If businesses learned one thing during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s that illness spreads quickly if you don’t take some precautions. Use what you learned during the worst of the pandemic to help keep your workplace healthy and safe as we enter cold and flu season. And remember, COVID is still very much present in some communities.
Tip #1: Clean and Disinfect Regularly
Ask your commercial cleaning company or janitorial staff to increase cleaning and disinfecting of frequently touched surfaces such as sink faucets, toilet faucets, doorknobs, light switches, elevator buttons, etc.
Provide disinfecting wipes for employees to wipe down phones, keyboards, door handles and other objects after they use them. Provide hand sanitizer throughout your building for the use of employees and visitors.
And, if you purchased air purifiers during the worst of the pandemic, plug them in again during cold and flu season.
Tip #2: Set Up a Free Vaccine Clinic
If you have a larger office or company, consider setting up a free vaccine clinic at your work site. Partner with a local pharmacy such as Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, etc. Vaccines are completely covered by insurance, and by setting up the clinic onsite, you make it easy for employees to get whichever vaccines are appropriate for them. These include:
- Flu vaccine
- COVID-19 vaccines and boosters
- Pneumococcal vaccines
- Shingles vaccines
And make it clear to employees that getting any vaccine is voluntary, and is not required as a condition of employment. However, by increasing the percentage of your employees who are vaccinated, you can lessen the chance of severe illness.
Tip #3: Remind Employees and Customers to Stay Home When They’re Sick
This is a big one. If your company doesn’t offer paid time off, you’ll have employees coming to work sick. That means they spread their illness to other employees, and potentially to customers. Consider offering paid sick time if you don’t already. Anyone with a fever should stay home. It means they have an active infection, and need to rest to let their body fight it off.
If you run a medical facility, continue all of the screening questions before a patient/client is allowed to enter your premises.
No workplace can totally prevent employees from getting colds, the flu, or COVID. But there are things you can do to reduce the risk of an outbreak that forces you to shut down your business or hire temporary staff.
Get a FREE Quote for Commercial Cleaning Services You Can Count On
Whether you’re an office manager, facilities manager, or HR manager looking to keep your employees healthy and your business running smoothly, we would welcome the chance to give you a free quote for commercial cleaning and disinfecting services.
At our onsite visit, we’ll go over your needs and expectations, and come up with a plan tailored to your facility. We serve commercial clients of all kinds in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Harford County.
Call (410) 618-4527 or fill out the Get a Quote form to get started!
