We are taught at a young age how important washing our hands is before a meal and after using the bathroom. Despite that, many people still don’t know how to properly wash their hands and they neglect hand hygiene. Just like it’s vital to stay hygienic at home and near close friends, keeping good hygiene in the workplace is crucial as well. Seeing as how some individuals don’t pay attention to hygiene in the office, it is up to the business owners and managers to promote good hygiene practices to ensure the health of everyone employed there and the overall success of the company. So, what other benefits are there and how can a business encourage handwashing at work? Keep on reading.

What are the benefits of regularly washing hands at the office?

It should not be difficult to see the importance of handwashing in the workplace. However, many people tend to disregard the many benefits of this practice.

It prevents the spread of germs

First and foremost, washing hands on a regular basis will help stop the spread of disease. It’s only normal that people get sick now and again. When working in a group of people, there is a good chance that one of the employees might be sick. As they might believe that being mildly sick is not a good enough reason for not coming into work, they could potentially pass their germs to someone else. Maybe they will not sneeze directly at a colleague but by sneezing into their hand and then shaking hands with another person, they risk spreading germs. Therefore, handwashing should be encouraged in order to prevent one employee from infecting another.

It keeps employees healthy

There are many studies on how effective handwashing actually is when it comes to stopping the spread of germs and they show that, in domestic settings, the rates of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections can be lowered up to 23 and 48%, respectively. What is more, regular handwashing can reduce the number of people who get sick with diarrhea as well as diarrheal illness among individuals with a weakened immune system. With all of that in mind, a company that encourages its employees to regularly wash hands can keep its employees healthy and reduce absenteeism.

It saves time and money

Other than caring about the employees’ health, business owners and managers are probably also concerned about the company’s day-to-day operations. Well, reducing the rates of absenteeism will save both time and money. For one, other team members will not have to take on more responsibilities in order to fill in for their sick coworker. Then, even if they come into work, sick employees are simply less productive. Furthermore, if the illness spreads around the office, there will be a team of sick employees that cannot work on the optimal level or at all. In the latter case, a company will have to hire temps and spend precious time training them. It’s easy to see how encouraging regular handwashing can help a company in the long run.

How can companies encourage handwashing in the workplace?

In order for a company and its employees to experience these previously mentioned benefits, it’s pivotal that certain measures are taken in the workplace. That way, there will be no excuses for poor hand hygiene and various diseases spreading in the office.

Equipping the office properly

To encourage an office culture of handwashing, the workplace needs to be equipped accordingly. For example, soap dispensers all need to be stocked and working properly. Then, washrooms also need paper towels and hand dryers in order to fully dry the employees’ hands seeing as how germs are more easily passed when the skin is wet. Besides emphasizing the importance of handwashing, proper drying also needs to be highlighted. Moreover, hand sanitizer should be placed in several places around the office. This can also kill harmful bacteria and prevent diseases from spreading.

Posting useful signage

Once there is proper equipment, people should be encouraged to use it by posting signs that remind them to wash their hands. The company should create signs and place them in the kitchen and bathrooms. Putting them on the exit doors, on the stall doors, and above the sinks will surely draw attention and make the employees remember this important practice. These can be creative and funny so it’s a good idea to task a few of the employees to come up with some ideas or turn to the internet that is full of useful examples. Images, statistics, and infographics can all be used to further prove and explain how important handwashing is.

People spend a lot of time at the office and usually come into contact with many people. There are chances of germs spreading among them and the best way to avoid disease affecting the majority of the workforce is by encouraging proper handwashing.