Unfortunately, flu season is upon us, and it can cause a serious loss of productivity if it spreads throughout the office. Although the flu hardly seems impossible to avoid, there are several things business leaders can do to make sure the effects of the flu don’t linger in the office.

Send Sick Employees Home
Make sure your sick employees know that you would much rather have them stay home and get better than risk infecting everyone in the office. Not only will this help to keep your healthy employees well, but your sick employees will likely get better faster and be much more productive upon their return.

Disinfect EVERYTHING
Community kitchens, restrooms, and doors are great places for germs and bacteria to live. Make sure to wipe everything down regularly to make sure the germs and bacteria aren’t lingering around the office.

Sanitizing a surface will reduce 99.9% of bacteria but will not remove viruses. Disinfecting destroys bacteria and germs, but it is not designed to lift dirt off a surface. We recommend surfaces are cleaned first, then sanitized, then disinfected. to clean first, then sanitized, then disinfected.

Post Posters to help remind employees to wash their hands

Most people don’t wash their hands correctly. It takes about 30 seconds of vigorous rubbing focusing on crevices between fingers, using hot water and soap to wash away clinging particles of the virus. Wash under nails, too. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer is NOT effective.

Hire a Cleaning Company
During the times when the flu is going around, it makes sense to bring in an office cleaning company at the conclusion of each workday. Much like disinfecting and wiping highly-used areas down regularly, a commercial cleaning company can help keep the office clean and clear of germs.

The value of cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing will keep your staff healthier, and that’s good for your bottom line.