Campaign Highlights How Cleaning Reduces Workplace Illness, Health Care Costs

With 29 million Americans contracting the cold and flu each year, employers have become acutely aware of how the cost of illness in the workplace generates additional health care expenses, creates a loss of productivity, and reduces the overall well-being of employees.

National commercial cleaning franchise brand JAN-PRO Cleaning & Disinfecting is continuing its “Protect Tomorrow” campaign, which calls for an effort to continue routine commercial cleanings as the cold and flu season approaches.

The company intends to use the campaign to promote the importance of regular cleaning services, how this contributes to the health of workers, and helps reduce the costs for businesses associated with sick leave.

According to a study by the Integrated Benefits Institute, a national not-for profit organization providing modeling and measurement tools across benefits programs, employers spent more than US$50 billion on employees’ poor health as of April of 2021, which is a 117% increase from a previous analysis conducted this time last year.

This study includes potential sick leave wages, short-term disability payments, and spending on employee benefits. An additional study found that for every dollar of the almost $950 billion spent on health care benefits, another $0.61 of productivity is lost to illness and injury.

Days with illness-related absences that led to “lost productivity” totaled almost 1.5 billion days annually for all employees, and cost employers $3,900 per employee.

JAN-PRO said with flu and cold season right around the corner, it is especially pertinent to emphasize the relationship between sick days and the cost of loss of productivity through 2021, demonstrating the need to keep employees healthy for the well-being of themselves and their employers.

On the other hand, employees also suffer financially for taking a sick day. In the survey “Worried Sick: U.S. Workers and the Burden of Sick Day Stress” released in January by MD Live, it is estimated that U.S. workers spend an average of $277 for each sick day they take. These expenses are a result of medical care, supplies, and loss of income. Additionally, the cost of a sick day seems to be rising: 45% of people reported that taking a sick day cost them more over the past year than in years prior to 2020.

“As more employees go to work each day, it is paramount that business owners have a cleaning and disinfecting plan in place to prevent germs from viruses and bacteria causing illnesses in order to provide employees with a clean and safe workplace,” stated Gary Bauer, JAN-PRO brand president.

“Employees and customers will want to know how their local businesses and leaders are keeping them safe,” Bauer said. “It will also be crucial for business owners and their employees to be able to explain how they are creating a safe and clean environment as the number of contracted illnesses are expected to rise.