It’s been an interesting world these past two years or so. Economic disaster, historic presidential election, and swine flu. While all of these are having a profound affect on every day life, one is subtle but telling — office hygiene.

The impact of the flu outbreak and swine flu has changed the accepted norm in offices all across the country. No longer is is “cool” for you to tough it out and come to work sick. Employers and co-workers don’t appreciate that selfish behavior any more and many simply send you back home if you’re showing flu-like symptoms or have a fever. If you have symptoms or fever, work from home.

Wish I Owned Stock in Purell

Hand sanitizers have sprung up everywhere — rest rooms, break rooms, conference rooms, cafeterias, near elevators and of course in individual offices. I can’t go to a meeting anywhere that we don’t shake hands when we greet, and then discreetly apply an instant hand sanitizer some time during the course of the meeting. It’s uncanny how fast and seamlessly this has become standard office practice. Kind of respectful, to tell the truth. I suspect one of the hot office Christmas gifts this year may be a pocket-size bottle of instant hand sanitizer.

Disinfecting Your Office Tools

Another red hot office trend is keyboard, mouse and phone disinfecting. Lysol is the clear chemical of choice here because it works great and smells pretty good.

For years if you sniffed or sneezed in our office Ms. Jeannine would run and grab one of any number of cans of Lysol secreted throughout the place. A few quick sprays and your chair, your desk, you and certainly the office items you touch and breathe on all day are suitably free of those nasty germs. If your symptoms sounded bad enough then the entire area where you work gets a gentle drizzle of Lysol.

Heard in the Men’s Room

Now guys are not supposed to see and certainly never comment on anything that goes on in the men’s room. Not in Texas, at least. But hand washing is now a noticeable event. Actually had a guy comment recently when another guy left without washing his hands. “Ought to slap a big warning label on that guy.” he says after the offending guy left the men’s room. “You’re right.” was all I could cleverly reply. Riveting dialogue, I know, but speaks volumes about what gets said in a men’s room.

Point is, wash your hands. We are watching.

Stay Home, Even if You Just Sound Sick

Caution has even changed where we go and what we do. Recently, suffering from allergies, I opted out of a gathering because I knew moms and their children would be attending. I thought they would hardly appreciate a sniffling, sneezing and occasionally coughing guy in their midst. Even my doctor’s office says that if you think you have the flu go to your local doc-in-the-box because they can do just as much for your as your primary physician and they can do it faster. I think they just want you to stop infecting their other patients.

So, the courtesy of not spreading your germs around for others to enjoy has escalated from a nicety to a required necessity.

If you look sick, act sick, sound sick or feel sick, your employer, fellow employees, moms, dads, sons and daughters — in fact most everyone around you wishes you a speedy recovery within the confines of your own four walls.

Until next time, may all the good new you hear be true.

steve