How to Avoid Getting Sick at Work
Modern employees are under a lot of pressure to show up to work every single day. Unfortunately, this results in many employees going to work when they are sick. Sickness at work is a common occurrence, and it is not always easy to stay healthy when you are surrounded by colleagues who are sneezing and coughing. That said, you can drastically reduce your risk of catching a cold by using some practical tactics.
Scrub your hands. Hands provide the perfect medium to transport infectious diseases from one body to another. When you shake hands or touch a contaminated surface, your hands collect bacteria or virus particles. Eventually, you transmit these particles to yourself either by touching food or your face. By washing your hands regularly, you wash away the bacteria and viruses - significantly reducing your risk of contracting a cold or the flu. Just remember to use soap and wash for a minimum of 20 seconds.
Sanitize. These days, most of us use sanitizers to disinfect our hands. That said, you should also regularly sanitize your work space, especially if you share it with another individual. Use disinfecting wipes to clean desks, phones, keyboards, computer mice and any other surface you regularly touch.
Distance yourself. You do not have to be in close contact with a coworker to catch the cold or flu. In fact, infected people can spread their illnesses days to weeks before they have symptoms. If you see a coworker sniffling, sneezing or coughing, try to keep your distance. You should also encourage sick people to stay home at least until they are fever-free for a full 24 hours.
Don't touch your face. Our faces provide germs with several convenient places to enter our bodies. Most people do not realize how frequently their hands touch their faces - rubbing your eyes, itching your face, or biting your fingernail. Whatever the case, you can drastically lower your risk of contracting a workplace illness by keeping your hands away from your face.
Get vaccinated. By getting a you can save yourself from days of missed work time. The flu vaccines cause our immune systems to create antibodies to help fight the flu. While not effective against every form of the flu, seasonal vaccines do guard against the most prevalent forms.