When people around you at work start coming in sick, you may worry that you will pick up whatever virus they have, requiring you to either work while sick or take time off and lose money while having to visit your doctor. However, if you use the tips below, you can at least minimize your exposure to your co-workers' germs.
1. Keep from Touching Your Face
Throughout the day, you may not realize how many times you touch your face with your hands. Whether you scratch an itch, lay your face in your palm, or even rub your eyes, you may be doing so subconsciously.
However, every time you do touch your face or eyes, you are creating a pathway for any germs residing on your hands to reach your body's more delicate tissues. When you transfer the germs to your face, they can easily find their way into your nose and mouth. And if you have a bad habit such as biting your fingernails, you are giving the viruses and bacteria a direct line into your respiratory passages.
While you are at work, try to be more mindful of where you put your hands. Every time you find them approaching your face, stop the movement. If you need to scratch an itch or rub your eye, wrap a tissue around your hand to create a barrier that the germs cannot easily cross.
If you bite your fingernails, this habit can be a bit trickier to stop. Try to find other things for your hands to do when you are nervous, such as playing with a paper clip or rubber band. Or, if this does not work, apply water with a little added cayenne pepper to your nails to give you a sharp reminder to stop.
2. Wash Your Hands Often
As soon as someone in your office starts sneezing, coughing, or showing other signs of being sick, your first instinct may be to reach for the hand sanitizer and start using it every chance you get. However, while sanitizer can help prevent some illnesses, it does not protect you as well from certain viruses, such as the norovirus.
You can still use sanitizer in between washing to help kill off some of the germs on your hands. However, make sure you wash your hands with soap and hot water as often as possible to keep your hands clean and remove the germs, including the norovirus.
This not just include washing your hands after going to the restroom or before you eat your lunch. Every few hours, get into the habit of washing your hands to remove any germs you may have come into contact with.
Also, you should get into the habit of washing your hands after you eat. Any food or liquid residue on your hands can provide a food source for bacteria, allowing them to multiply quickly and increase their chances of thriving and infecting you.
If you choose to use hand sanitizer, you can apply it to your hands after you wash them. The sanitizer will give your hands an extra layer of protection against the germs, especially when you are surrounded by them because of multiple sick coworkers.
While using the above tips can help keep you from getting sick at work, you should not wait if you start experiencing any symptoms. Make an appointment with a doctor at a medical clinic even if you suspect that you are getting sick so that prompt treatment can begin if necessary. You may also want to ask your physician for more advice on how to keep from getting sick at the workplace.
Share6 March 2019
My name is Dan and this is my blog. I am a recently singled father of three that is learning everything about caring for my kids as I go along. Before my wife passed, she was the one that took care of the kids when they were sick or injured, so I had a lot of learning to do and I had to do it as quickly as possible. I got together with some of the parents from my kids' school and they helped out quite a bit. I created my blog for two reasons - to keep my facts straight and to help other parents learn what I have struggled to learn.