How to prepare your office for flu season

Like it or not, winter is coming, and with it the sneezes and coughs of the changing seasons. Due to the nature of many open plan offices, it's common for colds to spread through various departments until almost everyone feels the chill of the flu.

This winter, be prepared – here are our tips for being proactive on the flu front in your office.  

Encourage healthy habits

They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, so why not stock up the office fruit bowl? There are plenty of healthy fruits and vegetables that have natural benefits for the immune system. Oranges have high concentrations of vitamin C, which is fantastic in helping alleviate symptoms of colds, while blueberries are known to have high antioxidant capacities.

Drinking lots of fluids can help in shifting mucus from your throat. Make sure you and your workers are staying hydrated with plenty of water, or keeping warm with cups of green tea throughout the day.

Turn up the heat

If your Gold Coast commercial property isn't already fitted with central heating, it may be time to make provisions for those cooler months. Thankfully, there are plenty of space-saving desk heaters on the market, and your employees are sure to appreciate your concern for their health over the winter.

Depending on how the weather turns, your company could potentially reconsider its dress policy. Some offices allow their workers to relax their traditional dress code in favour of warmer alternatives to keep employees from catching a chill and getting sick.

Keep a clean workspace

It's no secret that office buildings are often a breeding ground for bacteria, especially where sickness is considered. Keeping your desk sanitised and free of dirty dishes and tissues is not only good for motivation, but for making sure nasty bugs are kept at bay. Office hygiene should extend to personal hygiene, too – make sure bottles of hand sanitiser are placed around the room to ensure that everyone's hands are clean and germ free. 

Keep the lines of communication open with your employees around being sick means that everyone is on the same page when it comes to absenteeism. If your business allows for remote work, encourage those with coughs and colds to complete tasks at home if they're up to it. This sort of flexibility is sure to gather respect from your employees, and helps keep sickness out of the workplace. 

If you're ready to make the move to a new Gold Coast commercial property, get in touch with the team at Ray White Surfers Paradise for a friendly chat.