Continuing
employee hygiene problem? Here's the next step
Employee hygiene is important to any business, but
to those that serve or prepare food and to those that
work with people it is crucial. If you own a business
with strict OSHA laws on employee hygiene, it is imperative
that you enforce them with your employees. If you do
not follow these laws, you will be liable. And you
risk having your business shut down for good or dealing
with the guilt (and perhaps legal effects) of making
your customers ill.
What Rights Do I have On Employee Hygiene?
As an employer, you have the right to demand that
your employees keep themselves as hygienic as possible.
If you work in the food industry, this means your employees
must wash their hands every time after using the rest
room. You must encourage them to wash their hands often
throughout the day. A part of your employee hygiene
protocol may also include wearing hairnets or gloves
while preparing food.
If your business involves working with other people,
like in nursing, you also have the right and duty to
demand that your employees wear clean clothing and
that they wash their hands frequently. Your employee
hygiene policy should include washing their hands after
working with each patient, particularly if the nurse
helps the patient use the rest room, changes any dressings
or gets equipment out for the patient. Failure for
nurses to follow employee hygiene procedures can spread
illness among patients. For those with a compromised
immune system, the added germs can be deadly.
Even if you don’t own a business that involves
working with food or with patients, you still have
the right to demand a certain level of hygiene from
your employees. As an employer, you can demand that
your employees remain presentable always, are free
of body odor, and are clean.
How Do I Enforce My Employee Hygiene Policy?
You should present your employee hygiene policy in
writing to each of your newly hired workers. This policy
should clearly explain expectations of employee hygiene.
For example, you might include when the employees must
wash their hands, when they should wear gloves, when
they should wear a hairnet, and what clothing is and
is not acceptable to wear. You might also wish to ban
the use of cologne since the scent can be irritating
to certain customers and patients.
Besides describing expectations, the employee hygiene
policy should also detail the repercussions of ignoring
these rules. You can be precise, such as list an exact
number of days a person might be suspended for breaking
the rules. Or, you can be more vague, by providing
a range of possible repercussions. Be sure to take
some time when creating the employee hygiene policy
because it will be your guideline when it comes to
disciplining employees that choose to ignore it.
Once you have created an employee hygiene policy,
present this information to your employees. In addition,
they should sign a paper documenting that they have
received a copy of it. Then, when an issue does arise,
consult this policy to decide the action you will take
in response to your employee’s lack of proper
hygiene.
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