8 Germ Hotspots In The Office
Cold and flu germs can lurk in unexpected places. Here are eight workplace hot zones to avoid.
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(Image: Andrew R. Dieselducy, Wikipedia)
Flu season is back, and if that's not worrisome enough, this year we've also got the very real specter of enterovirus and worries over Ebola. Germs are on everyone's mind -- and hands -- right now. Everyone knows the obvious places where germs lurk: doorknobs, subway straps, and public restrooms, to name a few. But what about the lesser-known places where germs are lurking? Where are they lying in wait for even the most careful germaphobe?
Here's a slideshow of the eight most overlooked ambush points at the office. All have some traits in common: They get lots of use from many people. They require physical contact. They generally don't get cleaned regularly, even if your workplace employs the best cleaning staff in the world. And people interact with them without thinking about it.
You know some of the basic ways to protect yourself: Get a flu shot; wash your hands frequently; avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth; maybe skip the handshake. It also helps to get plenty of sleep and eat right. As long as you follow these basic rules, there's no reason to get crazy about germs. But it helps to think about what you touch and how you touch it.
Check out the following list of eight surprisingly germy places in the office. Tell us which ones scare you the most and what you do about it. And, most importantly, stay healthy.
You and your team are working late and decide to order Chinese food. What do you do? Pass around the menu. What happens to that menu next? It gets tucked away somewhere until next time. The process is repeated month after month. Not only is that menu slowly getting covered with grease and stains, but germs are also proliferating right on the coupons you keep forgetting to give the driver.
We all remember to change the kitchen sponge regularly at home, right? After all, it gets even dirtier than the toilet. But who takes care of this task at work? If your office has a communal kitchen, there are sponges, faucets, refrigerators, and other surfaces that need to be cleaned regularly. In an ideal situation, the cleaning folks are doing it every night, or at least once a week. But unlike your kitchen at home, the workplace kitchen is used by hundreds of people and probably needs cleaning more often than it gets. And little things like sponges might get overlooked.
Dozens, if not hundreds, of people touch elevator buttons all day long. And unless you've got a fanatical cleaning staff, they are probably rarely cleaned. Do yourself a favor and take the stairs -- the exercise will do you good.
You wave the thing in front of the reader forever, and it doesn't work. Frustrated, you slam the thing against the reader, and the door opens. Great -- except that everyone else in the office just did the same thing. You just opened the door to the flu.
It's no surprise that the surfaces you walk on are dirty, especially the mats and carpets at building entrances. People walk on dirty city streets. They walk in the mud. They accidentally step in dog stuff. And when they do all that, they usually just scrape their shoes on the side of the outdoor steps to get rid of the obvious dirt. So why does it matter? After all, you're probably not planning to get down on your hands and knees and rub your face on the carpet. Well, you take off your shoes, don't you? And when you do, do you sometimes touch the bottom of your shoe? Those mats are teeming with the germs of every shoe that walked on them -- and now so is your shoe.
Sometimes in phone meetings, we all need to hit mute to discuss something confidential. That's also what the guy in the last meeting did to cover his rampant cough.
You can't wash your smartphone. Ever been in a meeting in which a colleague hands you her phone so you can read a text from the client? That's all it takes to make you sick.
Every office has a candy bowl, maybe on the reception desk or in the break room. And everyone is reaching into it all day. Need to drop a few pounds? You can skip the candy, or you can dip into the candy bowl and pick up stomach flu. Your choice.
What do you think? Have you always avoided these germ hotspots? Will you avoid them now? Are there any other places where you steer clear? How do you stay well during cold and flu season? Tell us in the comments.
What do you think? Have you always avoided these germ hotspots? Will you avoid them now? Are there any other places where you steer clear? How do you stay well during cold and flu season? Tell us in the comments.
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