

Ask HN: Co-workers at my startup are frequently sick - pearkes

I work at a startup in San Francisco. We're all packed into a very small office, work hard and stay late.<p>Folks frequently get sick, sometimes 1-2 times per month. I feel as though I've been sick more often as we add more people.<p>I wonder what may be causing it, or if anyone else in a similar environment is experiencing the same thing, and how to avoid the issue.
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dirkdeman
It could have something to do with the indoor air quality (search for 'Sick
building syndrome: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sick_building_syndrome>).
I've worked in an environment where the air quality was lacking, and I always
felt horrible after a couple of hours. Do keep in mind that in a packed
office, with multiple computers, printers et al the CO2 levels will skyrocket.

Ventilation is important, as is cleanliness and excersise. If the problems
persist, look out for a bigger office!

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kellros
Instead of asking what makes you sick, rather look at what keeps you healthy.

General health tips:

Fruit, vegetables and white meat - Eating Healthy

Regular snacking (small portions) is much more healthy than large meals.

Take daily supplements (Multi-vitamins, especially Vitamin B1/6/12, Omega3/6)
and also weak probiotics (like the children take) and CellFood generally keep
your immune system strong.

Regular and ocassional intense exercise is also excellent and recommended.

Good and regular sleeping patterns (specifically at night - between 6-7 1/2
hours show to be most efficient)

Sanitation tips:

Keep the office and workplace clean and clean regularily - I read somewhere
keyboards contain on average 60% more germs than toilet seats - clean those
buggers! According to dentists - toothbrushes should be replaced every 1-2
months.

Make sure the drinking water is good and there is good ventilation.

And wash those cups!

Har har :) Hope these tips provide some value to you. Don't consider me a
fanatic - I work in the Health Care industry (as a hacker/developer) and pick
a couple of things up along the way.

And lbcadden3 is right - daycare is a germ factory.

Also, try not to have your co-workers sit/work closer than 1 1/2 or 2 metres
in proximity of eachother - unless you are looking for the domino effect!

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pearkes
Awesome tips. We're guilt of sitting with 2-3 feet of each other. About 20
people in 1800 sq. ft.

We'll go keyboard cleaning! The ventilation and water are top notch, and
everyone exercise pretty regularly.

Thanks for the help!

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kellros
It's a pleasure. Best of luck to you (and the rest of your startup)

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devs1010
I worked at a place that seemed to be this way, it wasn't a startup though but
a fairly small company. The offices were in an older office park and kind of
dingy and I think thats why. When you have certain types of insulation, etc
and the building isn't well kept up I think it tends to harbor mold, etc, I
know I would always smell something (like mold) when I walked in one of the
doors.

By contrast the building I work in now is actually quite old, but it has
wooden ceilings, no layers of insulation, etc and is fairly open and airy. I
think it really can be caused by the building and then of course the lack of
space and number of people also contribute.

I work in SF now too but the "sick office" place was in Phoenix, there they
had to run the AC all day for 7-8 months out of the year, which I think is
part of the problem, here the climate is milder and I would think you can
figure out creative ways to use the ventilation system to get more fresh air
into the building

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castlerobot
I would encourage anyone who feels like they're getting sick to stay at home.
If it's a really small space, it only takes one person to infect everybody.
Keeping things around like keyboard wipes and hand sanitizer could help
encourage everyone to stay vigilant.

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magoon
I appreciate it when a coworker works from home if they feel they're coming
down with something.

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ianpurton
"work hard and stay late"

That's only sustainable in short bursts. why do you need to do that ?

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lbcadden3
Environmental pollution, mold etc.

Do any of the employees have kids in daycare or school? They are germ
factories.

The job sucks.

Only ones I can think of off the top of my head.

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kls
It could be a simpler solution, is everyone putting in long hours? It could be
if you guys are burning hours long and fast that several of you are not
getting adequate time for your immune systems to recuperate. If so it might be
time to do a rolling schedule of time off to give peoples body some time to
catch up.

~~~
pearkes
Good call. Everyone loves working here, so I think if anything it's just too
much work.

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AznHisoka
Go get some massage therapists - college students can be a cheap option. Touch
is a great antidote for the immune system!

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pearkes
We have one that comes in once a month! Maybe we'll increase the frequency. :)

