What Can You Do to Fight the Flu At Work?
As consumer service providers, cleaning contractors need to take extra steps in this high flu and cold season to protect themselves, their staff, and their customers.
First, if you or your staff are sick, I know it can be a big burden to your labor force but have them stay at home. Working, stressing their immune system, and spreading germs benefit no one.
Next, have staff wash their hands even more than usual, and if they can not get to a sink with warm soap and water put hand sanitizer or personal sanitizing wipes in each truck or rig. Have staff wipe off their cell phones at least once a day especially if anyone else uses that phone. There are wipes safe to use on electronics. And even have automatic cell phone sanitization machines you can buy. Some do both sanitize and charge!
Next, you have no idea what germs are running around at your customers either. If you have to go inside their home or business like carpet cleaners and kitchen hood cleaners, use hand sanitizer before and after and wipe down as many surfaces that you will have to touch as possible.
If you are an auto detailer and are cleaning a vehicle use disinfectant/sanitizing wipes after the normal cleaner to kill any lingering germs. Think of all the germs that live on a dash after a driver has sneezed while driving!
Pay extra close attention to the steering wheel, dash, knobs and control buttons. Be sure the wipes you use will not harm the finishes you are cleaning.
Even if you only work outside of a customer’s home wipe down your own environment, like the inside of your truck once a day. Clean your hands after visits to convenience stores, restaurants, or any public place, and use a wipe to pick up and hold a gas handle while pumping gas.
If you have an office or work out of your home clean off phones, desktops, keyboards, or anything you have touched or breathed on or into. It may take a number of days or up to a week before you start to show symptoms and that is when the most damage is done before you know you are sick.
This is a good time to take extra vitamins, like C and B. Products like Airborne, one that I live by during flu season. If you start to feel run down, get extra sleep, and eat foods with immune-boosting properties; spinach, broccoli, sweet potato, ginger, garlic, yogurt, and even foods like your mother’s favorite chicken soup!
Also, be sure to drink plenty of water to help flush out your body or green tea. Daily light exercise (not to exhaustion) also gives a boost to your body’s natural defenses.
This may sound like overkill but the flu does kill too. Hope all of you stay well this cold and flu season.
