Employee ‘suggestions of the month’
HR managers know that from the mouths of employees can come some pretty unusual suggestions, like the (apparent) beach lover who wondered if her firm could institute “bikini Fridays.”
Even though it would take government action, another helpful employee proposed changing family medical leave laws to include time spent in prison.
Those are just a couple of the examples cited in a new CareerBuilder survey of hiring managers about what tidbits were in their office suggestion boxes.
Other employee suggestions included:
• allowing a person to only work during daylight hours because the person is scared of the dark.
• putting beer in the vending machine.
• replacing an employee’s desk with a futon in which he could lay down and work.
• adding a tanning bed to the office break room.
• allowing employees to change clothes in their cubicles.
• giving one entrepreneurial employee time off to pursue a side business as a clown.
• allowing all employees to use the gliding chair in the office lactation room to take a quick nap.
Finally, there was this request from one hopeful, if somewhat unrealistic, soul: to have the company’s team meeting held in Hawaii.
This survey was conducted on-line within the U.S. by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder.com among 2,924 U.S. Hiring Managers (employed full-time; not self-employed; non-government); ages 18 and over, between August 20 and September 9, 2009.
Your office H1N1 prevention checklist
Wash your hands frequently
Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds to help remove bacteria and viruses. Wash before and after eating, after you have been in a public place, after using the washroom, after coughing and sneezing and after touching surfaces that may have been contaminated. An alcohol-based hand sanitizer is also effective in killing viruses.
Keep your hands away from your face
In most cases, the H1N1 virus enters the body through the eyes, nose or mouth.
Cough and sneeze into your arm, not your hand
If you use a tissue, dispose of it as soon as possible and wash your hands.
Get immunized
Get your H1N1 flu shot.
Keep common surface areas clean and disinfected
Doorknobs, light switches, telephones, keyboards and other surfaces can become contaminated with all kinds of bacteria and viruses. Regular cleaning and disinfecting of these surfaces with normal household disinfectants can help. Viruses can live on hard surfaces for up to 48 hours.
Stay healthy
Eat healthy foods and stay physically active to keep your immune system strong.
If you get sick, stay home
If you think you have the flu and are otherwise healthy, you should stay home from work until your symptoms are gone. If your symptoms get worse, call your healthcare provider.
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© Copyright 2009 Rogers Publishing Ltd. This article first appeared in the December 2009 edition of WORKING WELL magazine.