A brand new year signals a fresh start for everyone. Unfortunately, the first few months of a new year happen to take place during the peak of the annual flu season, making it somewhat difficult to hit the ground running -- that is, if you aren’t well prepared. Many individuals prioritize health and wellness as their new year’s resolution, and your business would be wise to do the same. If you’re looking to make your workplace healthier in 2021 and beyond, it pays to invest in a rigorous flu prevention program.

How to Prepare With Flu Prevention

The Importance of Proper Flu Prevention

If you’ve ever contracted influenza, you’re likely aware of how unpleasant this illness can be. Even mild cases can be debilitating and highly contagious, while severe cases can be deadly. It goes without saying, then, that the main reason to bolster your business’ defenses against the spread of influenza is to protect your employees, customers, and guests from these awful outcomes.

Of course, there are other practical reasons to invest in strong flu prevention measures as well. For one thing, intra-office flu transmission can greatly reduce productivity. The CDC claims that each year the flu causes a total of 17 million missed days of work in the U.S. and costs the economy approximately $7 billion. Additionally, if your business is customer-facing, you don’t want to project the image of illness when they enter your doors -- doing so can have major consequences on your reputation. And finally, various regulatory bodies have strict guidelines regarding disinfection, sick leave, and other related policies to ensure the health of all workers. Neglecting and/or defying these rules can result in fines and other legal penalties.

What Should Be Included in a Flu Prevention Program?

The reasons for devoting resources to flu prevention are clear. That said, what exactly does a thorough flu prevention program look like? Every workplace has unique needs and challenges, so one office’s flu prevention program might not be structured quite the same as that of another. However, every program should contain the same basic components: 1) tangible actions to prevent and mitigate the spread of influenza and other contagious diseases and 2) education initiatives to promote awareness of the flu, its methods of transmission, and how to prevent its spread. As such, a typical flu prevention program might include tasks and actions such as:

• Specialized office cleaning and disinfection (i.e. spaying and wiping high-touch surfaces like keyboards, doorknobs, countertops, vending machines, elevators, etc.
• Regular disinfection of buses, fleet autos, and other shared vehicles
• Placement and refilling of accessible hand sanitizers and wipes around the workplace
• Educational seminars regarding hygienic best practices (i.e. proper handwashing techniques, covering coughs, staying home when feeling unwell, etc.)
• Placement of signage around the workplace to remind employees and customers of said best practices for flu prevention
• Promotion and/or administration of flu vaccine for all employees

How to Choose the Right Program for Your Workplace

As we all gear up for a new year, it’s time to choose the optimal flu prevention plan for your place of work. Developing the right program requires taking stock of many aspects of your business, such as the number of employees, whether or not your workplace is open to customers, the size and layout of your workplace, the feasibility of remote work (in case some employees feel more comfortable staying home during the flu season), the total of high-touch surfaces, and much more.

In order to pick the optimal plan, it helps to team up with an experienced full-service facility management business like The Budd Group. When deploying a flu prevention program for a client, we carefully examine their facility, taking note of its particular needs and challenges. Our team can make informed recommendations regarding flu prevention education and actions, as well as supply the necessary equipment and disinfection services to help you maintain a safe, sanitary, healthy work environment.

Start your new year on the right foot with fitting flu prevention. To learn more about our services and values, give us a call today at 800-221-8158!