Flu in the office: How can I protect the health of my team?

Find out five valuable tricks to keep your team happy and healthy during winter. Hand sanitizer, vitamin C tablets, lemon and ginger, regular cleaning and flu vaccinations help.
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Flu in the office: How can I protect the health of my team? 3000 2275 HelloFreshGo

Flu in the office: How can I protect my team’s health?

Outside the snow falls, inside noses run: winter time is flu time, and office workers are more likely to be affected by the flu virus. HelloFreshGO will tell you what you can do to avoid a flu outbreak among you and your staff.

Preventive measures against the flu

Every year, it comes back uninvited: The flu overruns entire cities and regions. Employees get sick in droves, which is costly for companies. According to studies, flu illnesses are responsible for ten percent of all days off. But what can you do to protect yourself from the viruses?
Offices are breeding grounds for influenza viruses: In rooms that are rarely or poorly ventilated, through which numerous people go in and out every day, the germs are transferred very quickly.

If a sick employee coughs or sneezes, the flu spreads quickly throughout the office. Even when they cover their nose and mouth, there is a risk of infection. The sick employee inevitably spreads germs by touching doorknobs, handing out documents or pressing the lift buttons. As an office manager, it is important that you think about how you can protect yourself and your co-workers from colds and the flu. You don’t have to be heavy-handed; a few simple preventive measures are often enough to boost your defences in the winter.

What you can do to protect your team against the flu

  1. Clean tables regularly: The key to preventing flu is cleanliness, especially in the winter when the flu is spreading. To reduce the risk of infection to your employees, you should make sure that the office is regularly cleaned and aired. Germs are known to lurk everywhere, and places that are often overlooked when cleaning are particularly affected. These include PC keyboards, doorknobs, the buttons of radios, printers or coffee makers, and office supplies such as folders and staplers.
  2. Have hand sanitiser in the bathroom: A simple measure against infections of any kind is washing your hands with an antibacterial liquid soap. Since many people suffer from dry skin during the winter, a hand sanitiser is an excellent alternative. It is helpful if several dispensers are distributed throughout the office.
  3. Provide ginger and lemons in the kitchen: Ginger is said to have an immunity-enhancing and antioxidant effect, while the high vitamin C content of lemons helps protect against colds. Hot water with ginger, lemon and honey is a perfect spicy drink at Christmas time and helps your employees to stay healthy.
  4. Keep vitamin C tablets on the reception desk: As an alternative, offer vitamin C tablets or hot lemon powder. The effervescent tablets and beverage powders are available in different flavours: dissolved in a glass of water, they are better than sugary lemonade. They’ll be easy for everyone to access on the reception desk.
  5. Flu vaccinations: More and more companies are offering a free flu vaccine for their employees. What initially appears to be a relatively costly measure ultimately turns out to be a very worthwhile investment, as it helps to prevent longer downtime.
    Be prepared. Those who prepare in good time for the cold season and take appropriate measures to escape the flu have already won half the battle.