When You Can’t Stay Home from Work, Here is What You Can Do

Flu and cold season means stocking up on home remedies, getting a flu shot, and using hand sanitizer more often. When you’re hit with the cold or flu, time and again doctors say that staying home from work is the absolute best option. This allows your body time to heal and rest, with the added benefit of not exposing your co-workers to sickness, which can be deadly in some cases. Doctors suggest that staying home until you’re at least 24 hours’ fever-free is the best indicator that you’re no longer contagious and on your way to being healthy.

But often-times, being fever-free for 24 hours can take days. We get it; staying home and relaxing when you’re sick is not very realistic. There is still work to be done and kids to take care of, and waiting around for a fever or cough to clear is sometimes not feasible.  A new study shows that more and more people are still going to work when they are sick. Whether it is because of financial struggle or because they are simply not offered sick days, people are more likely to still go in to work and put in a full day’s work.

So what can you do? You or a loved one is sick, and maybe staying home is not an option. Here are some ways you can keep you and your co-workers healthy if you’re at work and not feeling well. Of course, the only way to fully eliminate the possibility of your co-workers catching your cold or flu is to stay home, but these tips will help lessen those chances.

Disinfect

To limit the chances of your co-workers getting sick, remind yourself to be consistent in washing your hands. While it can be a pain, this is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spreading of germs, but you can make it easier on yourself by carrying around hand sanitizer. As long as it is alcohol-based, hand sanitizer is a viable option if you can’t always get to a sink.

Take this one step further and grab some disinfectant wipes to wipe down keyboards, desks, or anything else that you might use throughout the day. Your co-workers will appreciate you taking the extra precaution in stopping the spreading of germs.

Avoid Meetings

We realize that this might not be possible for everyone, but if you can, talk to your boss about skipping some non-urgent meetings. By avoiding places where more people will be, the chance of germs spreading will go down significantly. Ask someone to take notes or record the meeting if possible.

Alleviate Symptoms

Talk to your doctor about what can be done to lessen coughing, sneezing, fever, or other symptoms you might have. While this will not make you 100 percent better, this will help you make it through a work day while feeling under the weather.

Take advantage of our urgent care centers and see a doctor quickly and at your convenience. Stop in at one of our seven centers throughout Hampton Roads and see a doctor about any flu or cold symptoms that have you down. We have locations in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Carrolton, Williamsburg, Newport News and Gloucester.