12 Workplace Hygiene Tips Every Company Should Follow

As we are all aware, good hygiene is the best showcase of how one lives its life. A person who gives great importance to self-hygiene is not only comfortable in their body but it is also a sign that they care about people that surround them. Unfortunately, we are currently living in a global pandemic and proper hygiene is important more than ever. Especially because people are getting back to work and in most cases, we are spending more time at work than at home to make up for the lost time. Therefore, it only makes sense to maintain personal hygiene and having a clean workspace not only because of yourself but to protect people that you work with. Having a clean and sterile workspace will only boost your productivity levels and comfort. Because of COVID-19, we must maintain perfect hygiene while at work, but not only by keeping your hands clean but by keeping your surroundings sterile and decluttered too. Everybody at the office needs to sanitise their hands and all of their gadgets and surroundings in order to help prevent the virus from possibly spreading through the office.

Always Stay Clean

As we have mentioned before keeping your office clean and sterile is a must. You can do that by having your employees sanitise their hands and laptops or other devices they might be working on sterile at all times. You will also need to let him know that having their desks clutter-free and sterile is a must. As a company owner, you will need to make sure that the equipment that your employees are encountering during their workday is completely sterile and cleaned at all times. You will need to provide your employees with hand sanitiser wherever they find themselves while in their workplace.

Eat and Drink Only In Entitled Areas

Even though most companies have separated areas where you are allowed to eat and drink, you will also need to make sure that every seating space needs to be two feet apart because of the virus. If it happens that your employees are allowed to eat and drink at their workstations they must clean and sanitize their area before and after they have lunch. If there is a smoking area outside they will also need to follow the two feet apart rule.

Keep Air Fresheners Nearby

The best way to keep your office space smelling nice and straying clean is by airing it out and by having air fresheners. But you mustn’t overdo with air fresheners because they can quickly become overwhelming to a lot of people even if you are constantly airing out the workspace.

Minimise the Amount of Paperwork

Let’s face it, we live in a technology-driven world and there is no need to keep all the unnecessary paper documents just lying around collecting dust. Thanks to technology we can keep and share documents and other important information in the office network system. It is important that you minimise the number of close encounters with people as much as you can, and what better way to start than by sharing all the documents via the internet. It will not only be faster but you will keep the germs away.

Let In the Air

Because of the virus, it is important that you air out the workspaces as often as possible. By having the air conditioner on you are recycling the germs around the office. Instead of spreading and cultivating the bacteria in the offices, turn off your AC’s and open up your windows. That way there will always be fresh air and you are lowering the chance of someone getting ill.

Hire Cleaning Services

If you haven’t already, now is the time to hire cleaning services that will clean the workplace from top to bottom. People who use the workspace will still need to follow strict rules about sanitising their hands and their own workspaces throughout the day, but you will need someone who will clean and sanitize the whole office once everybody is out. You will also need to purchase door mats where everybody who entered the workplace will clean their shoes.

Provide Enough Hand Sanitizer

In most offices, hand sanitizer will only be found in bathrooms and sometimes in the dining area. Now that won’t be an option anymore. You will need to provide the office space with hand sanitizer not only on their working stations but on every entrance to the workplace and all bathrooms and dining areas.

Add Plants

Because these times can be quite scary, it is important that you create a space where your employees are not only safe but that they are in a healthy environment. Adding a couple of plants though the workplace will provide more oxygen, purify the air and make them feel less stressed about having to come to work while there is a virus going around.

Set Up a Garbage Disposal System

Now more than ever you will need to have a proper well-thought-out garbage plan in order to make sure that all the unwanted substances are gotten rid of in the most efficient way possible. It is best to set up disposals near every employee's desk. That way you will not only prevent multiple touching one thing and rising contamination, you will also avoid the garbage accumulating and creating bad odours.

You Must Allow Sick Days

During this outbreak, people are not allowed to enter their workspace if they show any signs of being ill. But sometimes people will start to feel bad once they are inside and working. To avoid unnecessary germs from spreading around the office and getting other people sick, even if it is not the virus that they have if anybody starts showing any kind of signs they will need to take the day off. It is better to let one person go home and rest up or take a few days or than to have an office that is contaminated.

Make sure That You Educate your Employees

Unfortunately, sometimes there is no other way than having to educate the employees on how to have proper hygiene. Sometimes you will just have to remind some employees that they need to take a shower and wash their hands before coming into the office. On top of that, you will need to educate your employees on all the practising that the state has put out to battle the virus and stay safe. There must be strict ground rules for workplace hygiene that every single person stepping into the office space needs to follow.

Take Extra Care for the Kitchens and Bathrooms

If your workplace offers a kitchen area that everybody can use or a simple coffee maker and mugs that everybody can use you must be 100 per cent sure that they are all sterile and ready to be used. It won't be enough just to run the mug under hot water and a little soap. You will need to make sure that every single dish that is used by multiple people is 100 per cent save and germ-free. That also goes for bathrooms. You will need to make sure that every bathroom is sterile and safe to use. Instead of just having soap you will have to provide paper towels and hand sanitizers at any given moment. Once there is one person that doesn't clean the dish or touches something with hands that aren't clean, you could be facing contamination of the whole workplace.

These were some tips every workplace should know and practise on a daily basis, even if there isn't a global pandemic. That is because it is in your best interest to ensure that your employees are in a space that is healthy and safe. There is nothing more important than keeping the workplace a germ free space. It is better to be couscous and safe than not caring and getting sick or even spreading sickness to other people who are being careful.