{"id":26723,"date":"2022-08-23T11:01:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-23T11:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/?p=26723"},"modified":"2022-11-24T00:55:30","modified_gmt":"2022-11-24T00:55:30","slug":"protect-workplace-from-colds-and-flu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/cospedia\/protect-workplace-from-colds-and-flu","title":{"rendered":"How-to Protect your Workplace from Colds and Flu"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Flu and cold season can quickly ravage a<\/span> workplace, bringing down revenue, productivity, and a rise in absenteeism. Every year, the flu typically affects between 10 to 20 percent of the population<\/span> with the <\/span>average infected person <\/span>missing<\/span> around 3<\/span> –<\/span> 4 working days, which adds up to nearly $7 billion in lost productivity annually.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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According to the <\/span>Cent<\/span>e<\/span>r<\/span>s<\/span> for Disease Control and Prevention, flu viruses <\/span>can <\/span>spread from person to person up to 6 feet away by droplets <\/span>produced<\/span> by sneezing, coughing, or talking. Employees can also encounter the risk of infection, if they share the same equipment with other colleagues like a printer, phone, or keyboard.<\/span><\/span> While we cannot prevent the spread of flu and common cold, <\/span>there are steps you can <\/span>follow<\/span> to prepare your workplace <\/span>for<\/span> rais<\/span>ing<\/span> awareness and reduc<\/span>ing<\/span> the risk of infection among your <\/span>team<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Regularly cleaning and disinfecting surfaces<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>

To protect your employees, from flu and cold, it\u2019s important to maintain good hygiene and a clean workplace. Viruses on door knobs, cubicles, switches, printers, and sink faucets can swiftly spread across. Regularly clean these germ-prone hotspots with\u202f<\/span>anti-bacterial wipes<\/span><\/a>,\u202f<\/span>multi-purpose cleaner<\/span><\/a>, or\u202f<\/span>disinfectant spray<\/span><\/a>\u202fto help minimise contamination, as viruses on a shared surface can spread to between 40 to 60 percent of the workforce within two to four hours. According to a University of Arizona study, using a “wash, wipe, sanitise” method in the workplace can help reduce the risk of catching flu or common cold by 80 percent.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Clean the air with air purifiers<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h4>

Air purifiers can help reduce airborne pollutants in high-traffic indoor areas where there is a risk of highly infectious airborne diseases such as the common cold, influenza, and hay fever, and can lead to better overall health results. The use of\u202f<\/span><\/span>air purifiers<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u202fin the workplace is known to significantly enhance <\/span>employee<\/span>\u2019s<\/span> health and comfort, as well as boost <\/span>their<\/span> productivity by up to 8-11 percent. In a shared office setting with insufficient airflow, a single flu carrier can infect 15 percent of employees. Installing air purifiers can assist to improve indoor air quality and provide employees, customers, staff, and visitor\u2019s peace of mind by keeping germs and viruses at bay. Consider the sorts of air pollutants you’re most worried about when <\/span>looking<\/span> for air purifiers, and seek air purifiers that target those sources, such as mould, pollen, or bacteria.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Workplace flexibility<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h4>

During the cold and flu season, businesses <\/span>can<\/span> implement certain strategies and precautions to prevent the spread of illness throughout the workforce. According to <\/span>Waterlogic<\/span> Australia, 54 percent of Australian workers show up to work despite being sick, as they believe they\u2019re not sick enough to take leave or work from home.<\/span><\/span> The <\/span>Centers<\/span> for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends waiting at least 24 hours after a fever has subsided <\/span>before<\/span> returning to work.<\/span> If your employee is<\/span> feeling<\/span> unwell, consider allowing them to work from home <\/span>or<\/span> encouraging them to take<\/span> a sick day. Moreover, providing employees with flexible opportunities can reduce in-person interactions and minimise the spread of flu<\/span> or common cold<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Promote cold and flu vaccinations<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h4>

Getting a flu shot is the most effective way to avoid catching flu and transmitting it to others at work, at home, or on the daily commute. Try to foster an environment in which your employees are encouraged to be proactive in terms of preventative healthcare. Employees who get the flu vaccination are not only 59 percent less likely to get sick, but they are also less likely to infect others. <\/span>Businesses<\/span> can<\/span> invest<\/span> in launching a free <\/span>workplace <\/span>vaccination<\/span> program, so employees can receive<\/span> free yearly flu <\/span>shot<\/span>s<\/span>, saving money and time while keeping employees <\/span>healthy<\/span>, safe,<\/span> and productive.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Following <\/span>the<\/span> preventive strategies outlined above<\/span> not only promotes a healthy workforce but can also improve your bottom line.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Flu and cold season can quickly ravage a workplace, bringing down revenue, productivity, and a rise in absenteeism. Every year, the flu typically affects between 10 to 20 percent of the population with the average infected person missing around 3 – 4 working days, which adds up to nearly $7 billion in lost productivity annually. … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":26724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,31,8],"tags":[183,86,1394,1235,495,2435,2436,1397,2211,2438,775,1959,1291,125,246,1385,200,404],"class_list":["post-26723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cospedia","category-health-wellbeing","category-productivity","tag-air-purifiers","tag-best-office-cleaning-supplies","tag-boost-immunity","tag-boost-productivity","tag-cleaning-products","tag-cold-and-flu","tag-cold-and-flu-vaccinations","tag-collaboration","tag-flexibility","tag-flushot","tag-hand-hygiene","tag-health-and-wellbeing","tag-health-and-wellness","tag-health-benefits","tag-healthy","tag-healthy-workplace","tag-office-hygiene","tag-productivity-at-work"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26723"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26723\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28450,"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26723\/revisions\/28450"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}