debunking flu season myths

Staples Sixth Annual Flu Survey

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Debunking

Myths

Staples Sixth Annual Flu Survey

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Staples just completed its sixth annual Flu Survey. Here

is what it revealed:

Staples survey reveals

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The U.S. workforce knows a thing or two

about the flu.

Staples survey reveals

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90% know they can protect themselves from

the flu by eating right and washing hands

regularly.

Staples survey reveals

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More than half know that flu viruses can live up to three days on a surface.

Staples survey reveals

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And yet, misconceptions still prevail.

Debunking Flu Season Myths

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The latest Staples Flu Survey debunks the following six myths:

MYTH #1

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Nearly a third of respondents believe

restrooms are the least clean rooms in an office

building…

FACT

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…but office breakrooms actually have the most

bacteria.

MYTH #2

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41% think door knobs and elevator buttons are the least clean items in

the office…

FACT

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…yet no office items are less clean than desktops and tables in common

areas.

MYTH #3

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Only 16% believe the most contagious place during flu season is the office, behind daycare,

public transit and hospitals…

FACT

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…but offices are more contagious than

hospitals.

Debunking Flu Season Myths

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And once in the office, U.S. workers don’t keep

germs at bay.

MYTH #4

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Respondents most typically sanitize their

computer keyboards and their desks, and only 9%

typically sanitize their mobile phones…

FACT

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…even though mobile phones carry 10 times

more bacteria than most toilet seats.

Debunking Flu Season Myths

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And worse still – the higher up the chain you

go, the larger the issue it becomes.

MYTH #5

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Over three-quarters of respondents don’t think their boss would expect

them to go into work once they caught the

flu…

FACT

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…yet only a quarter of business decision makers

(BDMs) send their employees home every

time they go to work sick.

MYTH #6

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46% of respondents believe that entry-level employees are the ones most likely to go into the

office when sick.

FACT

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However, more BDMs than office workers go into the office with the flu because of pressure to be at work (54% to

45%).

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Don’t be a statistic. No matter where you work, or what your position is, stay protected during the flu season. Visit

www.staplesadvantage.com/healthandwellness or staples.com/fluprevention  for more

information.