How to boost hygiene in your office washrooms this winter
The winter months are officially upon us and that means one thing, it’s cold and flu season. Unfortunately, these germs can spread around an office in just a matter of days, resulting in a number of absences.
This is inconvenient in any business and therefore, employers must do all they can to keep their workforce happy and healthy during the cold months.
One area that can be particularly problematic is the bathroom. With employees sharing facilities, germs and bacteria can quickly build up and spread.
The good news is, that there are several ways you can boost hygiene within your office washrooms and reduce the risk of a cold wiping out the whole team.
We’re going to share these with you below.
Re-educate your employees
First and foremost, it can be wise to create some seasonal content reminding employees about hygiene best practices. You can send these to every member of the team separately or you could have these messages turned into signage for your workplace toilet facilities.
Although it might feel strange telling a group of professionals about basic hygiene, it can be very effective in reminding people to take extra precautions when using the washrooms. Especially if they’re feeling unwell.
You could also take this opportunity to ask your employees for feedback and if there is anything more they feel you can do to keep the office toilets clean and safe for everyone.
Ensure plenty of supplies are available
It’s so important that you have plenty of supplies on hand for all employees. After all, the last thing you need is someone with a cold running out of tissue to blow their nose. The same applies to soap, hand sanitiser and cleaning products.
Be sure that these supplies are accessible in an easy-to-reach cupboard within the office washrooms. It’s also important that your employees know where to find these items should they need them.
Introduce touch-free technology
There are several changes you can make to your workplace toilet facilities that can make them instantly more hygienic, without the need for a full bathroom refurbishment.
If you haven’t already, introducing touch-free technology, throughout your office washrooms can drastically reduce the build-up of bacteria and the spread of germs. And that’s not just in winter, but all year round.
If you've already got automatic hand dryers (and if not, why not?) then go one step further with sensor taps and soap dispensers. You might also wish to switch out traditional toilet flush systems for automatic flushes as well and introduce touch-free cubicle locks.
By introducing touch-free technology like this, you reduce the amount of touch points being shared by your employees. This can quickly stop germs from building up and being spread around the office.
Increase the cleaning schedule
When colds are spreading like wildfire, it might be time to double up on your cleaning schedule. Whether that means having the cleaners come in twice a day rather than once or scheduling in a deep clean every Friday, it can make a real difference.
It is also worth considering how you can make your workplace toilet facilities more hygienic and easier to clean in the first place.
For example, replacing your old bathroom tiles with UPVC wall cladding reduces the build-up of germs on the grout or in small gaps. Plus, it makes the office washrooms much easier to clean.
Proper ventilation
Last but not least, you need to make sure that your washrooms are properly ventilated to ensure enough airflow to stop germs from hanging around. This can be trickier in the colder months when you don’t want the windows open letting the cold in and the heat out.
That is why it’s important to have the correct vents and fans installed to keep the air circulating. If it’s been a while since you last checked and/or cleaned your vents or fans, take this opportunity to do so.
You’ll be surprised how quickly they can build up dirt and dust, reducing their functionality and effectiveness.