Office Cleaning Tips: Stop the Flu Virus in its Tracks

It’s the time of year that business owners dread! That’s right, flu season is officially upon us and, with several new strains having gained notoriety in recent weeks, companies throughout the UK are set to lose millions because of staff taking time off due to illness.

What, though, can you do to prevent this? The good news is that by implementing a few simple changes, you can significantly reduce the likelihood of a workplace pandemic. Here are Mercury Cleaning Solutions’ top tips:

Install hand sanitizer dispensers

By installing hand sanitizer dispensers and actively encouraging your employees to use them, you’ll significantly reduce the circulation of all kinds of germs.

Just think of the ease with which any virus can proliferate when it is spread by something as seemingly innocuous as an employee using a piece of communal office equipment. This can be avoided by installing these inexpensive dispensers.

Keep communal equipment clean

Hand sanitizer will go a long way but germs are resilient so we’d recommend a belt and braces approach as far as communal equipment goes.

So, keep some anti-bacterial wipes near equipment like printers, telephones or anything else that is shared by several members of staff and request that they clean the equipment after using it.

Maintain your air conditioner

Air conditioners can greatly contribute to staff comfort which, as we all know, is proven to increase employee satisfaction and productivity. Fail to maintain your air conditioners, though, and they can become a breeding ground for all kinds of bacteria. As this will then be distributed around your office, a poorly maintained air conditioning system could be severely restricting productivity by making your staff ill.

For this reason, we recommend having your air conditioning system cleaned and serviced twice a year, with one of these services taking place just before the flu season begins in December.

Check your company’s culture

In today’s hectic and often stressful world, employees regularly feel like they can’t justify taking time off work – even when they’re ill.

On the face of things, this may seem like great news: who wouldn’t want employees so dedicated that they’re willing to work through illness, but it’s often a false economy.

Firstly, a member of staff that’s feeling under the weather is bound to be less productive. Secondly, they’ll be infectious meaning that other members of staff (particularly those who work within close proximity of them) are likely to get sick too.

So, one ill member of staff choosing to attend work rather than staying at home is going to do more harm than good. Make sure that your staff know that, if they are unwell, it is in both their and the company’s best interests that they focus on resting until they are fully recovered.

Hire a commercial cleaner

By maintaining a clean working environment, you’ll significantly reduce staff sickness. This will, of course, have a positive and significant effect on your bottom line so, if your business is based in Nottingham, Mansfield, Derby, Chesterfield or any of the surrounding areas, get in touch with A1 Cleaning Solutions today.