Seasonal flu is common in the workplace, especially during colder months. The flu can spread very quickly from person to person, so you’ll want to make sure that your cleaning business has proper precautions in place so that your employees can stay healthy and safe. This will help prevent the flu in your workplace and will benefit you as the business owner because you’ll need your employees healthy so that they can continue to do their jobs. Not only is it important for your business and your employees, it’s also important for your clients. If you have an employee that is sick and cleans several clients’ homes, they could spread their germs and symptoms to them.
1. Stay Home
This may seem like an obvious first step, but one of the most important things your employees can do is to stay home for a day or two if they are feeling flu-like symptoms, and to stay home for a few days if they have the flu. It’s much better to have one employee sit out for a couple of days, instead of them infecting several employees at work. It may be tempting for your employees to come into work if they have something minimal like a sore throat. However, encourage your employees to stay home if they have any flu symptoms.
The CDC recommends that your employees stay home if they are sick until at least 24 hours after their fever is gone. Not everyone will have a fever, so the CDC recommends that if this is the case, they stay home for at least 4–5 days after the onset of symptoms.
2. Review Sick Leave Policies
We just talked about employees staying home if they’re feeling sick. In order for your employees to feel comfortable to stay home and miss work, review your sick leave policies with them. Depending on how your company is set up, this could include a few days of paid sick leave. If they are sick for more than that, they may need to take off a couple of unpaid days. Whatever the case, review your policy with your employees, so they remember how many sick days are available to them.
3. Get the Flu Vaccine
According to the OSHA website, getting a flu vaccine is more important than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic. Getting the flu vaccine can help protect your employees, your clients, and other members of the community. This vaccine will also make the flu less severe should any of your employees contract the flu. The CDC encourages employees to get a seasonal flu vaccine each fall.
4. Be Cautious
If your employee has a family member at home with the flu or flu-like symptoms, make sure your employees know that they can still come into work, but that they should take extra precautions. These employees should monitor their symptoms every day, and notify their supervisor if they are not feeling well. Remind them of basic hygiene practices we have learned during COVID-19, including frequent hand washing or wearing a mask.
5. Provide Sanitizing Products
As a cleaning company, you have the benefit of having cleaning supplies and sanitizing products all around you! Make sure that your employees always clean with gloves on and that they wash their hands frequently. This is important in the office too, not just in the clients’ homes or offices. Staying clean and properly sanitized will help decrease the spread of germs in the workplace.
Happy Cleaning!
We hope that the above tips are useful for your company to prevent the spread of the flu, or any sickness, in the workplace. Encourage your employees to stay home if they aren’t feeling well, review your sick leave policy, encourage them to get vaccinated, advise your employees to be cautious, and provide sanitizing products for your employees.
Learn more about Insurance Canopy and how insurance can protect your cleaning business.
