Avoiding the dreaded winter office bugs
With temperatures already dropping and winter just around the corner, I’m sure you’ve already experienced your first sniffle of the season. To ensure it stays just a sniffle and doesn’t evolve into anything more sinister, here are my 5 tips for staving off the dreaded office bugs.
1. Get some sleep – you can say what you want about the colder months but even those of you that would prefer to be chasing the sun must agree, it’s nice being able to rug up, and surrender to the shorter days with a good night’s sleep. The added bonus of this is giving your body, and therefore also your immune system, a chance to rest, recover and reconvene to fight off the germs that are inevitably lingering in your workplace.
2. Eat a healthy diet – while it’s tempting to indulge during the seasons in which you can cover up with big jackets, try to do it as nutritionally as possible. Now’s the time to pull out the slow cooker and dust off all those vegetable soup recipes. The beauty of casseroles, soups and winter cooking is that you can usually chuck in most of your veggie drawer and the substantial size of recipes ensures you’re practically guaranteed leftovers for lunch or to keep in the freezer for those nights that you’re feeling the temptation of take-away.
3. Call in sick – obviously if you’re not well, you’ve not exactly avoided the bugs entirely but, by keeping your germs at home, you’re preventing your colleagues from going down with you. Plus, allowing time to rest, you’ll also reduce the length of your sickness. No matter how full your schedule or how pressing your deadline, taking a day off as needed is going to be much better than needing a whole week off later because you haven’t been able to recover as quickly as you’d hoped. Take the day to recuperate and don’t be tempted to open up your laptop or pick up your phone. Your body will thank you for it.
4. Be a hygiene freak – hmmmm ok, maybe don’t go that far but certainly be hygienic. Keep your desk clean and wash up your dishes, thoroughly wash your hands and cover your cough and your sneezes, but not with your hand!! There’s not a lot worse than seeing someone release an almighty sneeze into their hand only to then have it offered to you in a handshake greeting. Use and then dispose of a tissue or use the crook of your elbow. Basically, choose something that won’t be holding a door handle or shaking a hand anytime soon.
5. Get outside – this one is slightly contentious because it has been found that some viruses tend to favour the cooler temperatures. But, it’s also safe to say that eating inside, in the air-conditioning with lots of other people every day is subjecting you to a bit of a petri dish environment. As long as you rug up and limit your time outside, getting some fresh air each day is sure to help you avoid the inevitable transfer of germs lurking in that office kitchen.
No one wants to be wiped out by the flu but nor does anyone want to be the person who spreads their sickness. Be conscious of these 5 tips to ensure you stay healthy and you also manage to keep your colleagues germ-free this winter too!
Shannon Wood, Managing Director S8 Expert Recruitment Solutions. I have over 14 years recruitment experience specialising in the animal health industry across the ANZ region. Areas of expertise include sales and marketing, technical roles (Quality Assurance, Quality Control & Regulatory Affairs) and operational & financial positions. I work extensively in the veterinary, ruminant, monogastric, aquaculture and the pet specialty industries and I look forward to the next 14 years.
