Hot chocolate, toasty fires, holiday lights, gingerbread cookies, cozy sweaters, snow days—these are a few of the things that may come to mind when you think of winter. Unfortunately, winter also brings a few unwelcome developments, like the annual round of office flu. Although office illness may seem inevitable, by educating yourself and building healthy habits, you can prevent yourself and others from getting sick.
The flu is one of the more dangerous illnesses that spreads through office settings. Recovery time can be anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, and unlike some illnesses, a bout of influenza makes it almost impossible to keep up with the demands of your normal routine. Often “powering through” simply isn’t an option, no matter how much willpower you have. Plus, the flu can lead to serious complications or, in extreme cases, death.
The good news is that there are steps you can take to guard against influenza. Follow these tips to avoid the office flu this winter.
Take it seriously
First of all, it’s important to take the flu seriously. Although you won’t hear of many people dying from the flu (the CDC estimates 1.4 deaths per 100,000 people), mortality statistics don’t tell the whole story. Influenza can cause complications ranging from ear and sinus infections to multi-organ failure or pneumonia. You could experience dehydration, muscle inflammation, and heart problems. If you have a chronic condition, such as diabetes or asthma, the flu could make your symptoms worse.
You are more likely to develop complications if you are older than 65, have heart or lung disease, reside in a nursing home, have a compromised immune system, or are pregnant. Young children are also at risk, which means parents should be extra cautious about contracting and spreading the flu.
Learn to recognize the flu
Next, you need to know how to recognize the flu. Initially, influenza resembles the common cold, and many people have trouble telling the difference. The only way to be entirely sure is to visit your doctor, who can run tests to determine whether your symptoms are being caused by the influenza virus or something else.
Flu symptoms include the following:
- Body aches
- Chills
- Cough
- Diarrhea (more common in children)
- Fever
- Headache
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Sore throat
- Tiredness
- Vomiting (more common in children)
Cold symptoms are similar but typically less intense. However, a runny or stuffy nose is more common with a cold than the flu.
Often when symptoms appear, people assume they have a cold and choose to forego a trip to the doctor. When it comes to the flu, though, “better safe than sorry” is the best approach. Incorrect self-diagnosis can make recovery more difficult because Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate), an antiviral drug prescribed to treat the flu, is only effective if taken within the first 48 hours after symptom onset.
If you find out you’ve been exposed to the flu at work, you can take Tamiflu for up to six weeks to prevent yourself from getting sick. You can also take it after symptoms appear in order to lessen the severity and shorten the duration of your illness. In either case, the sooner you head to your doctor, the better this medication will work for you.
Protect yourself
The best protection against influenza is the annual flu vaccine. The CDC reformulates this vaccine each year to target the strains they believe will be most prevalent during the upcoming flu season. Although the vaccine can’t promise to be 100-percent effective, it provides enough protection to be worthwhile.
On a daily basis, be intentional about washing your hands more often, and avoid touching your face — especially your mouth, nose, and eyes. Carry hand sanitizer to use when there’s no bathroom nearby. If a coworker is showing cold or flu symptoms, keep your distance. At least six feet away is ideal, so if you have any control over where you work, choose an office space that gives you plenty of room. When possible, you should also avoid using things that person may have touched, such as their computer or phone.
You can also give your immune system a boost with orange juice, garlic, ginger, yogurt, tea, berries, apples, spinach, broccoli, and other produce. Foods rich in vitamin C and antioxidants seem to be particularly potent, but eating a variety of nutrients into your diet is the best approach. Also, be sure to supplement your healthy eating habits with regular exercise.
Take sick days
Finally, if you do feel the flu coming on, do everyone a favor and stay home. Your body needs rest to fight off viruses, and taking a few days off could keep the flu from being passed around the office. Be sure to let your boss and coworkers know what you have so they can be on the lookout for symptoms and wipe down your desk and common areas with a disinfectant to kill any germs you left behind.
When planning your sick days, remember that you become contagious one day before your flu symptoms start and stay that way for five to seven days afterward. Your doctor can tell you when it will be safe for you to return to work.
Office illness
Of course, influenza isn’t the only illness that plagues office workers. Often winter seems like a never-ending cycle of sickness as employees share small spaces and, consequently, germs. If you want to stay healthy this winter, you need to learn about other common office illnesses, too.
Most common contagious illnesses
The rhinovirus (the common cold), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), gastroenteritis (stomach flu), streptococcus (strep throat), and conjunctivitis (pink eye) are all highly contagious illnesses that tend to pop up in office settings. The most common symptoms of each are listed below.
- Common cold: stuffy or runny nose, sneezing, coughing, congestion, sore throat, low-grade fever, slight body aches or headache
- RSV: stuffy or runny nose, dry cough, low-grade fever, sore throat, mild headache (also wheezing, difficulty breathing, and rapid breathing in severe cases)
- Stomach flu: nausea, vomiting, watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, low-grade fever
- Strep throat: sudden sore throat, fever, swollen lymph nodes in neck, painful swallowing, red and swollen tonsils, headache, red spots on the back part of the roof of the mouth
- Pink eye: redness in the white of the eye, watery eyes, thick yellow discharge that crusts over eyelashes (especially after sleep), green or white discharge from eye, blurred vision, burning or itching eyes, sensitivity to light
With many illnesses, the general rule is to stay home until you’ve been fever-free for at least 24 hours. However, your doctor can give you a recommendation specific to your diagnosis and treatment plan. Again, be sure to keep your supervisor and coworkers in the loop. If you’ve been diagnosed with a contagious illness, you need to let them know as soon as possible — both so they can plan for your absence and so they can take measures to keep the illness from spreading.
Tips for staying healthy
No matter what’s being passed around the office, the basic steps to protect yourself are the same. Wash your hands often, avoid contact with sick coworkers, keep tissues and hand sanitizer handy, and avoid touching your face. You should also be more intentional about cleaning your desk — including your keyboard, phone, mouse, and laptop — and common areas. Avoid sharing food and office supplies with coworkers. That will leave fewer opportunities for you to get sick or make others sick.
Keep in mind that when you practice good hygiene and healthy habits, you encourage others to do the same.
Recommended office policies
If you hold a management or administrative position, you can do even more to help stop office sickness in its tracks. Encourage employees to take sick days when they need to or enable them to work from home when they’re sick. You should also keep the office stocked with immune-boosting foods, tissues, and hand sanitizer and ensure that desks, tables, and other surfaces are cleaned thoroughly and frequently.
You can also encourage employees to get the flu shot, either by offering it on-site or by making it as easy as possible for them to get it elsewhere. You can help by ensuring that their health insurance covers the flu shot, informing employees of where and when the shot will be offered locally, and allowing them to leave work briefly to get vaccinated.
No matter where you work or what your job title is, everyone has a role to play in preventing office illness. Avoiding the flu is possible if you understand how it spreads and put that knowledge to use every day.