Reasons Your Employees Might Be Sneezing at Work

Reasons Your Employees Might Be Sneezing at Work

There’s nothing more distracting in the office than hearing your employees frequently sneezing or coughing. However, it’s not just annoying—it probably means that there’s something wrong with your environment. Discover why your employees might be sneezing at work.

Accumulated Dust

While your cleaning staff handles things like vacuuming carpets and cleaning glass, they may not dust shelves or employee desks. This means there could be dust accumulating around the office, making your employees sneeze. Either ask your cleaning staff to dust or hold an afternoon tidying session with your employees.

Plant Mold and Mildew

Plants make an office look warmer and more inviting, but they can cause problems if you don’t care for them properly. Check your office plants for mold and mildew on the soil or the plants themselves. In the future, make sure your office plants get plenty of sunlight and that the pots drain well.

Strong Odors

Although most people know better than to wear strong perfumes or colognes to the office, some people will always choose themselves over others. As the supervisor, it’s your job to alert employees who wear noticeably strong fragrances, since they may be causing workplace allergies. Also be aware of any strong air freshener or aromatherapy scents in the office.

Animal Dander

Bringing your pet to work or having a shared office pet is just one of the many unique workplace perks becoming more and more popular. However, make sure you check with employees for allergies before implementing this particular program. Animals in the office may be the reason why your employees are sneezing at work.

Poor Air Quality

If you’ve removed all other possible irritants and your employees are still sneezing, you may have an air quality problem. Poor indoor air quality occurs whenever dust, pollen, and other particles saturate the air. Sneezing and coughing are just two of the signs your building has poor air quality.

We hope this list of reasons why your employees might be sneezing at work is helpful. While the sound of sneezing and coughing can be distracting, it also means your employees aren’t feeling their best.