As winter sets in, businesses will face an onslaught of germs, not just from people, but from desk “germ traps” too.
Richard Andrews, managing director of Inspiration Office, an Africa-wide office space and furniture consultancy with head offices in Johannesburg, says companies face losing productive hours because of sickness this season.
“Germs are everywhere – microbes, bacteria, bugs and now even superbugs live within us, on us and all around us. Many of them keep us healthy and alive, but others pose threats to our well-being if our bodies can’t manage them.
“According to a Lancaster University study, 72 percent of people report going to work when they are sick. They don’t realise it’s not just germs from people that spread to colleagues; office surfaces and materials used in the office space can be potent germ transmitters, too.
“Germs are loiterers. They can live and thrive on all kinds of surfaces, including desks in the workplace. Many office materials harbour germs, thereby making them as infectious as sneezing colleagues, when you consider 80 percent of infections can be transmitted by touch, according to the WebMD website.”
Andrews says the problem is likely to be exacerbated by the fact that nearly 40 percent of the workforce is expected to be mobile by next year: “Workplaces need to provide a variety of places for people to work, giving people choice and control over where and how they work. But as employees use shared workstations throughout the day, there is also an increased need to minimise sharing harmful bacteria.One study found more than 10 million germs on the average desk. Crumbs, for example, that accumulate on desks, are a perfect environment for bacteria and fungi to thrive.”
Andrews says the transition from assigned spaces to shared spaces globally has created rising demand by companies the world over for the use of anti-microbials in the workspace as a way of combating the proliferation of germs.
“We’ve noted an increased demand from our clients in South Africa and across Africa for anti-microbials since we pioneered them in 2011…
They’re gaining relevance in the workplace as an option to dramatically reduce germs on frequently touched surfaces such as work surfaces and desk pads, height-adjustment controls, and power and data access points.”
Andrews says the increased use of anti-microbials is expected to reduce the cost of absenteeism and related health-care costs as they become a standard feature of officeware over the next decade.
“Anti-microbials show promise as another way to proactively create health-conscious work environments in support of improved worker well-being. Although they should not replace or decrease regular cleaning routines or good hygiene practices such as hand washing and staying home when sick, they can add another level of potential benefit by sharply reducing germs in the workplace.”
CAPE TIMES