It’s the dreaded cold and flu season and many of us will contract this annoying and nasty virus at work. While we’d all like to be able to stay home and stop the spread of influenza, the fact is that the virus may have taken hold of you before you even notice the following common symptoms:
- Fever or feeling feverish/chills (possible)
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Muscle or body aches
- Headaches
- Fatigue (tiredness)
- Vomiting and diarrhea (possible)
Although preventing the flu isn’t as easy as we’d like it to be, following these basic tips may give you an advantage when trying to prevent illness at work this winter.
- Take a sick day. If you know you’re not feeling right, stay at home in bed. The best tactic to fight the flu is to get as much rest as possible, and drink those fluids! Your employer and fellow employees will thank you for minimizing their exposure to the virus.
- Wash, wash, wash. The best way to prevent the spread of germs is to wash. Wash your hands, clean your keyboard, wash your water bottle. Daily cleaning of the surfaces around you will hopefully help lower your chances of becoming infected.
Hand washing tip: Use warm, soapy water and rub your hands together (front and back) for the same length of time it takes to get through the tune Happy Birthday. - Disinfect shared surfaces often. There are some surfaces in the office that are more likely to be highly contaminated than others:
- coffee pot handle
- microwave buttons
- doorknobs and door handles
- shared computer equipment
- elevator buttons
Try to clean these surfaces often and even use a paper towel to grab them if possible.
Thousands of Canadians get the flu between October to May… don’t be one of them!