Do you know what not to do when celebrating the holiday season at your office? Keep reading for a few of our favorite tips for spreading holiday cheer safely this year!
Follow these tips and you’ll enjoy safer celebrations with your coworkers and customers. Don’t follow them and… Well, let’s just say you might not get an invite to the party next year.
Lobbies & Reception Areas
Ah, the grand entrance. Around the holidays, people want to show up in style and leave just as safely as they arrived. Keep your holiday office party attendees healthy and happy all the way into the New Year by celebrating safely from the moment they step foot in the building.
DON’T:
- Forget to disinfect door handles
- Shake hands after sneezing or coughing into yours
DO:
- Greet your team, customers, and vendors with a smile!
- Neutralize & eliminate unpleasant odors in advance (we recommend using a deodorant with a seasonal fragrance like crisp lemon, fresh apple, or wild cherry)
Kitchens & Dining Areas
No matter how or what you’re celebrating with your team this season, there’s one thing everyone is sure to have on hand: food! With food, comes the need for sparkling clean prep and eating areas in your facility. Because you know as well as we do what happens when people spread germs instead of holiday cheer.
DON’T:
- Double dip (and yes, someone is always watching)
- Drink or eat off shared surfaces
- Spill the chili…
DO:
- Wash your hands before cooking and be sure to make enough for everyone!
- Wash your hands before eating (we recommend an antibacterial hand soap)
- Clean & disinfect food contact surfaces with a food surface sanitizer
Restrooms
Where there’s an office building, there are restrooms. Unfortunately, there are also many common touchpoints (i.e. hotspots for germs) in the average facility restroom. In fact, restroom floors and sinks often contain more bacteria than shower floors. Even restroom light switches may have traces of fecal matter on them—no, thank you!
Before hitting the stalls during this year’s office party, consider these tips…
DON’T:
- Go for the middle stalls. You may think the middle stalls are used less often, but studies show it’s actually the FIRST stall that’s used least (meaning it’s the cleanest).
- Forget to disinfect stalls & urinals after use (we recommend keeping Facility+ RTU stocked nearby for an easy clean!)
- Bring gifts with you to this sacred space (not only is it gross, but you’re just asking to drop it in the toilet and there’s no way the gift-giver will believe that was an accident)
- Text or use your phone at the toilet/urinal
DO:
- Cough & sneeze into your elbow or ugly holiday sweater
- Know how to properly wash your hands (spoiler: you’ll want to scrub for at least 20 seconds)
- Avoid touching the facet, door handle, light switch, or trash can with your hands after washing (holding onto the paper towel you used is a great alternative)
Now, have fun!
All jokes aside, there are so many ways to enjoy the office holiday celebrations safely. Want more helpful cleaning and disinfection tips before the big party? Follow us on social media or check out some of our other articles on disinfection and facility safety here.
Oh, and don’t forget to apply these tips to your holiday gatherings at home, too!
*Images in this article were sourced from: buzzfeed.com
