By Chris Haro

It is a couple of days before holiday vacation and you sit there at work, you are sniffling and sneezing.. a flu’s in the lurk! You want to be healthy, you can’t afford to get sick, but your nose and cheeks are getting rosy, but not cheery like St. Nick. You reach for the tissue, you start downing vitamin C, but you are fearing a sick holiday, not a cheery one for me.

One of the biggest concerns that we tend to face during the holidays is that dreaded flu. We do all we can to avoid it personally; eat well, take vitamins, clean up the house, etc… but one of the top spots to get sick is at the office. If someone at work gets sick, there at a great chance that it will spread like wildfire. Though there is not much you can do to help someone from the office stay healthy all holiday season long, there are a few things you can keep in mind to help minimize your chances of catching what they have.

1. Be Prepared For Battle

If you are going to fight the good fight, it is a good idea to have adequate weapons within arms reach. Even at work, things can travel in the air, and you won’t even see it coming! Be sure to see your doctor and get a flu shot. If you have to sneeze or cough, cover your mouth and use a tissue, or sneeze into the inside of your elbow or upper arm. I prefer the tissue method myself.

2. Wash Those Hands!

I really don’t have to elaborate too much on this but just say that at work, we come in contact with lots of things that others do, so it is a great idea to keep you hands clean. Make sure you are paying attention to the areas around the nails and if you are using hand sanitizers, rub thoroughly all over the hands including around the nails and between the fingers and rub until the product is nice and dry.

3. Sharing is Not Caring

Try not to share any of the stuff you use on a daily basis – such as cups or bottles, your phone and other desk utensils. If you need to share, or find Cindy Lou Hoo over there grabbing your stapler because she lost the ability to get up and go get her own staples, then be sure to disinfect the objects before or after you share.

4. Avoid the Sickies

Ever since I started watching “The Living Dead” I have tried to avoid as many people who even remotely resemble a zombie interested in tasting my face. Now, that doesn’t happen often, but none the less, when I see Sir Coughs A  Lot walking up and down the office, I try to avoid contact. Respiratory droplets do get passed from one person to another, and can easily spread the flu. Easier to pass among people who are in close contact with one another.

5. Keep Your Area Clean

It is always a good plan to have some stuff around to clean the desk or living area around you while you are working as much as possible. Though you can’t prevent the germs from your cubicle buddies or office mates from making their way in, you can make sure that you wipe things down when you hear people coughing like seals and achooo’ing throughout the office.

 

Prevention, just like all other medical conditions is the key to minimize your chances to getting sick, so do what you can to prevent the Grinch from stealing your holiday cheer, and most of all having a wonderful and healthy holiday season.