Workers are returning to offices all over the country and they’re not exactly pumped to be exchanging germs with their colleagues again. In fact, a new survey has found a robust list of “gross” habits they would like banned from office life. Here are some of the worst offenders:
- Poor Hand Hygiene. To say that COVID has made us more conscious about how nasty our hands are is an understatement. Nearly half of the study said that not washing your hands after you use the bathroom should be banned. This really makes you question how effective all those ‘employees must wash hands’ signs have been before 2021.
- Physical Contact. It was never a bad idea to not touch your coworkers before, but it’s even more encouraged now. When it comes to hugs, 28% of workers are a hard no, 23% aren’t ready to high five again, and 17% aren’t even ready to shake hands again. And in a ‘wait.. what’ kind of stat, a third of the study said they want air kisses banned in the office. Seriously? Where do these people work?
- Working Through Illness. If you have a cold, a cough, or runny nose, over a third of workers would prefer it if you stayed home from now on. No more trying to “tough it out.” We’re not impressed.
- Breakroom Food. All those snacks that are well past their expiration date in communal fridges are just going to have to wait. A little over 15% of workers want shared snacks and coffee banned and for everyone to stop leaving leftovers in the workplace fridge overnight. And speaking of chewing, if you’re a pen chewer you should keep in mind that you’re freaking out a quarter of the people you work with.
Source:Metro