That's it, autumn is here and with it starts the period of colds, gasto-enteritis and other festivities. And no matter how much we adore our colleagues, working in an open space becomes scary when you start to hear sneezing, people coughing all day, those who complain about headaches (to stay soft)... Here are 5 behaviors to adopt for try to limit the breakage.
Washing your hands is a basic hygiene rule, but sometimes we are a little lax when we are at work. Yes, but here it is:good hand washing can considerably limit the risk of contamination. So we do it after going to the bathroom (ah booooo?!), but also before and after eating, after taking a file from the desk of a colleague (sick or not). Another good reflex is to clean your workstation (keyboard, mouse, desk surface, etc.) with antibacterial wipes.
Among the most cracra tricks of the open space? Our mugs! Studies have shown that (sensitive souls stop reading) 20% of cups at the office have traces of fecal bacteria and 90% of them carry germs of all kinds. Buerk! The reason ? They are washed too rarely and when this is the case, it is with a sponge that has been lying around for months and also has its share of germs. So, as restrictive as it is, you force yourself to bring your mug home in the evening (come on, every other evening to start!) and clean it.
Do not stay in the open space or in the canteen but go out to get some fresh air during the lunch break, it's good for morale but also for your health! Indeed, when you work with a lot of sick people, the best thing to do is to get out of this environment full of germs. By the way, by clearing your mind, you lower your stress level and you know that when you are stressed, you fall ill more easily. CQFD.
It's not always easy to tell someone to go home, but frankly, if that person is sick, it's the best thing for everyone (for us, it prevents getting sick also, for him/her, it allows him/her to rest). We therefore do not hesitate to get involved with several people, so that it is not taken as a personal attack. By the way, we organize ourselves so that the sick person can go home with a light heart (it's more fun). We encourage her to go see a doctor and only come back when she is cured!
In an environment where sick people evolve, each element can be a source of microbes. So what's at work stays at work, whether it's a pen or a file we have to work on (our personal life will thank us too). We also get into the habit of taking off our shoes and changing when we get home, just to avoid staying in clothes full of germs.
