Business_Spotlight_No3_202..

78 Business Spotlight 3/2020 WORK & RELAX

C

leanliness is indeed next to god-

liness,” declared the Methodist

theologian John Wesley in 1791.

He thought it was a moral duty to

keep yourself and your environ-

ment clean. He would probably be

shocked by the findings of recent work-

place surveys. A study of 100,000 people

across Europe by Initial.com found that,

on average, only 60 per cent of women

and 38 per cent of men wash their hands

after using the toilet. “This significantly

increases the risk of cross-contamina-

tion and illness in the workplace,” said a

spokesperson.

Body odour is the number one problem

in both work and social situations, with as

many as six in ten people being conscious

of their own body smelling unpleasant,

according to The Independent. It reported

that four in ten people “had been aware of

their aroma at an interview”, and another

36 per cent made an effort not to smell

bad in the office. UK cleaning company

SMC Premier discovered that among the

younger generation (18–24 year olds), 11

per cent never wash their hands at work,

and only 11 per cent of employees clean

up properly after eating lunch at their

desk.

If you think cleanliness doesn’t mat-

ter, think again. The Guardian reports that

two-thirds of business owners say that,

aside from a lack of experience and qual-

ifications, poor personal hygiene would

be the main factor preventing them from

hiring someone. It’s also a distraction.

According to ShowersToYou.co.uk, 56 per

cent of employees say the poor personal

hygiene and grooming of their colleagues

WORK & RELAX

IN THE ZONE

Keeping it clean

Studien zufolge sind Hygiene und Körperpflege am Arbeitsplatz sowohl

für die Leistung als auch die psychische Gesundheit wichtiger als bisher vermutet

wurde. Doch wie lassen sich hygienische Standards durchsetzen, ohne für die

Betroffenen peinlich zu werden? JULIAN EARWAKER berichtet.

ADVANCED AUDIO

aroma [E(rEUmE]

, Duft; hier: Körpergeruch

body odour

[(bQdi )EUdE]

, Körpergeruch

distraction

[dI(strÄkS&n]

, Ablenkung

finding [(faIndIN]

, Ergebnis

greasy [(gri:si]

, fettig

grooming

[(gru:mIN]

, Körperpflege

hygiene

[(haIdZi:n]

, [wg. Aussprache]

spokesperson

[(spEUks)p§:s&n]

, Sprecher(in)

survey [(s§:veI]

, Umfrage

unkempt

[)Vn(kempt]

, ungekämmt, zerzaust

visible

[(vIzEb&l]

, sichtbar

61 % Dirty work clothes

64 % Bad breath

56 % Long fingernails

52 % Greasy hair

48 % Too much perfume/body spray

45 % Unprofessional or unkempt haircut/facial hair

39 % Too much make-up 28 % Visible tattoos

COLLEAGUES’ BODY HYGIENE:

BRITISH WORKERS’ BIGGEST COMPLAINTS

Source: https://smallbusiness.co.uk/poor-hygiene-affect-concentration-2540363

70 % Unpleasant body odour