The minute I hear that someone I know is coming down with the flu, I think, “Oh no; I can’t afford to get sick! I have work deadlines to meet, my kids have final exams next week, plus a million other things to do!”
Yet, beyond the imposition on today’s busy lifestyle, the flu can be expensive for individuals and businesses alike, when you consider:
- The flu cost workers $8.5 billion in lost wages from taking unpaid sick days to either recuperate or care for a sick family member during the 2012-2013 flu season1
- Unscheduled absenteeism costs a business more than $2,500 per employee per year2
- Illness contributes to about 144 million lost school days per year3
With more than 80% of all illnesses transmitted by hands4, we can’t afford not to practice good hand hygiene at work and at home every day. But where can you go to access useful tips to help you stop the spread of illness-causing germs, plus timely information about current illness outbreaks?
GOJO has recently launched its Hand Hygiene Hub, which provides a variety of tips and tools for both individuals and businesses. These include: PURELL® Real-Time Flu Conversation Trends, illness outbreak information from experts, educational videos, myth busting infographics, product placement checklists, posters, email templates and more.
We are in peak cold and flu season, so we need to be even more diligent about practicing good hand hygiene. You can start by incorporating these three simple steps into your hand hygiene regimen:
- Proven Products - Use products proven effective in real-world clinical studies
- Proper Placement - Make sure hand hygiene is easy to access at critical moments
- Promote Usage - Reinforce good hand hygiene habits all year long
If you have a favorite tool or tip to help encourage good hand hygiene habits, we would love to hear from you!