Helping To Reduce The Impact Of Colds & Flu On Your Employees This Winter

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.