Winter flu season: How to avoid getting sick in your office

Office environments can be breeding grounds for the spread of viruses. Photo / Getty Images

You might no longer wear a mask at work and your purse pack of hand sanitiser may have long run dry, but as we enter our fourth winter with Covid in our lives, it’s important to remind ourselves of some key habits that can help stop viruses spreading and keep us well.

While the confines of an office space can be a breeding ground for bugs, there are a few things beyond good hand washing and sneezing into your elbow that you can implement for a healthier work environment.

Go green

Mother-in-law's tongue is one of several plants that do well in office environments. Photo / Getty Images

They may have passed their interior décor peak, but plants are an important addition to an office space for their ability to help fight viral illness outbreaks.

In an article for The Conversation, scientists explain how having large plants in the workplace can boost the microbial diversity of a space. The good bacteria on indoor plants and in their dirt can help combat and balance out the cloud of germs we bring into our offices every day.

Before you go starting a cactus garden by your desk, it’s worth noting certain plants perform better than others in office environments: Bamboo and Kentia palms, variegated snake plants – also known as mother-in-law’s tongue - and peace lilies are all effective options that can also withstand typically low office light and weekends without water.

Dirty desks equal sick mess

It might feel like the last thing you have time for during a busy day in the office but keeping your desk clean will also keep you well. That’s because, according to a study, the average desk has 400 times more germs than a toilet seat and most of these come from people.

The study also found that office kitchens and their appliances, such as kettles, harbour far more bacteria than a toilet seat too.

Gender selection

Where you sit in an office can feel like “everything” - and part of that can be who you sit next to. But if you’re more concerned about germs than good chat, a University of Arizona study will have you steering clear of sitting by men. That’s because, when compared to women, they boast up to four times as much bacteria on their desks, around their desks and on their personal devices including phones, computers and keyboards.

Eat outside and don’t touch that phone

Lunch in one hand and a phone in the other isn't the healthiest way to have a meal for many reasons. Photo / Getty Images

Unless you’re after a side of microbes with that packet of sushi, don’t eat at your desk - which could be teeming with pathogens.

What’s more, as tempting as it might be to eat with one hand and scroll through your phone with the other, unless you’ve cleaned your device ahead of your lunch break, you could be picking up all sorts of germs, including faecal matter.

Keep your pens to yourself

It might sound like a tactic from primary school but pens and pencils passing hands around the office is a fine way to spread germs. A study published in the European Clinical Microbiology and Infection journal found there is evidence that micro-organisms survive on our office stationery.

So if you have a habit of gnawing on pens in meetings, you’ll want to be sure they haven’t previously been in the hands of another colleague, especially one who’s not so inclined to wash their hands thoroughly.

Don’t bring your bugs to work

Have we become complacent about staying away from the office when we're sick? Photo / Getty images

The covid pandemic brought about a shift in the common Kiwi “she’ll be right” attitude when it came to taking care of ourselves. And while we may have eased up on our efforts to stay home when sick in recent years, it’s still an important measure to take this winter and beyond.

As per advice from Te Whatu Ora, if you are unwell, stay home and take a Covid test. Often flu symptoms can be the same or similar to those that present in Covid cases.