How Germs Move Around the Office (And How to Minimize the Spread)

Small, mighty, and very disgusting, harmful bacteria and viruses can rapidly multiply in your surroundings. These pathogens could cause anything from mild flu to a global pandemic. As a result, it’s important to know how these microorganisms move around the office to curb their spread.

As scientists discover new variants of the coronavirus, now more than ever, workspaces must be organized and sanitary to ensure the safety of employees and clients because germs are best avoided in a clean environment.

Royal Building Cleaning is a janitorial service company in Aurora, Ontario which services throughout Southern Ontario including the GTA and Vaughan. Our exceptional services keep your office environs safe, clean, and germ-free. Read on to find out how germs spread in the office, poor hygiene habits, and how you can prevent germs from spreading.

Germ Hotspots Around the Office

Germs are microscopic—you cannot see them with just your eyes, so it is easy to forget that they exist in plain sight. Studies have shown that germs from a doorknob take as little as two hours to contaminate half of the employees and surfaces in an office space. Most office hours extend up to 8 hours, and it is safe to say that the entire office is contaminated at the end of the day.

The quickest way to curb the spread of germs in the office is to identify locations prone to hosting germs.

1. Break room/kitchen

The more people frequent a place, the more likely that site is to be a germ hotspot. Office break rooms or kitchens are one of the most frequented places in the office, making them a hub for germs.

Employees need breaks as they go about their day. They go in and out of the break room or kitchen to get water, coffee, or snacks. Hands move from the coffee maker to the fridge handles, and germs continue to spread.

Break rooms are a breeding ground for insects, rodents, and germs with leftover food or dirty utensils. So, employees must pay close attention to personal hygiene when using these rooms.

2. Elevators

In light of going about the day's business, employees and clients constantly use the elevators, creating a lot of traffic. Therefore it is no surprise that germs will thrive in this environment.

Elevator buttons and railings are a petri dish for germs, so we advise you to disinfect them properly with sanitary wipes or employ professional janitorial services to keep them disinfected to protect the health of your employees.

3. Common touchpoints

Common touch points such as telephones, door handles, mouses, keyboards, chair handles, tables, and printers are hosts for germs because hands keep touching them throughout the day.

Studies have shown that 80% of infections are spread by hand. Wherever people are moving, germs are spreading. It is good practice for employees to disinfect their chair handles, telephones, and other devices throughout their day to curb the spread of germs.

4. Bathrooms

Bathrooms are other hotspots for germs around the office. Sensitive areas like bathrooms must be kept clean and germ-free.

Encouraging employees to wipe toilet seats before and after using them and maintaining good hand-washing hygiene will reduce the spread of germs throughout the office.

Poor Hygiene Practices Among Employees

Poor hygiene practices amongst employees in the office enhance the spread of viruses and bacteria. Many employees do not practise good hygiene. Some employees eat at their desks, leaving food crumbs behind and creating a nest for germs.

Overflowing trash in the office will breed germs. Most employees have a lackadaisical attitude toward taking office trash, and dirt keeps piling up. Employees fail to see that they are endangering their health because the fumes from the garbage will contaminate the air around the office.

After using the toilet or bathrooms, employees and visitors must wash and dry their hands using the correct hand washing techniques. Unfortunately, many employees do not prioritize personal hygiene as they should.

Best Ways to Get Rid of Germs

No client walks into an office filled with clutter and reeking of odours and goes, “yes, this is the company for the job.” An unsanitary environment will mar your business's image and affect employee productivity as people are bound to fall sick under such conditions.

Now that you know how these germs move from person to person in the office, you must understand the most effective ways to stop this spread, enhance employee productivity and improve your organization’s image.

1. Implementation of good hygiene policies

The first approach to fighting the spread of viruses and bacteria in the offices would be implementing good hygiene policies. Making good hygiene practices a rule instead of leaving it to the initiative of your workers will guarantee more sanitary practices in the office.

Encouraging employees to take out the trash, declutter their workspaces, and regularly sanitize their hands and environment is one of the ways that you can stop germs from spreading in your offices.

2. Contracting professional cleaning services

When creating a sanitary environment in the office, it is best to leave it to the professionals. Employing professional cleaning services will leave your office space looking tidy, clean and ready for business.

Janitorial service companies know what they are doing and how best to disinfect your office. They also offer high-level cleaning services perfect for places you cannot reach using the best technologies.

At RBC Clean, we use the latest and safest technology to sanitize and disinfect your workspaces. Our services will not interfere with your schedule.

3. Providing sanitary products

Ensuring sanitary products are available at strategic points around the office is crucial to improving office hygiene. Hand sanitizers, hand gels, anti-bacterial gels and sprays should be available in lounges, corridors, washrooms and kitchens to encourage employees and visitors to disinfect their hands more frequently.

Employees must disinfect high-touch surfaces, but if employees do not have access to these sanitary utilities, germs will spread in the office environment.

4. Minimizing clutter

You want your employees to be efficient and productive in their duties, but it will be difficult to accomplish that in a chaotic environment. You create a palace for germs to hide and breed, with documents littered and cluttered everywhere.

Creating a system of arranging files in the office will reduce clutter, improve employee behaviour towards completing their duties, improve business image and reduce the spread of germs.

Hire RBC Clean

RBC Clean offers a wide range of janitorial services guaranteed to leave your offices clean, welcoming and free from germs. Our team members are trained to clean your workspaces so well that it leaves a remarkable impression on your clients.

For more information on office cleaning services in Vaughan, please call us at 1-855-493-9259 or email us here.