Office Staff Want A Healthy New Year

As we head back to work in the New Year, office staff will want to stay healthy, but nearly three-quarters are concerned about the presence of germs in their workplace, according to an independent poll commissioned by Kimberly-Clark Professional.

In the survey, which was conducted by Cogent Research among office workers from across England, 21% said they were “greatly concerned” by germs at work, with 51% stating they were “somewhat concerned”. Meanwhile, 57% said they were worried about the transfer of germs from work to home.

Suzanne Halley, End-user Marketing Manager for the UK at Kimberly-Clark Professional, said: “Office workers are right to be concerned about hygiene at work all year round. Invisible bacteria in the workplace can cause colds, flu and upset stomachs. Though they are minor, these are unpleasant illnesses that force people to take time off, and staff absence costs UK businesses nearly £30 billion annually. However, simple steps such as installing sanitisers around an office, and making sanitising wipes widely available, can make a big difference to wellbeing.

“A healthy workforce is a happy and productive workforce. Particularly at this time of year, in the middle of the cold and flu season companies that take pro-active measures to keep their staff free of illness will be rewarded in the longer term.”

Kimberly-Clark Professional has developed The Healthy Workplace Project*, to make it easy for companies to reduce sickness levels among their staff by promoting the little things people can do to minimise the spread of germs in offices.

Suzanne Halley explained: “By emphasising the importance of ‘washing, wiping and sanitising’ on the job, The Healthy Workplace Project* helps to cut levels of absenteeism because of illness, raise staff satisfaction because they feel better more often, increase productivity levels and reduce the risk of people taking germs home to their families. All in all, it means one thing less for office workers to worry about as they head back to the office this New Year.”