Every day we see adverts for cleaning products which claim that germs are everywhere! They usually feature some footage of a UV light shone behind a toilet, which highlights the terrifying scale of the problem.
Germs behind your toilet is the least of your worries though, be honest, how much time do you spend there? We need to be more concerned about the germs we are in contact with all day.
Many of us spend around eight hours every day sat at a desk. You may not think your desk is a particularly unsavoury place, but it is here that we perform a whole manner of sins.
Through a combination of boredom, concentration or laziness, we do many things at work we would not even consider elsewhere. We can get so involved with our work that we don’t even notice that we are picking our nose, putting our feet on the desk or sneezing without covering our mouths.
The combination of the above means that an unkempt office can be one of the dirtiest spaces you encounter. Not only are we spending most of our working days here, 80% of us eat our lunch at our desk!
We need to do more to keep our workstations clean but, more importantly, we need to get out of the office at lunchtime! It may be difficult but you will be doing wonders for your health, not only will you be escaping the pile of germs, you will be getting more fresh air, exercise and you-time!
It won’t just be you who feels the benefit, your employers will love you for it! Did you know that 60% of all time off (genuine time off, not bunking off) is caused by work itself. Being more health conscious at work will drastically reduce the amount of sick pay they need to shell out.
This handy infographic combines the results of a study by the University of Arizona with official HSE stats, to figure out the exact cost of uncleanliness.