Health & Wellness

4 Tips To Keep Retail Employees Healthy and Working

With viruses and germs an ever-present threat, employers in the retail industry may find themselves looking for ways to keep their workers healthy. Some customers come into stores and malls even when sick while others unknowingly spread their germs and viruses to retail staff. Whatever the cause, managers can utilize four common strategies to keep their employees healthy and avoid staff shortages caused by workers taking frequent sick leave.

1. Encourage Frequent Handwashing

Giving employees regular breaks to wash hands whenever possible reduces the spread of germs and viruses. Providing guidance on proper handwashing techniques in staff restrooms also helps ensure employees properly sanitize their hands. When unable to take breaks between customers, alcohol-based hand sanitizers will suffice. Additionally, providing hand sanitizers to customers at various locations throughout the retail space entices them to cleanse their hands before interacting with employees. Frequent sanitization of check-out stations and credit card machines also helps keep germs and viruses at bay.

2. Provide Physical Barriers

While frequent handwashing helps reduce the spread of viruses and germs, physical barriers between employees and customers may decrease the likelihood of spreading illnesses even further. Acrylic sneeze guards are one way employers can provide these barriers to their staff. Sneeze guards work by preventing droplets from a sick individual from traveling to another person.

3. Increase Air Ventilation

Poorly ventilated buildings circulate the same stale air and can harbor germs and viruses. Updating heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment may help retail employers battle sickness. Updating HVAC systems can be costly but could wind up saving managers a lot of stress and headaches caused by last-minute employee sick leave from preventable illnesses. In addition to ensuring proper ventilation with HVAC systems, try to open windows to allow fresh air to enter your retail location as frequently as possible. 

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4. Ensure Frequent Cleanings

Ensuring that doorknobs, carts and other shared surfaces are frequently sanitized can help reduce the spread of germs and viruses. Wiping down these surfaces several times a day aids in keeping staff and customers healthy. High-traffic surfaces should be sanitized with antibacterial cleansers or wipes. Providing antibacterial wipes at retail entrances encourages customers to help in the sanitizing process and may reduce the burden of frequently cleaning carts and baskets for retail staff.

Following these four pointers can assist retail employers in keeping their stores clean and employees healthy. The end result is typically happier customers, employees and managers alike.

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