In a state of swine-flu "freakout" at work?

(image via PassiveAggressiveNotes.com)

Fall has arrived and flu season is just a few steps behind it, although this season is already proving to be anything but typical. Fear of catching the swine flu has played well above the usual fanfare that comes with any “normal” flu season.

People are worried, but not without just cause. Some public health officials are describing the first wave of the swine flu pandemic, which hit the U.S. in May and June, as just a “foretaste” of the upcoming fall flu season.

According to the official tally kept by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), there have been more than a million H1N1 cases in the U.S. alone.

Just like any normal flu season, high-density locations such as offices, schools and airplanes are considered higher-risk areas for spreading the flu. The risk of catching the flu at work is nothing new, but the risk of the swine flu hitting your workplace has many workers stuck in absolute “freakout” mode.

Of course, you want to limit the risk to your staff and customers, but creating a state of panic will sabotage your protective efforts.

Preventing a complete swine-flu “freakout” at your company doesn’t take a team of doctors and nurses, just some old-fashioned common sense. At the very least:

• Distribute information on how to protect yourself from the flu.
• Post flu-related information, including posters and signs, in high-traffic areas.
• Supply employees with alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
• Ask employees to stay home from work if they’re feeling ill to limit contact with others.

Another option - Tell them how CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta caught the H1N1 virus while reporting from Afghanistan. Read his first-hand account, "I went to Afghanistan and all I got was H1N1," and follow his lead - get medical care, get lots of rest and stay home for a few days.

As the swine flu continues to make headlines in our newspapers and nightly news shows, it’s no wonder why people are worried at work. Help employees stay safe without creating a state of swine-flu panic.

Read G.Neil’s white paper “Protecting Your Employees and Business from the Spread of Flu” (.pdf) for more information.

And “Flu prevention training: It’s a pandemic out there!” from the Training Time Learning Library.

When the flu and bad manners collide at work

From politicians interrupting Presidential speeches to tennis stars berating line judges and rap music moguls stealing an award winning teen’s limelight, recent news headlines have us gasping in disbelief and collectively wondering – “What would your mother say?”

Whether you’re a tennis champion or a grocery store bagger, people are taking notice of the disease-like spread of poor etiquette. Over at his Avian Flu Diary blog, writer FLA_Medic shared a recent experience at his local supermarket:

While paying for my goods, the cashier began counting out money. She then COUGHED into her free hand - and barely skipping a beat -continued counting out my change . . .

. . . I started to say something but was interrupted as this lady SNEEZED (loudly and wetly) into her free hand, wiped her hand on her pants leg, and then blithely resumed counting my change.

He pointed out the cashier’s poor (and germy) etiquette, she denied any wrongdoing, wiped her hands with a hand wipe then gave the shopper his change using “fresh” bills from the register.

I walked around the store for several minutes, fuming . . . and finally asked another cashier to page the manager. He arrived a few minutes later, and I explained what had transpired (I did not identify the cashier . . .this, I felt was a failure of Management).

I asked, “Have you had any employee training sessions on sneezing and coughing etiquette? After all . . we are in a pandemic.”

So, though it may be the simplest and one of our earliest learned lessons in etiquette (next to saying “please” and “thank you,” of course) some people need a refresher lesson on the importance of covering their mouth and nose while sneezing and coughing – the right way.

Now is the time to get your flu season training in motion, especially with some experts predicting flu season to hit its peak in October, before the release of the H1N1 vaccine.

Educate employees on how to protect themselves from the flu with posters, pamphlets and online newsletters – anything that could help prevent the spread of illness in your workplace.

Remember, the rules have changed since the School House Rock generation was in class (oh, you know who you are) – we use our elbows to cover sneezes, no more of that icky hand nonsense.

Preventing swine flu at work: Prepare now

Thanks to the H1N1 flu virus, familiarly known as the swine flu, the upcoming fall flu season will be unlike anything the U.S. has experienced in recent history, and government officials are urging businesses to prepare for a possible widespread outbreak.

With the pandemic estimated to reach up to 2 billion people, three Cabinet secretaries met last month to announce new guidelines to help businesses plan for and respond to the upcoming flu season.

“One of the most important things that employers can do is to make sure their human resources and leave policies are flexible and follow public health guidance,’’ said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “If employees are sick, they need to be encouraged to stay home. If people begin to experience flu-like symptoms at work, they should be sent home and possibly encouraged to seek medical treatment.’’

