Cold and flu season is in full swing, making sanitization and hygiene top priorities as janitorial staff work hard to keep commercial spaces safe and clean. As the weather gets colder and people spend more time indoors, there’s an increased risk for respiratory illnesses. Recent studies show that sick people can transfer germs to soft surfaces like furniture, curtains, and rugs when coughing or sneezing directly on these surfaces and that common cold germs can survive up to six hours on fabric.
As we navigate through the winter, there are some steps that cleaners and facility managers can take to limit the spread of germs this season, increase safety in your space, and help decrease absenteeism from your staff:
- Continue to clean and disinfect vigilantly for safety. Focus on high-touch areas like elevators, shared equipment, keyboards, coffee stations, door handles and light switches, and restrooms, cleaning frequently to eliminate germs wherever possible.
- Encourage hand hygiene by continuing to stock sanitization stations with supplies and making them available to staff and visitors. Putting them in high-traffic areas like lobbies, restrooms, and break rooms helps keep sanitization top of mind for staff and guests.
- Make health a priority by training staff in strict cleaning protocols, and training new staff as they arrive to ensure that best practices are maintained.
- Encourage employees to take the time they need if they are ill. While being short-staffed may cause a temporary issue, asking sick employees to stay home means that illness may be contained to just one or two employees, rather than spreading through your entire team.
- When hosting company events, ensure that food handling is conducted properly. Avoid community bowls, shared cutlery, and lineups where employees have close contact.
- Restrict unnecessary travel for work. Choose video calls or remote meetings where it is possible to limit the exposure of your staff to germs and illness.
From cleaning to team training, facility managers need to be vigilant in limiting the spread of germs, keeping people safe, and decreasing absenteeism this winter.
