Cleaning home table sanitizing kitchen table surface with disinfectant spray bottle washing surfaces with towel and gloves. COVID-19 prevention sanitizing inside.

Jan-Pro Cleaning & Disinfecting — One of the largest commercial cleaning franchise brands in the country — is continuing its “Protect Tomorrow” campaign, which calls for an effort to continue routine commercial cleanings as the country approaches cold and flu season. With heightened awareness due to the COVID-19 pandemic, safety is a top priority for everyone, and understanding of how cleaning can contribute to a healthy environment has never been more important. 

When it comes to cleaning and disinfecting, companies are being held to a higher standard than ever before. As we move towards winter, a season in which we see a rise in viruses and bacteria causing illnesses, JAN-PRO Cleaning & Disinfecting intends to use the “Protect Tomorrow” campaign to promote the importance of regular cleaning services, how this contributes to the health of workers, and help reduce the costs for businesses associated with sick leave.

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 healthcare expenses, creates a loss of productivity, and reduces the overall well-being of employees. 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 over $50 billion on employees' poor health as of April of 2021, which is a 117 percent 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 healthcare benefits, another $0.61 of productivity is lost to illness and injury. Days with illness-related absences which led to "lost productivity" totaled almost 1.5 billion days annually for all employees, and cost employers $3,900 per employee. 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 recent survey “Worried Sick: U.S. Workers and the Burden of Sick Day Stress” 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 percent 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 work place,” states Gary Bauer, brand president of Jan-Pro Systems International. “A clean and safe workplace is the expectation of every worker, and the Jan-Pro Cleaning & Disinfecting brand is proud to protect businesses of all kinds with industry leading cleaning and disinfecting services.” 

Jan-Pro Cleaning & Disinfecting has technology available to clean and disinfect businesses and facilities of all kinds. When the need for additional disinfecting arises, the jan-pro EnviroShield system provides an additional level of protection. The system utilizes an electrostatic sprayer that charges the disinfectant as it exits the sprayer. This produces a wrap-around effect providing superior coverage on surfaces including high-touch areas such as door handles, light switches, and elevator buttons.

“Employees and customers will want to know how their local businesses and leaders are keeping them safe,” says Bauer. “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. We hope that they will consider utilizing the experts at JAN-PRO Cleaning & Disinfecting.”