Surviving the Open Office: A Chicago Commuter’s Guide to Dodging Germs

Office work involves long hours at a desk and plenty of daily stress, so staying safe is essential for protecting your long-term health.

The position you sit in when working, sitting for long periods, cords obstructing walkways, open drawers, and various types of furniture and equipment can all be harmful if you’re not careful.

Since you’re also in an environment with many other people, there’s always the risk of catching an airborne infection or other illness if someone comes in sick. Our skilled team of providers at Michigan Avenue Primary Care in Chicago, Illinois, is here to help individuals needing to stay healthy in the workplace.

To avoid the misery and time away from work an illness can bring, let’s review common infections, signs to look for, and how to protect yourself.

Common airborne infections

Airborne diseases primarily spread through respiratory droplets and aerosols released when people cough, sneeze, talk, or breathe. Some pathogens can also become airborne when contaminated dust or debris is disturbed, though this is less common in office environments.

The common cold (rhinovirus) is widespread enough that it’s referred to as “common” in its frequently used name, but many other illnesses can cause problems in the workplace:

• Influenza: also called the flu, it shares some symptoms with a cold and can keep you ill for several days
• COVID: a form of coronavirus that has many upper respiratory signs; severe cases can be fatal
• Measles: an infection people can get if they’re unvaccinated or never developed it in childhood
• Mumps: a highly contagious disease; about 20% of people are asymptomatic

Many people in Illinois struggled with the flu at the beginning of this year, with numbers rising from 4.73% in 2024-25 to 5.05% at the beginning of 2026. While the virus is most active during the fall and winter, it can still be transmitted any time of year.

Symptoms to expect

Not all airborne diseases have the same signs; however, certain symptoms occur more often than others, including nose, sinus, throat, or lung inflammation, coughing, sneezing, nasal congestion, swollen glands, sore throat, headaches, and body aches. In moderate to serious cases, fever, fatigue, and loss of appetite may also occur.

The duration of a condition varies (along with its severity), with some lasting up to a week and others for several weeks.

Prevention methods

The steps for avoiding airborne diseases are the same whether you’re on the job, out on the town, or at home, and include:

Avoiding crowded areas

If one person in a crowd is sick, they can infect everyone in the group, so avoid crowds whenever possible if you think an illness is contagious.

Washing your hands regularly

Washing your hands helps reduce your chances of spreading disease to other people or getting it yourself.

Cleaning surfaces

Airborne viruses, bacteria, and fungi can land on surfaces and remain active long enough to make you sick, so disinfect and wipe down areas where people tend to congregate to lower risks.

Keep your hands away from your face

Germs that cause illness tend to spread quickly when they reach your face, so if you haven’t washed your hands, don’t touch your face until you do.

These are just a few things you can do to stay healthy at work. If you have other concerns about avoiding infections at work or you think you’re becoming ill, schedule an appointment with our team at Michigan Avenue Primary Care today.