5 Signs Your Office Is Making You Sick

5 Signs Your Office Is Making You SickEmployees in all occupations, from healthcare facilities to manufacturing jobs, can fall ill due to poor indoor air quality, mold and other cleanliness issues. In fact, hiring a reputable cleaning service can drastically reduce employee health issues. Workplace cleanliness issues create billions of lost dollars every year due to sick workers and decreased productivity.

Here are some common signs your office is making you or your employees sick.

1. Cross-Contamination—The Domino Effect

If one employee gets sick and slowly the entire office is impacted, cleanliness needs to get kicked up a notch. The cost of sick days can really add up, totaling around $1,700 per employee every year.

If a sick employee touches something that is not cleaned shortly thereafter, the next person that comes along and touches the surface will get sick and so forth. If the office is regularly cleaned at the end of the workday the risk of cross contamination decreases considerably. It’s impossible to avoid all incidents of contamination, but it’s a lot less of a crutch to encounter 2 or 3 sick employees in one week as opposed to half of the office staff.

Many cleaning crews ignore crucial germ hotspots like door handles or the break room fridge. As a result employees still get sick, even when an office is doing their part to keep things clean. Tidy Team never cuts corners and focuses on the areas most prone to germ accumulation and the spread of illnesses. 

2. There’s A Decrease In Workplace Productivity

If workplace productivity is on the decline there’s always the risk the reason relates to a messy and unkempt office. Vast amounts of research have shown that a clean workplace increases employee productivity. When things are messy or disorganized it’s very distracting, and actually causes employees to get less done and even slack off. Some employees may even take the time to clean up instead of focusing on more important work.

Take a tour of the office, taking note of any cluttered, dusty or otherwise dirty locations. If it’s easy to pinpoint the mess, it’s time to hire an experienced cleaning team to get your productivity back on track.

3. Discreet Locations Are Swarming With Filth

Your office may appear clean at first glance but if you take a closer look in corners of windows and walls, behind sinks and toilets or in the break room fridge–what do you find? It’s these tight discreet places where germs, bacteria and mold hide, making people sick. If there is a lot of dust, mold, or other build-ups it’s time to hire a professional cleaning time. Even if it’s hard to notice these dirty areas they still have the potential to make people in the workplace very sick. Small patches of mold or big dust bunnies also decrease air quality, which contributes to a great deal of illnesses every year.

4. You Feel Better After A Workplace Vacation

If you notice a decrease in symptoms after taking a break from the workplace it’s a clear sign that something in the office is making you sick.

5. Odd Workplace Odors

Musty or otherwise unpleasant workplace odors may cause nausea, fever, cough, headaches and a variety of other symptoms. Workplace odors should not be ignored as many potentially dangerous things can cause them. Common causes of the smell include poor upkeep of ventilation or heating and air-conditioning systems, dampness due to leaks, high humidity or flooding, as well as a lack of fresh air.

In order for a building to have good indoor air quality there must be a proper amount of ventilation, fresh air, maintenance, and pollution control. Cleaning services help decrease air pollutants. While cleaning alone cannot solve leaks in plumbing, it can help identify the issue. 

The Rise Of “Sick Building Syndrome”

If a large number of workers from the same company are ill with symptoms such as headaches, dry or itchy skin, fatigue or irritation of the eyes, nose and throat it could relate to “Sick Building Syndrome.” Employees spend around 40 hours in the workplace every single week, that’s a lot of time to be breathing in poor air. In fact, that’s enough time to make workers incredibly ill.

While symptoms associated with Sick Building Syndrome generally remain undetected at the doctor, they can make an employee forfeit their job because they can no longer endure the symptoms.  Prior to this decision, employees may miss a lot of work or experience a decrease in overall productivity. The exact cause of “Sick Building Syndrome” remains largely unknown and is currently contributed to a wide variety of factors including poor building planning, lack of ventilation, as well as a build up of toxins from carpeting, paint and even electronics.

Dust, chemicals and other hazardous substances must be cleaned in order to prevent worsening of air quality. Toxic cleaning products may also play a role, which is why safe cleaning practices are fundamental. Tidy Team is focused on providing the highest level of safety standards no matter what we are tasked with cleaning. Allow our professional services help clean up your office and reduce workplace illness.