5 Ways To Prepare Your Business For This Year’s Flu Season
The subject of winter flu may make you to just want to roll over and go back to sleep, but small businesses really cannot afford to hide under the covers – now that the flu season has officially kicked off. They need to be facing the flu head on as it could have serious implications for small business productivity this winter.
For example, in the US flu effects between 5 and 20% of the work-force and can cost employers $10.4 billion in direct costs for hospitalizations and outpatients visits. In the UK, it can cost businesses 7.6 million working days per year, costing the British Economy £1.35bn. Its thought that about 9% of all absences in the UK are lost due to flu.
These statisitics show that since the flu season is upon us, its definitely time for employers to take some action to minimize sickness and maximize attendance levels during this flu season. So, what steps can business take?
Firstly, why not consider making an on-site flu vaccination available at your office. If you do a quick search on google for seasonal for flu vaccination on-site business you’ll find plenty of providers who are able to send a nurse to your office to administer flue vaccinations.
Secondly, make sure you have a good quality sickness and absence management tracking software system, a list of which can be found here.
As well as this, you might want to promote good hygiene within the office that will help to slow the spread of germs within your business – which should help to reduce the cases of flu within your business. The American Institute of Preventative Medicine has published 5 useful tips for employers to pay attention to during the flu season and these are
- Promote hand-washing: Post signs in the bathroom, by the sink or in the stalls, and change them every couple of weeks. Help employees remember hand-washing basics: hot water, soap, scrubbing for 20 seconds and a thorough drying. Make sure bathrooms and sink stations have a hands-free trash receptacle, and that it is regularly emptied.
- Be pro-active about cleanliness: Hand-washing alone does not a cold-and-flu-free workplace make. Germs live everywhere in an office environment: on phones and phone headsets, keyboards, desks, office kitchens, eating areas and conference tables. Encourage employees to clean their workspace every day, see to it that other communal areas are regularly cleaned.
- Make everything easier: Do employees know where to find disinfectant wipes, paper towels and cleaning supplies? Is there plenty of hand soap and clean towels or a hand dryer at the sink? Does everyone have tissues and a place to throw them away immediately? Consider handing out cold and flu prevention kits: small bottles of alcohol-based hand sanitizer, travel-sized tissue packs, fever-reducing acetaminophen, and an educational brochure about cold and flu season.
- Encourage flu shots: If you can hold an on-site flu shot clinic, offering the flu vaccine at a reduced rate or for free can encourage more employees to get vaccinated. Check with your insurance provider to see if they offer worksite flu shot clinics. If an onsite flu shot clinic is not an option for your business, promote locally-available flu shots with the help of a flu-shot finder.
- Prevent the spread: People are going to get sick with a cold or flu this cold and flu season; that ‘s just life. But you can prevent the spread at your workplace by making sure sick people don’t come to work. Encourage employees to take a sick day or work from home if they have flu-like symptoms.
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