Top 5 Tips to Avoid Germs in the Workplace

When you’re around people, you’re going to be around germs, and the workplace can be a cesspool of viruses and bacteria.

Naturally, you don’t want to contract that stomach bug that co-worker Susan’s kid has or the flu that co-worker Michael was diagnosed with yesterday after being at work for several days before his diagnosis.

Prevention Is the Best Medicine

Germs are everywhere, but if you don’t avoid them as best you can, you can be the next domino to fall.

1. Avoid Spreading Germs at Work

If you’re sick, don’t expose it to others. You’d do a lot of good by adhering to the 24-hour rule that most schools practice.

For example, if you have a flu-like sickness, the CDC recommends that you stay indoors for 24 hours after you’re completely free from fever. The 24 hours is the minimum recommended time to stay out of contact before resuming your daily routines.

Other conventional preventive standards include hand-washing and disinfecting your hands with disinfectant wipes.

Preventing the spread of germs should be a priority especially if you love your job.

Because you don’t want to miss a day at work due to a flu.

2. Ways to Fight Germs at Work

You might have a very demanding job which takes your mind off workplace hygiene. The question now is, how do you fight germs amidst demanding tasks?

Always have a sanitizer on your desk in case you have an individual who wouldn’t mind coughing or hacking indiscriminately.

If you’re the sick one, ensure you are always with your handkerchief or a tissue to cover your mouth once there is the urge to cough or sneeze.

An individual who uses his or her hand as a cover and afterwards proceeds to touch office wares, is already spreading germ and risks an office-wide cold outbreak.

3. Practice Healthy Habits that Prevent Germs at Work

A habit as simple as not touching your face during the day is a healthy habit that can help prevent the spread of germs at work.

Imagine how tens or hundreds of people touch your office doorknobs, appliances, light switches, etc. Everyone is a potential germ carrier. Since you can’t avoid touching the office wares, you can avoid touching your face with your palms to avoid being victim of a communicable disease.

Endeavour to keep your workplace neat, as a neat closet reduces the chances of contacting germs.

4. Get an Antimicrobial Gear

Your smartphones and tablets are more likely to be exposed to germs. To combat this, companies like Pure Sense designed the antimicrobial cases to protect different touch screens.

You can as well get these cases for your kids as they’re more disposed to dirt due to wanting to touch or handle about anything.

5. Enlighten Your Colleagues

People might misjudge you to having a phobia for dirt if you always try to educate them on healthy living. However, having a pro health attitude and also trying to imbibe such attitude into others would instill a long-lasting positive impact, health wise, in the organization.

Developing and maintaining an attitude such as disinfecting shared wares like coffee machines and also encouraging others to do same, is a great habit that can become contagious in the long run and beneficial to the entire organization.  

Maintain General Hygiene

It should be everyone’s responsibility that the office space is always kept tidy. Having this consciousness is a great way to prevent the spread of germs.

Endeavor to always wash your hands, use antimicrobial gear on your devices, and enlighten your colleagues. You’d be on the highway to living a germs free life after applying these tips.