We’re fully in the grip of winter, when everybody is shut up inside, passing germs around freely. If there’s one thing no business needs, it’s an influenza outbreak. Having a lot of people sick at the same time or one after the other can really take a bite out of your productivity. Your cleaning contractor may be managing garbage, vacuuming and such, but you can take germ control into your own hands. In the crowded twenty-first century, sanitary products are critical office supplies.

• Hand sanitizer. Nothing stops the flow of germs like the simple act of keeping your hands clean. Place 8-ounce bottles of hand sanitizer in all common areas: the reception desk, the copier area, the break room and so on.
• Hand sanitizer dispensers. If you don’t like the look of little pump bottles on your countertops, or you don’t have convenient countertops on which to place them, hand sanitizer dispensers may be a good office supply investment for you. Put them by every door, in the break room and the copier area, keep them stocked up and people will gladly keep their hands sanitary, protecting their co-workers from nasty germs.
• Hand soap. Be sure you have enough hand soap stocked up so that  you never run out of it in your restrooms. Contamination from human waste is a major cause of sickness.
• Sanitary wipes. Keep canisters of disinfecting wipes right next to those bottles of hand sanitizer, and post the direction for employees to wipe down their phones, keyboards, the copier control pads and the break room counters every time they use them. You could even assign somebody to wipe down doorknobs a couple of times a day. Order these in bulk with your other office supplies and you’ll always have enough on hand.