illness. If you have any symptoms of any virus including covid-19 or don’t feel quite right it’s absolutely vital you refrain from going into your offices if it’s still open, stay home away from any contact with others.
So How Can Employees Protect Themselves and Their Colleagues?
Simple, effective products such as Citron Hygiene’s Desk & Equipment Wipes can reduce bacteria from employees’ immediate work areas such as desks, computer keyboards, computer mouse’s and headsets. In fact, a workplace study showed that when office workers were told to regularly clean their desks with disinfecting wipes, bacteria levels fell by 99%.
Companies can also help protect themselves by encouraging staff to stay away from the office if they are feeling unwell and only to return when the infectious stages of their illness has passed. That might be easier said than done, especially when staff feel under pressure to come in. But when you consider there are over 200 viruses alone that cause the common cold , it makes good business sense to help staff keep fit and well during this pandemic.
Employee Wellness During a Global Pandemic
If your business has gone totally remote, it’s important to encourage staff to stay healthy whilst working from home. In order for your business to keep running at maximum ability your employees need to be focused and productive. Especially during a difficult time, employee wellness matters the most and can be the difference between your business standing strong at the end of this or perhaps not standing at all.
Know the Difference Between Cleaning & Disinfecting
You may be cleaning your office spaces but are you disinfecting? There is a distinct difference between the two: cleaning removes germs, dirt and impurities from surfaces and objects lowering the risk of spreading infection whereas disinfecting kill germs and works by using chemicals. Disinfecting can even further lower the risk of spreading infection after cleaning. They work hand in hand and together can play a huge part in preventing infectious diseases from spreading in your offices.
To protect your staff and visitors and to ensure a safe space, we can help with our professional fogging services; Citron Sani-Defence. A highly effective virucide is fogged onto surfaces, equipment and areas throughout your offices and delivers 99.99% disinfecting ability.
Reduce the Spread of Infection with Citron Hygiene
Whether your offices are preparing for a re-open or are open already, Citron Hygiene can help you to minimise the spread of infection and keep your employees and visitors safe with our range of hygiene solutions.
To further support workplaces, we also have a range of services to help you get back to business successfully. To enquire about any of Citron Hygiene’s services get in touch with our team.
References:
1. BBC News Report ‘Lifting the lid on computer filth’ based on study by University of Arizona 2004)
