Fall has finally arrived. Here in the northeast, this means shorter days and cooler temperatures. It also means that flu season is right around the corner. So think about this: how you clean your Cambridge office matters.
In Cambridge, and across the greater Boston area, flu season can be miserable. The flu can sweep through an office without warning, forcing employees to stay home and ruining productivity across the board. Even serious colds and stomach bugs that are not necessarily the flu can be devastating.
What does that mean to you as an employer? It means maintaining a germ-free workplace to reduce the risk of any sort of illness spreading among your employees. As you might expect, we have some tips you can employ throughout the fall and winter.
1. Stay on Top of Daily Cleaning
We are an office cleaning company, so the most logical place for us to start is with daily cleaning. Sanitizing and disinfecting represent two of the best techniques for keeping germs under control. During flu season, we recommend paying extra attention to high-touch surfaces, including:
- Door handles and light switches.
- Shared office equipment.
- Breakroom or cafeteria tables.
- Refrigerators, microwaves, coffee machines, etc.
- Boardroom tables and chairs.
High-touch surfaces are harbingers of germs. Cleaning and disinfecting them daily is a must during flu season. And if your in-house cleaning crew is not up to the task, you can always bring in professional cleaners like All Pro Cleaning Systems.
2. Promote Good Hand Hygiene
The germs that lead to office illnesses are easily spread via the hands. So during flu season, it is a wise idea to promote good hand hygiene. Encourage your employees to regularly wash their hands with soap and warm water for a minimum of 20 seconds. You can also provide alcohol-based hand sanitizers in dispensers scattered throughout the office.
Alongside good hand hygiene is good respiratory hygiene. Encourage your employees to use tissues. When they need to cough or sneeze, encourage them to cover their mouths and noses with these tissues.
3. Encourage Working From Home
Even though so many Cambridge companies have worked hard to bring their employees back to the office post-COVID, it is still wise to encourage working from home when cold or flu symptoms begin. Any amount of productivity lost by having sick employees work from home pales compared to the amount of productivity that could be lost if illness sweeps through the office. It is better for employees with sniffles, aches, and pains to just stay home and work for a few days.
4. Work on Improving Indoor Air Quality
Improving indoor air quality could also mean reducing the number of germs in the air, depending on how you go about it. At the top of the list is maintaining your HVAC system by regularly replacing the filters and ensuring proper ventilation. Note that good ventilation reduces the volume of airborne pathogens in any enclosed environment.
If possible, use HEPA filters. If they will not work with your HVAC system, at least use HEPA filters in any vacuums that you run. You might also consider installing an air purifier in your HVAC system or placing independent air purifiers around the office.
Flu season is just about here in the Northeast. There is no way of knowing just how severe it will be this year. But why take chances? We can help you keep your Cambridge office as clean and germ-free as possible with professional cleaning services that focus on sanitizing and disinfecting. Contact All Pro Cleaning Systems to learn more.