Month: January 2023

When winter hits, it is also the cold and flu season, which will inevitably impact your workforce at some point. Not everyone is ill enough to take time off work when they get sick during the winter, but if you are not careful, cold and flu can decimate your workforce. You want to avoid struggling to operate your business due to staff illness and do everything you can to reduce the transmission of sickness and infection during winter. Below are some tips to help you do this and ensure that flu and colds do not stop your business dead in its tracks this winter.

Outdoor Workers

If some workers are outside or in a warehouse, they will have different requirements than those working in an office environment. If you have employees working outdoors or in a colder setting than an office, you will want to provide them with suitable clothing. Ensure that your workers are kept warm, and if they have to go outside, they have waterproof clothing, it can help to keep them happy and healthy this winter and minimise their falling sick.

Encourage Cleanliness

You also need to encourage cleanliness in your workers and have them wash their hands to help prevent catching and transmitting an illness. Having signage to remind people to wash their hands does help, and you can also provide anti-viral wipes so people can sanitise their workstations, which is vital if more than one person uses the same station. People who are vigilant about germs and wash their hands regularly can significantly decrease their chances of falling sick this winter.

Encourage Sick People To Stay Home

Some people do not like to stop, even when they are sick, and while this spirit is commendable, it can also spread illness in your workplace. Have a policy in your workplace that encourages people to stay home when they are sick and unable to focus 100% on their jobs. Ensure workers know it is okay to get sick and that staying home is ultimately in the business’s best interests when you have an infectious illness.

Keep Your Workplace Clean

It is also essential to keep your workplace clean, which can help prevent illness from spreading in your workplace. You can hire a reputable cleaning company to clean and sanitise your workplace regularly, which can help prevent sickness from spreading. Have the cleaners focus on areas where people have been sick recently, and ensure they use anti-bacterial cleaners to kill any remaining germs and reduce the chance of them spreading further.

Use Common Sense

It is impossible to eliminate colds and flu from the workplace, and they will get in no matter what you do. However, you can reduce their impact by having your workforce remain vigilant and encourage cleanliness in the workplace. Encourage workers to rest when they are sick and keep a clean workplace, which can significantly reduce the impact of colds and flu on our business this winter. If someone has a cold and comes into the workplace, have them wear a facemask to reduce spreading it to everyone else and protect the rest of your workers.

The ceiling in your building can play a vital role in how well it functions, and it is something you will need to put thought into when fitting your space with new ceilings. You will want to ensure that you invest in quality materials and have an experienced and reputable company install the for you, and they can help transform your building with the new ceilings they install. There are various types of dropped ceilings you can install in your property, depending on the requirements for the space, and some of the different options are listed below.

Light reflecting Ceiling Tiles

When your building is particularly dark and gloomy, you will want to find ways of getting as much light into it as possible. An excellent method of doing this is installing light reflective tiles in your building, which can help significantly brighten the space. These tiles will reflect natural sunlight and electrical light from the fittings you install, help light up dark areas and make them much brighter and happier spaces.

Acoustic Ceiling Tiles

There are two types of ceiling tile you can get that can help you cope with noise levels in a busy office: sound-absorbing and sound-insulation ceiling tiles. Installing sound-absorbing ceiling tiles in your building will help reduce the noise level in the space you are insulating, making it more comfortable for work. Using sound insulation tiles will help protect the surrounding area from the noise generated from the space. You will need to ensure you select the correct type of ceiling tiles for the job you want the ceiling to do, and most of them are made using fibreglass. Speak to experts before purchasing your acoustic ceiling tiles; they can help you make the correct choice for your building.

Fire-Rated Ceiling Tiles

You can also choose to install fire-rated ceiling tiles in your building, and there are areas in commercial buildings where you must install these, such as access ways to fire escapes. Fire-rated ceiling tiles are rated to last 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, and 120 minutes, and these can help slow down the spread of a fire if one should start. There are various styles and designs of fire-rated ceiling tiles you can use in your building, so no matter your taste or your budget, there are suitable options available.

Humidity Resistant Ceiling Tiles

There may also be parts of your building which can tend to be humid, such as kitchens, bathrooms, gyms, and shower rooms. In these areas you will want to use humidity-resistant ceiling tiles that can help prevent mould and mildew from forming and keep the area clean. You can also clean the tiles easily by giving them a quick wipe down, and they can help keep the area sanitary. There are various options available for these types of ceiling tiles, and you can find something to suit the décor of your building that will look fantastic.

These are some of the most common ceiling tiles you can choose for your building, and you must ensure you select the correct ones for your building and how you use your space. Consult with experienced office designers, and they can help ensure you make the right choice of ceiling tiles when fitting out the building.