Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is a respiratory illness that’s contagious and caused by the influenza A or B viruses. Common flu symptoms are high fevers, fatigue, weakness, and body aches. These symptoms show themselves between one to four days after contracting the virus.
As stated, the flu is contagious. It spreads on the inhalation of air contaminated with the virus. You’ll also get the flu by touch if you get in contact with surfaces with the virus and end up touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
Unfortunately, the flu can progress to more serious illnesses like pneumonia. Hence, the best way to handle it is to protect yourself from contracting it.
How will you prevent flu contamination in the workplace, considering you must go to work during the flu season? Here are some tips to guide you:
1. Carry Out Flu Vaccinations
A vaccine gives immunity against a disease. Flus have a vaccine known as the influenza vaccine, which best lasts for six months. Giving your workers this vaccine protects them from contracting the virus, keeping everyone safe.
Health experts advise taking the flu vaccine at least once a year. Therefore, provide your workers with the vaccine yearly. Consider partnering with health and vaccination providers like On-Site Health for Business.
You can inject the flu vaccine on the upper part of the arm, via a nasal spray, or a jet injector, which you do without a needle. Your workers have a variety to choose from; there will be no excuses of ‘I don’t do injections’.
It’d help to offer your team the vaccine for free too. Doing so increases the chances of all of them taking it. Consider giving it to them when the flu season’s starting to roll in to improve the chances of protection against the virus.
2. Practice Proper Hygiene
As stated earlier, the flu causes a lot of sneezing and coughing, and most people tend to cover their mouths and noses with their hands after each cough and sneeze. This facilitates the further transfer of the virus via the hands when they touch different office surfaces – increasing the risk of spread as a result. Hence, practicing proper hygiene is key to containing the spread of the flu.
Practice proper hygiene by encouraging regular washing of hands. You can also sanitize with a sanitizer with a minimum of 70% alcohol content.
Additionally, regularly clean and disinfect surfaces that people are most likely to touch. These surfaces include but aren’t limited to worktables, bathroom doors, elevator buttons, and the kitchen door and surfaces.
Lastly, emphasize the importance of good hygiene to your workers with regular reminders, periodic training sessions on cleanliness, and so on. They’ll be more receptive to your efforts, keeping flu spread at bay.
3. Equip Your Office With Hygiene Tools
During the flu season, it’s important to equip your office with all the necessities that’ll help prevent the spread of the ailment. It’s best to provide the following:
- Hand soaps on all sinks, whether in the bathroom or not.
- Hand sanitizers on all working stations and near commonly used spaces like the entry door.
- Paper towels for holding doorknobs and surfaces to prevent direct contact. They’re best for wiping hands instead of hand dryers too.
- Trash bins for throwing hand tissues used for sneezing and coughing.
- Face masks to prevent the air spread of the flu.
- Thermometers for detecting workers with the flu. It’s best to get the non-contact ones.
Finally, it’s helpful to stock up on natural flu medication, like ginger, garlic, and honey, that your team members can easily access.
4. Adjust Your Workplace Leave Policies
Companies have different leave policies. In most cases, when the leave isn’t mandatory, like annual leaves, workers on sick leave don’t get paid during this period. Such a policy during the flu season might defeat your aim of preventing the flu from spreading at work.
Workers with the flu will fail to report this and instead come to work every day. They aim not to lose income on the days they’ll be at home. Therefore, adjusting your leave policies would help, at least during the flu season.
You can mandate changes in which workers on sick leave will still get their wages. Further, stipulate different sick leave terms and conditions that’d permit employee isolation at home to prevent the spread of the flu at work.
Conclusion
The flu is an ailment that can wreak havoc on your workplace and team members if you keep it unchecked. As a manager, it’s your responsibility to safeguard your whole team’s well-being from different risks, such as contracting the flu at work. Check out the tips mentioned above to help you manage and contain the spread of flu in your workplace. All the best.
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