I read a staggering statistic the other day – sickness absence in the UK costs employers some £29 billion per annum.
Undoubtedly a contributing factor is workplace hygiene.
The average computer keyboard is reckoned to be home to 16 million microbes, which equates to 3,295 microbes per square inch. In comparison, just 49 microbes per square inch can be found on a toilet seat. That means there are a lot of dirty keyboards out there.
Indeed, just 11% of employees admitted to never cleaning their keyboards and 3% of offices are thought to sufficiently clean their equipment. Germs that lead to colds can survive for up to 72 hours on such dirty equipment. More worryingly, serious microbes such as MRSA can last several months in these conditions.
The crunch is that 80% of infections are spread by contact with infected surfaces on workplace equipment. If employers simply allow these germs to spread they find themselves with staff off sick and they will be out of pocket as they will lose sales or production, have to pay sickness pay and possibly need to employ temporary staff to cover absences.
There are some simple steps which can be taken to improve office hygiene, such as introducing a no food at your desk policy, providing sanitising wipes and gel and encouraging regular cleaning of desktops and equipment.
Another sensible and reliable solution is to hire a cleaning company to regularly come in and clean your workplace. It should be seen as an investment as you will be cutting sickness absences and so saving money.
Why not give me a call on 01452 886288 to discuss how we can help your business save money whilst improving the health of you and your staff.