The United States catches a billion colds every year. Over 200 types of contagious viruses can cause the common cold. During fall and winter, these viruses are lurking on surfaces, in air droplets, and on the breath and hands of your patients. If you’re not prepared, like a hostile army, the common cold will invade, lay siege to your workplace, and halt your production!
With the common cold, you can be contagious even before you realize you’re sick!
As stated by, Cesar Arias, MD, associate professor of infectious diseases at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston:
"You are most contagious during the period before the symptoms start and during the first 2 days you feel sick."
Early symptoms start 2 to 3 days after being infected:
According to the CDC, “most people recover in about 7-10 days.” More severe symptoms, such as high fever or muscle aches, may be a sign that you have the flu rather than a cold.
Individuals working in “people industries,” like dentistry, chiropractic and other healthcare professions, are susceptible to catching a cold.
Per Chris Iliades, MD, it’s “easy to ‘catch a cold’ by simply touching something or breathing the air around you,” because these viruses “can survive for a brief period of time on most surfaces and in air droplets.”
And since your team spends all their time indoors, in close proximity to the enemy, they have an even greater chance of catching a cold. Especially, during December and February when humidity is low (most cold viruses survive better in these conditions) and the lining of your nose is “drier and more vulnerable to an infection by a virus,” according to WebMD.
So, getting sick isn’t a matter of IF for most of your team, it’s a matter of WHEN.
When a team member gets sick, it’s important that the individual is able to take a couple days off work to rest and prevent the spread of the virus. If you lack policies that allow your team members to accrue sick leave, they’ll be forced to work while sick, especially if money is a priority.
As a result, it’ll take longer for the team member to get healthy and their productivity will most likely suffer along the way. Plus, the contagious virus will have the opportunity to spread to other team members, your patients, and probably, you. (Not to mention everyone’s families ☹️).
As a business owner, it’s important to realize that a lack of paid sick days endangers your healthy workers and in turn, your production.
The best way to keep your production healthy is to keep your team healthy by reducing the spread of the common cold.
Share this article with your team to help prepare your office against the attack of the common cold. But your team members aren’t the only people you care about, right??
So, don’t forget to share these tips with your friends, family, co-workers, and social media followers!
(Feel free to use the simple share buttons on the left 👈 😀)
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