Tiny Ways to Make Your Workplace Healthier

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Like schools, offices are pretty icky places if you think about all the community surfaces and items collecting germs, dirt and grime. And while each workplace environment has its own hazards and niche gross-out factors, there are some generally accepted ways for you to make your home away from home a little cleaner — and healthier. Here are just a few of the easiest strategies for de-germing your workplace:

  • Eat your own food: Besides minding your waistline, staying away from catered platters and trays of finger food can lower your risk of picking up others’ germs. Even people who normally wash their hands before sitting down for a regular meal probably don’t clean up before mindlessly picking up snacks from communal trays that have been sitting out for hours collecting dust, hair particles and sneezes, and soaking in germs from people’s fingers as they pick and choose their mid-day snack.
  • Clean your keyboard and supplies: Wipe down your keyboard once a day, especially if you notice coworkers jumping on your computer. Keyboards and other office supplies are teeming with bacteria, food particles, hair, dust, and other gross stuff that you don’t want ending up on — or in — yourself.
  • Put tissues on your desk: This should encourage you to capture all sneezes, and also remind coworkers to use disposable tissues for everything from wiping their noses to opening doors.
  • Stock your desk with healthy foods: Boost your immune system, energy levels and diet by stocking your desk and mini-fridge (remember to label your stuff!) with crunchy vegetables, fruit, yogurt and already portioned-out snacks like nuts or whole wheat crackers.
  • Get a plant: Purify the air that’s around your desk by getting one or two plants for your desk. Besides having the power to cheer you up, green plants really do cleanse the air. English Ivy, Weeping Fig, Gerbera Daisies, and Spider plants are some of the best.
  • Implement break time: From calming your nerves and anxiety to giving your eyes, neck and wrists a break from the computer, taking 10-minute breaks every hour or so can help your body tremendously. Walk around the office, go outside for some fresh air, or get up from your desk to do something unrelated to work, like looking at a magazine or catching up with a friend.

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