Partner Article

Winter warmers: How to protect employee health

Illness and injury are things you can’t generally avoid. People get sick all the time and there is precious little you can do to totally eliminate it and prevent it from having some kind of effect on your business. Red nosed, sniffling colleagues are with us all year round, but are more prevalent as winter sets in. Keeping a completely germ-free workspace is impossible, but there are several things you can do to limit the damage.

Awareness:

Make your staff as aware as possible of:

The ways germs can be spread. Handshakes, close contact, poor personal and food hygiene and not covering your mouth and nose when you cough are just a few examples. The protocol for if you feel ill at work, such as going home and staying there until you are better. What to do in order to prevent spread of bacteria, for example cover your mouth when you cough and immediately sanitise your hands.

A great way to do this is by having visible, clear posters up on a wall in the office detailing the above. For example, a poster in the bathroom saying boldly “YOU MUST WASH YOUR HANDS” and then describing a thorough hand wash is a simple way of ensuring your staff are doing the basics. You can elaborate on this and have posters dotted around the workplace with different themes. They might say “COVER YOUR MOUTH WHEN YOU COUGH”, or you could have reminders in the kitchen regarding food hygiene standards.

Enforcement.

- You could enter into a flu jab program in order to immunise your staff from influenza. This can be a little expensive, but, dependent on the size of your business and workforce, you could save money in the long term. The number of days off taken by UK staff due to sickness per year is estimated to be between twenty and thirty million, so reducing this figure could be valuable.

- A worthwhile investment could be a few hand sanitizer stations dotted around the office. Hand sanitizer is a water-free way of thoroughly cleaning your hands and they are commonplace in hospitals and places where food is prepared. The hands are a breeding ground for bacteria and this would reduce their capability to spread.

- Encouraging healthy lifestyle and diet could improve the health of your workforce. Suggesting “walk to work” days and healthy eating can contribute to a fit and strong team. This should reduce the number of days lost to sickness.

- Ensure that you provide your staff with the relevant information to allow them to maintain their health and wellbeing. Run training courses on health and safety, and extend this to First Aid courses. Your staff are your chief asset, so their protection should be at the top of your priority list.

- Aside from sickness, injury can be a factor during winter due to slippery surfaces. Make sure the area around your workplace is ice free and gritted thoroughly to avoid potentially costly trips and slips.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Direct365 .