GEEK-CUBE: Healthy at Work

In large offices, staying healthy is a concern for employees and management. Large numbers of absences can have a disastrous impact on productivity and efficiency, and it’s also no fun to be at work when you’re miserable. Likewise, one typically wants to avoid the plague-like coughing of the poor flu sufferer in the cubicle across the aisle. Think protecting yourself and coworkers is dull business? Well, maybe it is, but there are ways of adding your own geeky touch.

1. Clean your desk DAILY.

The office is a breeding ground of bacteria and viruses. The bigger the office, the greater the chance that someone is contagious. Take ten minutes at the end of your day to put things away and set mugs and dishes in a bag to take home and clean. The Dollar Tree near my work sells orange wipes for a dollar, which I used to clean dust off my desk. A damp paper towel can work in a pinch for cleaning up food spills if you have nothing else. Crumbs and sticky spills can be a breeding ground for bacteria and attract pests.

Suggestion: Quite a few people have told me about CyberClean, an item meant to be safe for surfaces with small crevices.

2. Stay home if you’re contagious.

If you’re sick and are possibly contagious, GO HOME. No excuses. Don’t get coworkers sick at the expense of your paid time off or work ethic.

Suggestion: If sleeping isn’t doing it for you, sit on the couch with some chicken soup and watch all the Fraggle Rock you can stand.

3. Don’t share your diseases.

If you must work, keep hand sanitizer at your desk. It’s customary in many other countries to use a mouth barrier of some sort so that you don’t accidentally share illnesses with other people. True, it might look odd if you’re walking around in a surgeon’s mask at work, but it can be effective in preventing the spread of whatever funk you’re carrying around with you.

Suggestion: Look for masks with fun prints like these Studio Samira Boon Get Well Soon masks. If you have some money to spend, you can also invest in a UV-C Mini Sanitizing Wand.

4. Cheetos are not your friends.

Okay, so the song says that Code Monkey likes Cheetos, Tab, and Mountain Dew, but really, what are these foods doing to your immune system? Eating more fruits and vegetables gives your body more materials to fight off illnesses. If you’re not going to have your apple-a-day (and no, apple juice doesn’t cut it), at least take a multi-vitamin in the morning.

Suggestion: They make YummiBears gummy multi-vitamins for adults now! Zinc lozenges are quite helpful, too.

5. Sleep

Your body will run more efficiently if you get enough sleep. Turn off the Xbox at night! Set a schedule! There are studies that link getting enough sleep to a multitude of things from immune system boosting to fighting cancer to weight loss. On top of that, getting enough sleep will make the work day go easier. Mental fatigue can be just as debilitating as having the flu.

Suggestion: Read 40 Sleep Hacks: The Geek’s Guide to Optimizing Sleep. It’s a free e-book download and offers a lot of good tips towards normalizing a sleep schedule.

The way I personally see it, it’s better to quarantine yourself and not get other people sick. Even better to take precautions again illnesses. One other thing I believe is this: Don’t panic! Worrying about getting sick, making yourself agitated, and being OCD in your attempts to stay healthy end up taxing the system needlessly. Keep calm, take simple precautions, and you stand a better chance of not being sick.

Geek-Cube is a weekly column about integrating your geek life with your work environment.