12 Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Office During Cold and Flu Season

1. Educate on Anti-Spreading Best Practices

While many people have learned anti-spreading best practices like washing your hands and covering your cough, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Offer a training to go over the basics of keeping the people around you healthy during cold and flu season.

“Many employees no doubt will want to take control of cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces throughout their days,” explains George Clarke, CEO and Founder of UMF Corporations, “A little training goes a long way in making sure your workforce is armed with the facts about how to prevent the spread of germs.”

Don’t assume your employees already know best practices; cover your bases by educating them on how to best keep your office healthy.

2. Encourage Your Employees To Get the Flu Shot

The vaccine is an effective safeguard against the flu. Encourage your employees to get the flu shot to keep themselves safe during flu season while keeping their loved ones safe as well.

“The more people in your office who are vaccinated, the less likely it is that a single employee getting sick will turn into an office-wide epidemic,” says Ryan Rottman, Co-Founder and CEO of OSDB.

Consider sending out resources on free vaccines in your area or even hosting a vaccine clinic to make it as easy as possible for your employees to stay healthy.

3. Offer Hand Sanitizing Stations

A simple yet effective way to combat germ spreading is to keep your hands sanitized. Offering accessible hand sanitizing stations can help keep your office clean while functioning as a gentle reminder to your employees to stay sanitary.

“Make it easy and accessible for in-office staff to stay clean and healthy by offering hand sanitizing stations and encouraging regular hand washing,” states Maggie Brown, Founder and CEO of Recess Pickleball.

Offering hand sanitizing stations near shared resources like the water cooler or copy machine can help encourage best practices. If it’s within your budget, consider buying individual hand sanitizers for your employees to keep at their desks as well.

4. Encourage Masks

Masking up is a useful way to stop the spread of common illnesses like the cold and the flu. During peak season, encourage wearing masks in the office, especially in communal spaces like the break room.

“Masks are really efficient at stopping the spread of certain viruses, like the cold or the flu,” says Justin Hall, Co-Founder and CTO of bud.com where you can buy weed online. “Encouraging mask use in indoor shared spaces can help keep any sickness at bay.”

Offering masks and encouraging their use by posting signs at the entrance of your building can help keep your office healthy during the cold and flu season.

5. Offer PTO for Sick Employees

The best way to keep your office healthy is to let sick individuals stay home. Offering comprehensive paid time off (PTO) for sick leave can encourage employees to stay home when they’re not feeling well, as opposed to toughing it out to avoid losing wages.

“If an employee is feeling sick, they should feel encouraged to stay home,” explains George Fraguio, Vice President of Bridge Lending at Vaster Capital. “A grind culture can be the first symptom of a flu-ridden office because employees don’t feel safe to take time off when they’re not feeling well.”

Expanding sick time offerings during peak cold and flu season can be a kind solution that keeps your entire office healthy.

6. Encourage Working From Home

Not every job is compatible with remote work, but if you’re able to send a few employees out of the office, you may prevent a super-spread in the office. Consider offering an expanded work-from-home schedule during peak sickness times.

“If at all possible, working from home is the best way to avoid spreading illness throughout your team,” expresses Miles Beckett, Co-Founder and CEO of Flossy “Anyone who can work remotely should be encouraged to during peak cold and flu season.”

If your employees aren’t all in one shared space, it’s less likely that one sick employee will turn into ten. Working from home is an easy preventative to an office-wide epidemic.

The cleaning staff works hard to keep your office germ-free. Check in with them during peak cold and flu season to make sure that they are using high-strength sanitizers and an extra-thorough regime.

“The best way to avoid spreading a virus is by keeping everything as clean as possible,” says Greg Hannley, Founder and CEO of Soba Texas. “During peak cold season, meet with your cleaning staff to see if high-level sanitizing can be incorporated into their nightly ritual.”

If your office doesn’t have a cleaning staff, consider hiring a professional crew for the season or taking extra care in a nightly wipe-down of the shared spaces.

8. Offer Open Access to Water

Keeping a healthy work environment comes from having healthy employees. Encourage your employees to stay healthy by offering fresh water. That way, they can stay hydrated and strengthen their bodies’ defense systems.

“Drinking lots of fluid is a great way to keep your body strong and resilient during cold and flu season,” advises Shaunak Amin, CEO and Co-Founder of SwagMagic. “In the office, making sure there is access to clean, fresh water can be a simple way to encourage healthiness.”

Make sure your water cooler is stocked and sanitized, and encourage your employees to drink up during cold and flu season.

9. Reduce Large Gatherings

While office gatherings can be helpful for morale, it might be worth taking a break from gathering during peak cold and flu season. If possible, move your meetings to an online format or only host gatherings in outdoor spaces where your employees can spread out.

“Office-wide meetings or gatherings can be super-spreaders,” Victor Mathieux, Co-Founder and CEO of Miracle Brand explains. “One sneeze, and the next thing you know, you have an empty office. If possible, it’s better to be proactive and meet digitally instead.”

Reduce large, office-wide gatherings to avoid a super-spreading sickness for your business.

10. Encourage Social Distancing When Possible

Social distancing is when you maintain a healthy distance between individuals. This was a popular anti-spreading method used during the COVID-19 pandemic and can be just as effective for other common illnesses.

“Proximity in the office is the largest danger, especially during peak cold and flu season,” expresses Asker A Ahmed, Director of iProcess Global Research. “If you can, encourage social distancing, especially while eating.”

Avoid cramming into a small breakroom during lunch or hosting a closed-door meeting. Instead, move meetings to a digital space and eat lunch at a distance when possible.

11. Provide Supplies for Staying Healthy

Provide your team with all the supplies they’ll need to stay healthy in the office during this time of increased germ spreading. Consider making healthy kits for your team, with all their sanitizing and anti-spreading needs.

“Small things like offering hand sanitizer, masks, and wipes can make a huge difference in office health,” says Jason Swilling, Executive Director of Mt. View Treatment Center. “Make it as easy as possible for your team to be following anti-spreading best practices.”

Providing supplies to your team demonstrates your business’s commitment to your employees’ health and wellness while encouraging the use of best practices in the office.

12. Be Clear on Office Protocols

Everyone should be on the same page about best practices in your office. If your staff is working together to maintain a healthy and clean atmosphere, you’re more likely to make it through the season without an incident.

“Companies should be very clear in stating to employees what they expect … and what flexibility they are willing to offer to protect employees and still manage a productive workflow,” says Clarissa Windham-Bradstock, CEO and Chief People Officer of Any Lab Test Now. “Not only will a well-defined workplace flu plan protect employees and save companies money, but it will also improve morale across the board to know that employees’ health is a top priority.”

Clearly state the office protocols for the cold and flu season to make sure your team can work together to stay healthy.