WASHINGTON — It’s the cold and flu season. A coughing, sneezing and sniffling office mate could make anyone sick. So is it OK to speak up? And how does one go about doing it?
There are polite ways to deal with a sick co-worker who decides to come into the office.
“Rather than saying, ‘Yech, you sound disgusting; don’t get me sick,’ you want to lead instead with some care and concern: ‘You don’t sound so good; I’m worried that you might be really sick — this could be flu, I think you should get this checked out,'” advises Anna Post, a teacher of business etiquette and great-great granddaughter of etiquette maven Emily Post.
Post says courtesy matters when confronting an office mate who’s all sniffles. And the key is to show the sneezing co-workers that while they are cared about, others need to safeguard their health.
“You can say, “This is why I think having your own little pack of tissues is a good idea.’ You can say, ‘I can hear you’re sneezing; would you like a tissue?’ That’s a subtler approach,” Post says.
Post concedes it’s not always easy, or even wise, to decline a handshake in a business environment.
“I think you need to have an option beyond washing your hands afterwards or using alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and that’s to say with words what the handshake would have said, ‘Excuse me for not shaking hands. It’s really nice to meet you,'” Post says.
How about swabbing disinfectant all over a shared desk, telephone and computer keypad?
“If you are going to do this in front of other people I think it’s better to say something friendly about it, maybe make a little joke if you can,” Post says.
Post says the key to dealing with co-workers who seem like they threaten to pass illnesses around the office is to have a polite conversation.
“I do think that it’s important to be able to talk about this, because it’s not only about their health; it’s about yours too,” she says.
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