How Much Does Sickness Cost Your Business?
Friday, October 23, 2009 at 11:20AM 
One of the main complaints people have today is to be kept waiting. They hate waiting in checkout lines, for appointments, for out of stock items, to be served at a restaurant, on the phone, etc. Faithful, loyal customers will trade in that loyalty today if you keep them waiting. Having a short staff to wait on your customers this cold & flu season can be devastating to your business. Not only can sickness help you lose customers but it can also affect your payroll costs.
Work absenteeism costs U.S. employers an estimated 17 percent of payroll costs -- a huge penalty that can make the difference between profit and loss for private organizations, or massive budget overruns for public employers.
Missing time from work due to illness, or taking care of a family member who is ill, is a part of life. And who can blame the working mom for staying home with her sick child, or taking time during the day to tend to an ill parent.
A survey of U.S. insurers and employers indicated that on any given day, 25 percent to 33 percent of the typical work force is not at work for a variety of reasons, including illnesses ranging from the mild to serious. This is an average cost to small business of $757.00 per year and the average worker will lose $1,044.00 per year in wages. (excerpts from Avoiding the High Cost of Employee Absenteeism, posted October 21, 2008, www.softwaretechniques.wordpress.com.)
Often the uncounted costs are even greater. These include loss of productivity and erosion of customer services that can lead to loss of business and revenue. What can a small business do?
An Ounce of Protection Keeps Germs Away
Disinfecting work equipment touch surfaces such as telephones, computer keyboards, printers, and fax machines can also help reduce the spread of germs and bacteria from one co-worker to another. Aire-Master offers the PortionPac Germicidal Detergent and Healthcare Disinfectant spray to help you kill germs on business equipment.
Handwashing is one of the best and simplest ways to dramatically reduce the spread of infection and the number of sick days, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC recommends vigorous scrubbing with warm, soapy water for at least 15 seconds.
Five Common Germ Transmitting Scenarios
Hands to food: germs are transmitted from unclean hands to food, usually by an infected food preparer that didn't wash their hands after using the toilet. The germs are then passed to those who eat the food.
Infected infant to hands to other children: during diaper changing, germs are passed from an infant with diarrhea to the hands of a parent; if the parent doesn't immediately wash his or her hands before handling another child, the germs that cause diarrhea are passed to the second child.
Food to hands to food: germs are transmitted from raw, uncooked foods, such as chicken, to hands; the germs are then transferred to other foods, such as salad. Cooking the raw food kills the initial germs, but the salad remains contaminated.
Nose, mouth, or eyes to hands to others: germs that cause colds, eye infections, and other illnesses can spread to the hands by sneezing, coughing, or rubbing the eyes and then can be transferred to other family members or friends.
Food to hands to infants: germs from uncooked foods are transferred to hands and then to infants. If a parent handling raw chicken, for example, doesn't wash his or her hands before tending to an infant, they could transfer germs such as salmonella from the food to the infant.
Hand Soaps and Sanitizer Options
Aire-Master manufactures a variety of germ-killing hand soaps and sanitizers to meet the needs of your business. Available in a variety of options: 30oz and 50oz bulk dispensing system or 1000 ml closed pouch system. TO VIEW OUR SOAP & SANITIZER OPTIONS CLICK HERE.
Hand Sanitizer Tip
Many healthcare workers report repeated use of hand sanitizers dry out their skin and make it difficult to get rubber or latex gloves on and off during their work shift. Aire-Master’s hand sanitizer contains moisturizers to soften hands and make it easier when using gloves.
Contact Your Aire-Master Representative
Be sure to ask your Aire-Master representative for more information on disinfectants and germ-killing hand soaps and sanitizers for your business. Take control of absenteeism at your workplace this year. Go to www.airemaster.com home page and click on “Find A Service Location” for a complete listing of Aire-Master representatives, or call 1-800-STINKIE.