With autumn well under way, and the cold and flu season approaching, Ashley Stahl* shares some advice on keeping healthy, while all those around you are collapsing.
Sore throat, runny nose, sniffles…oh my, the cold and flu season is almost here.
Most of the time, the flu activity peaks during July and August, and if you aren’t careful can carry on into September.
The best thing you can do to prepare yourself is to know what you’re up against. Here are a couple of reasons why you might get sick at work — and how to stop it.
Your workplace culture doesn’t support your wellness.
An astonishing 90 per cent of professionals admit they go to work when they are sick, and of them, 33 per cent always show up when they are sick.
It’s time to consider why this is happening. Why are people getting out of bed in the morning feeling horrible and walk straight into the office?
The sad truth is that 54 per cent of people believe they have too much work to do, and 40 per cent don’t want to use one of their few precious sick days, out of fear they’ll really need them in the future.
This thought pattern has to shift. Taking care of your health should be your number one priority.
Realise that staying home for a day or two is going to help you in the long run.
If you don’t take steps right away to rest and recover, you are looking at a cold that lowers your productivity at least 26 per cent, and it will grab hold of you for longer.
According to the research, as the symptoms hit, you should wrap up your day and head home to rest.
Make sure to drink plenty of fluids which will help lower a fever and actually aid in attacking the virus in your blood.
Drink fluids that contain electrolytes like sodium, chloride, and potassium which maintain the body’s pH and help cells absorb and use the fluids you are taking in.
Coconut water is a great option for boosting electrolytes without drinking a ton of sugar.
Whether you are sick or not, start drinking more fluids, because you may already fall into the 75 per cent of people who are chronically dehydrated.
The vast majority of us are walking around with a net loss of water every single day.
Because of this, your body is a breeding ground for the virus to spread without any barriers in place to protect you.
Living in a constant state of dehydration can lead to some pretty serious chronic issues such as urinary and kidney problems and seizures.
Be sure to drink fluids the moment you feel ill, and better yet, make it a habit to drink a full glass of water first thing in the morning to start your day hydrated after those long hours with no hydration.
You are around more people in close quarters.
During the winter months, you are likely to spend more of your time inside, with the windows closed and doors shut.
If someone is sick, or germs are being streamed, they live in the air with nowhere to go.
You can’t exactly do your work outside in the cold rain or freezing snow, so you need to prepare yourself to stay healthy and clean.
Start with being conscious of what you are touching. Take precautions and use a paper towel to open the bathroom door at work.
If you have a shared break room in your office, do the same with the microwave and refrigerator doors.
If there is one button every co-worker touches, it’s for the elevator, especially that first-floor button that pulsates with more than 600 bacteria per square centimetre.
Consider taking the steps to get to your office.
Not only will this keep you from putting your hands everywhere, it will give you those extra steps during a season when finding time to work out can be a struggle.
It doesn’t stop there. This may be too much information, but studies found that one in six cell phones carries fecal matter on it.
Keep your phone clean by wiping it off with a disinfectant wipe, and don’t pick up anyone else’s, even if they want to show you their family holiday photos.
If you are able to impart policy change within your workplace, advocate for a policy of unlimited days off so that your employees don’t feel pressured to save their few sick days.
This cultural shift isn’t just for them — it will help your organisation’s business too.
According to a study, 93 per cent of 900 organisations surveyed reported that healthier employees were more productive.
Employees who were provided adequate time off to recharge were 14 per cent more engaged.
Before you become one of the millions who get sick each year, do what you can to keep your health up, and actually enjoy the winter season — you deserve it.
*Ashley Stahl is a career coach, keynote speaker, podcast host and author. In a previous life she was award-winning counter-terrorism professional. She can be contacted at ashleystahl.com.
This article first appeared at forbes.com
