It’s an oft cited statistic that the average office keyboard is dirtier than the underside of a toilet seat.
Well, this is not a myth! According to the Huffington Post, your laptop keyboard is likely 20,000 times dirtier.
When you think about it, however, that statistic isn’t as surprising as it sounds. For one thing, people tend to eat at their keyboards – especially in hardworking offices with tight deadlines. Whilst, toilet seats – especially office toilet seats – tend to get cleaned quite often, cleaning a keyboard is a difficult and time consuming task.
That being said, office hygiene is nonetheless a serious topic and not one that should be shrugged off lightly. That’s why today, we’ll be taking a look at three lesser known statistics about office hygiene that will have you reaching for the disinfectant in no time.
Viruses Can Live On Surfaces For Up To 24 Hours
That’s right. Even if your sick coworker has gone home, neither you nor your coworkers are out of the clear yet. Before sitting down at their desk to take a look through what needs to be done while they’re away, it’s vitally important that you disinfect everything that may have come into contact with a coworker who’s gone home ill.
It might seem like overkill, but the reality is that this is exactly how nasty workplace viruses get passed around. So if you want to keep things up and running while your colleague is away, make sure to be careful when picking up their phone.
Germs From The Bathroom Can Make Their Way Into Your Cup Of Tea
Yes, according to a study from Liverpool’s School of Tropical Medicine, germs from the bathroom often find their way far into the office – even making their way into food and drink. More often than not, this happens as a result of workers failing to wash their hands thoroughly. Whatever the reason, it’s a strong incentive to skip that extra cup of tea or, at very least, wash the cup out twice.
Most Office Workers Don’t Raise Hygiene Complaints Even When They Should
Last, but certainly not least, according to research from the Office Space Cleaning Facilities Management firm, 59% of workers fail to raise office hygiene complaints, even when there’s a serious problem taking place. As a result, unhygienic practices are often allowed to slide, ultimately leading to sick days and a loss in productivity.
