Here is a question for you to consider. Which has more bacteria, your office desk, or a toilet seat? Of course the answer is your desk, or it wouldn’t be a question being harped on right now. According to microbiologist at the University of Arizona, Michael Loughlin, your desk is probably home to around 400 times more bacteria than the aforementioned toilet seat.
But what exactly does this mean, and should you be concerned about it? The short answer is; yes, you should be concerned. Workplaces are among the unhealthiest environments, given that each person is bringing their own, unique catalogue of germs in with them on a daily basis. Fortunately, this doesn’t mean you need to be susceptible to getting sick. If you follow these helpful tips from Dr Loughlin, you can avoid some of the workplace hygiene horrors that seem to lurk around every corner.
Clean Your Phone
It is probably not much of a surprise that humans are the biggest source of micro-flora. So, where humans go, bacteria build up is guaranteed to follow. It also stands to reason that the most touched and handled things in an office are where the most micro-flora are going to congregate. More so, mouths and noses are veritable bacterial breeding grounds, so where mouths and noses spend most of their time is going to be a danger hotspot.
It need not be said then that phones, by far, are the most likely place for you to pick up viruses at work. If we’re talking about a shared phone, the chances of viruses spreading go through the roof. Simple solution; clean your phone on a regular basis. Ending each day with a quick phone wipe is an excellent habit to adopt ASAP.
Shared Cups Are Your Enemy
Say you’re sitting at your desk, pretending to be hard at work, while secretly on a mission to claim a casino bonus that could help you win big and get out of the office forever, and a cup of hot coffee is delivered. Your reaction is to rejoice, right? Everyone loves coffee. No, hold that rejoicing and be aware of the next fact. After phones, shared workplace cups are the next most likely place to pick up a virus.
Remember what was just mentioned about mouths and noses? Well, cups likewise spend much of their time near mouths, as should be obvious. Does this mean you can no longer have coffee at work? Not at all. Simply buy your own cup, and be sure to wash it yourself.
Fear Your Pens
Next on the list of office items that should strike fear into your heart is pens. Why pens, you’re thinking, weren’t we talking about mouths and noses? Well, you are probably forgetting that pens are often chewed on, so in many cases they spend more time around mouths than cups. A terrifying revelation.
Once again, the answer is to simply buy and keep your own pens and refuse a community pen under all circumstances. Thankfully, pens are not as essential as they once were in offices, so you’ll likely not be going through too many of them on a monthly basis.
Obviously, Wash Your Hands
Last but certainly not least; wash your hands. It’s an obvious one, but worth mentioning. Doctors recommend you wash your hands before each meal, and for good reason. You could also consider keeping a bottle of hand sanitiser on your desk, just to be safe. Of course, others might raise an eyebrow at your little hand sanitiser bottle, but who will have the last laugh when they take off from work due to black plague, while you remain smiling, healthy and happy behind your desk?