‘Ahh-choo!’ Could the flu hurt your business?

This year’s flu epidemic may already be taking a bite out of your company’s productivity.

Let’s face it – sick workers don’t produce their good work.

And if they’re coming into your workplace instead of staying home, they could be infecting your top performers.

One solution that may help? Better housekeeping.

“Commercial buildings are buttoned up tight which is good for energy conservation,” says Stephen Collins, founder of Stephco Cleaning and Restoration in Boston. “But reduced fresh air, along with the arrival of cold and flu season, means workplaces are an ideal place for the growth and spread of germs.”

Collins’ company has been cleaning office spaces, hospitals and healthcare facilities for 35 years. His cleaning crews focus on high-touch areas and fixtures (door handles, faucets, workers’ desks, etc.)

Reason: He says cleaner facilities are healthier (and more productive) workplaces.

For clients who want best results, Collins also tells them how employees can step up. Here are the top ways co-workers make each other sick:

• employees working longer hours in spaces filled with bacteria
• reduced office space, reducing the distance germs must travel
• eating at desks and workspaces
• not covering mouths when eating, sneezing, coughing, yawning, and
• not thoroughly washing hands after using the restroom.