Business_Spotlight_No3_202..

WORK & RELAX 79

Fotos: Roel Smart, imagehub88, PeopleImages, feedough, violet-blue, RyanJLane/iStock.com

3/2020 Business Spotlight

affect sth. [E(fekt]

, etw. beeinträchtigen

antiperspirant

[)Änti(p§:sp&rEnt]

, schweißhemmendes

Mittel

appropriate [E(prEUpriEt]

, angebracht

approve sb. [E(pru:v]

, jmdm. beipflichten

chewed [tSu:d]

, (ab)gekaut

complacent

[kEm(pleIs&nt]

, selbstgefällig;

hier: gleichgültig

condition [kEn(dIS&n]

, Leiden

deodorant

[di(EUdErEnt]

, [wg. Aussprache]

flu [flu:] , Grippe

HR (human resources)

[)eItS (A:]

, Personal(wesen)

jump to a conclusion

[)dZVmp tu E

kEn(klu:Z&n]

, zu einem vorschnellen

Schluss kommen

mental [(ment&l]

, hier: psychisch

nudge sb. [nVdZ]

, jmdn. anstoßen

offender [E(fendE]

, Zuwiderhandelnde(r)

recruitment

[ri(kru:tmEnt]

, Personaleinstellung

reminder

[ri(maIndE]

, Erinnerung

sanitizer dispenser

[(sÄnItaIzE dI)spensE]

, Handdesinfektions-

(mittel)spender

spotless [(spQtlEs]

, makellos

strive (to do sth.)

[straIv]

, sich bemühen

(etw. zu tun)

tissue [(tISu:]

, Papier(taschen)tuch

toiletry

[(tOIlEtri]

, Hygieneartikel

trial [(traIEl]

, Probelauf, Test

unkempt

[)Vn(kempt]

, ungekämmt,

zersaust

washroom

[(wQSru:m] US

, Toilette

wipe [waIp]

, Reinigungs-,

Feuchttuch

workstation

[(w§:ksteIS&n]

, Arbeitsplatz

affects their concentration level at work.

Body odour, dirty or chewed fingernails,

bad breath, unkempt and dirty hair or

clothing all make a difference to how

someone feels about working with anoth-

er person. Whatever your habits at home,

you’re likely to face challenges at work if

you don’t keep high standards of personal

hygiene and grooming.

It’s not just a moral duty, either. Per-

sonal cleanliness is often covered by

dress codes. “Employees should strive

at all times to ensure that their clothing,

appearance and hygiene are business-like

and contribute to a pleasant office atmos-

phere for both co-workers and visitors,”

say HR experts at HRSimple.com. They sug-

gest that managers should avoid confron-

tation by speaking to offenders in private

and reminding employees regularly about

hygiene.

Discussing personal hygiene is not

something many managers find easy to

do — not least because poor grooming

can be symptomatic of mental health is-

sues, stress or unhappiness. “Do not jump

to conclusions,” advises recruitment web-

site Content.WiseStep.com. “Talk to the per-

son in private. Understand cultural norms

and medical conditions, if any.”

It is, of course, entirely possible that an

employee has just got into bad habits. Ac-

cording to SmallBusiness.co.uk, “the longer

an employee has been working, the more

complacent they become with their ap-

pearance”. In such cases, a polite but firm

reminder is appropriate.

Many firms encourage better person-

al hygiene by providing a spotless en-

vironment. This includes ensuring that

workstations, kitchens and washrooms

are cleaned regularly, and providing free

toiletries for staff (sanitizer dispensers,

wipes and tissues).

John Wesley had good reason to talk

about the need for cleanliness. An almost

complete lack of personal hygiene at the

time meant that diseases such as typhus

and cholera were widespread. Most infec-

tions today are less deadly, but flu, food

poisoning and viruses can be unpleasant

to experience and costly for businesses.

AppliancesDirect.co.uk estimates that Brit-

ish businesses lose at least £1.56 billion

(about €1.84 billion) each year because

of poor workplace hygiene. This includes

colleagues who go to work when they are

ill and don’t regularly wash their hands.

“ If you think cleanliness

doesn’t matter, think again”

Balancing good hygiene with environ-

mental concerns is very much part of the

zeitgeist, given the problems that come

with plastics, microplastics and palm oil,

for example. Research shows that many

young people are now changing their

grooming habits. A YouGov survey of 18-

to 24-year-old Americans shows that near-

ly 40 per cent no longer use deodorants or

antiperspirants.

Hygiene services company Initial recent-

ly launched an innovative, if slightly Big

Brother-style product: HygieneConnect.

Sensors are put in workplace washrooms

to give managers and employees anon-

ymous data about hand-washing rates.

The idea, which has proved successful

in trials, is to “nudge” workers to acquire

better habits. John Wesley would surely

approve.