In a world where TikTok sensations dictate what is cool, sometimes we lose sight of what is really cool. For instance, what typifies “cool” when it comes to your workplace water cooler? In this article, we explore how touchless technology, along with some other features, can make a workplace water cooler “cool,” for you and your employees.
Touchless Technology for Your Water Cooler and More
Do you remember when you had to turn knobs and handles to turn on faucets, open doors and flush toilets at work? Touchless sensors replace one’s need to interact directly with knobs, spigots and handles, in an effort to combat sickness and improve performance. Though we may take for granted all of the touchless technology around us, and the many uses they serve, studies have shown that reducing one’s exposure to germs and viruses help to keep sick days to a minimum. That is just one of the ways in which your shared water cooler may be considered “cool.” Below are four related innovations that may help us to better understand what makes your water cooler “cool.”
Your Water Cooler Post-Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the critical importance of hand washing in preventing the spread of infectious diseases. Yet, as the immediate threat of the pandemic wanes, maintaining rigorous hygiene practices remains crucial, particularly in the workplace. Even so, a study conducted by the American Society for Microbiology found that only 67% of Americans wash their hands after using the restroom, and an even smaller percentage, about 50%, do so correctly. Enter the need for touchless water coolers!
In the workplace, where employees frequently interact with shared appliances such as water coolers, door handles, and keyboards, inadequate hand washing can lead to a buildup of dirt and germs. These high-touch surfaces become hotspots for cross-contamination, spreading bacteria and viruses among colleagues. Research by the University of Arizona discovered that an average office desk harbors 400 times more bacteria than a toilet seat. Moreover, office water coolers, often a communal hub, are particularly susceptible to contamination if users neglect hand hygiene.
Poor hand washing habits can contribute to the spread of illnesses, resulting in increased absenteeism and decreased productivity. A survey by the University of Michigan found that hand hygiene interventions in workplaces could reduce the incidence of respiratory illnesses by 21% and gastrointestinal illnesses by 31%. These statistics underscore the need for consistent hand washing to maintain a healthy and productive work environment, as well as the need for reliable alternatives, such as touchless technology.
The recent adoption of touchless technology and sensors in bathrooms and on workplace water coolers offers a promising solution to the ever augmenting sick days by minimizing the risk of germ transmission. Likewise, touchless water coolers equipped with sensors allow employees to stay hydrated and therefore better primed to combat illness. Just wave your hand and voila! Hydration is served without worry!
1. Does Your Water Cooler Auto-Sanitize?
Cleaning a workplace water cooler is a thing of the past! Like something out of the Jetsons, many water coolers have integrated inner cleaning mechanisms, utilizing processes like activated oxygen or UV light to keep purified water pure and ready for consumption, without expending effort or wasting time.
2. Is Your Water Cooler R/O Ready?
Speaking of purified water, does your shared water cooler utilize reverse osmosis, or R/O? Talk about cool technology! Reverse osmosis is known worldwide to be the best way to purify drinking water. Unlike filtration, it cleans water of its contaminants and toxins by 99%.
3. You Can Now Ditch the Workplace Microwave!
While cold water dispensing helps employees to stay cool and hydrated, hot water dispensing is cool for different reasons. Some innovative water coolers dispense hot water at 180 degrees, which is perfect for tea, oatmeal, or ramen noodles at the workplace. It’s a real treat to make lunch and snacks without relying upon the oily, dirty microwave at work. Forget about reducing cross contamination, but the ew factor is altogether avoided! Only the coolest water coolers enable this function.
4. Does Your Shared Water Cooler Produce Ice too?
The coolest function worth considering, especially in hot summer climates, is the ice producing capability that only some water cooler companies offer. Ranging from 8.8 pounds to 40 pounds of ice at the ready, water coolers that produce ice and water tend to be preferred over simple water dispense options.
In conclusion, by fostering a culture of hand-washing and hydration, you and your employees can stay cool, all the while looking “cool.” By leveraging innovative solutions, it is possible to create safer and healthier work environments for everyone. Select the coolest water coolers. Clearly. Pure. Water.
