It’s the time of year when everyone in the office is sick.
Coughs and sneezes spread diseases, yes, but some of our unsavoury office habits are making the situation even worse.
A new hygiene study, conducted by Joblist, has revealed that some of the gross things we do at work could be making our offices hotbeds for germs and spreading nasty bugs and illnesses.
Some of the results are pretty shocking.
Half of the 1,000 people surveyed admitted to going to work without showering at least once in the last month. On average, people went to the office without a shower twice every month.
Beyond the issue of unpleasant body odour, skipping a shower can actually pose health risks. Showers and baths are the key ways we remove bacteria from our bodies, preventing skin and fungal infections.
56% said they had worn unwashed clothing to work in the past month, while a quarter had worn sweaty items to the office.
In some cases, these habits can produce uncomfortable health problems, such as yeast infections and UTIs – but it’s more likely to cause an acne flare-up.
One in four respondents admitted to not wearing deodorant at the office. Nearly 10% said they sometimes, rarely, or never wore deodorant at work. We’re not sure your desk buddies will be cool with that.
The worst thing is that some of these habits actually put you or your coworkers at risk of getting sick.
Around half said they hadn’t washed their hands before eating at least once in the last month, and almost 20% said they hadn’t washed their hands before eating communal food.
More than one in five people said they have gone a full workday without washing their hands. Which is really not good news in the middle of flu season.
Two-thirds of respondents believed they’d contracted an illness from a co-worker in the past. Mostly colds, but nearly 43% said they had caught the flu from a colleague.
But, despite 47% of people saying they had suggested colleagues go home when they were coughing, sneezing or congested, 73% said they had gone to work while sick.
And a significant portion said they had gone to work even with a pretty serious and potentially infectious illness, such as the flu or strep throat.
Most people who went to work sick still attended meetings and interacted closely with co-workers. 22% even shook a colleague’s hand. So it’s no wonder that nasty cold keeps doing the rounds at work.
The findings suggest that we all need to be a bit more mindful of cleanliness in the office – and the potential lack of cleanliness of our colleagues.
Keep that hand sanitiser close by, and please, just stay home if you’re sick.
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