Employers’ flu season plans should address key preventative measures including:

• encouraging employees with flu-like symptoms to stay home from work,
• operating with less in-house staff, and
• having employees at higher risk for illness or serious medical complications from infection work from home.

Before the season gets into full swing, employers should take a look at the company’s sick leave policies and ensure employees understand them, according to the CDC. Employers may also want to consider adopting flexible hours for employees who need to care for sick family members or if a child’s school is closed.

Other suggestions include offering on-site flu vaccines, encouraging employees to get the H1N1 flu vaccine, limiting face-to-face meetings and business travel, and allowing employees to work from home.

“Keeping our nation’s workers safe is a top priority,” said Deputy Secretary of Labor Seth Harris, who participated in the announcement. “Faced with a renewed H1N1 challenge during the coming flu season, we are developing tools that will help ensure America’s workers stay healthy and our businesses remain viable.”

Every company will have a unique plan that fits their business needs, but the main goal should be protecting workers. Help prevent the spread of flu at your company by training workers how to keep themselves and their families safe.

Related posts:

Training is key to preventing the flu at work

Preventing the flu in the office, six simple steps

Keep your germs at home!

Ditch the high five. Do The Xena.

When it comes to preventing flu in the workplace, you want to do everything you possibly can. But can you ever be too cautious?

Over the past few weeks, the fear of spreading the swine flu had people stocking up on hand sanitizers and face masks, led some colleges to take hand shaking out of graduation ceremonies or canceled them all together, and shut down dozens of grade schools full of healthy kids.

Swine-flu fears seem to be simmering down, especially after health officials announced that the current strain is no more dangerous than the run-of-the-mill flu that makes its way through our workplaces and schools each year.

So, isn’t it about time to take a deep (maskless) breath and have a good laugh about all of it?

Even some of the leading news providers, including National Public Radio (NPR), think it’s about that time.

Recently NPR health correspondent Allison Aubrey and All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen illustrated the most popular workplace greetings that will keep you social and safe during a contagious illness outbreak.

Your options include:

• The Xena - An alternative to the fist bump where you use your forearm instead. “Be like Xena, Warrior Princess.”


• Bow Nouveau - The “tete-a-tete,” forehead-to-forehead greeting, should be replaced with a Renaissance-style bow or curtsy.


• The Wave - Maintain a 3 to 6 food CDC-recommended distance and choose to wave instead of shaking hands during flu season.


• Smackdown - Because there’s never been a documented case of passing the flu from foot to foot, try a variation of the foot smack rather than kissing someone on the cheek.


• Self Hug - “Hugging yourself might seem odd at first, but surely it can catch on... maybe.”


• And our favorite ... the Snap and Flick - Because high-fiving can be just as bad as kissing when it comes to passing on the flu virus, try this alternative:

View all of NPR's new workplace greetings.

Training is key to preventing the flu at work

As of this morning, there have been 64 confirmed cases of swine flu in the U.S., including 45 in New York City, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In response to the intensifying outbreak, President Barack Obama said that swine flu is a cause for concern, but not a cause for alarm. Because government officials don’t yet know how widespread the flu may be in the U.S., they are focused on aggressive planning and precautions.

The CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have developed a planning checklist for businesses, especially large businesses, to use in the case of a swine flu pandemic.

“In the event of pandemic influenza, businesses will play a key role in protecting employees' health and safety as well as limiting the negative impact to the economy and society,” the agencies said in a statement at PandemicFlu.gov. “Planning for pandemic influenza is critical.”

Along with how a pandemic could impact business operations, the checklist also includes valuable information that any organization can use to educate and inform employees on the dangers of the flu.

Officials suggest that businesses complete these tasks to communicate to and educate employees:

• Develop and disseminate programs and materials covering pandemic fundamentals (e.g. signs and symptoms of influenza, modes of transmission), personal and family protection and response strategies (e.g. hand hygiene, coughing/sneezing etiquette, contingency plans).
• Anticipate employee fear and anxiety, rumors and misinformation and plan communications accordingly.
• Ensure that communications are culturally and linguistically appropriate.
• Disseminate information to employees about your pandemic preparedness and response plan.
• Provide information for the at-home care of ill employees and family members.
• Develop platforms (e.g. hotlines, dedicated websites) for communicating pandemic status and actions to employees, vendors, suppliers, and customers inside and outside the worksite in a consistent and timely way, including redundancies in the emergency contact system.
• Identify community sources for timely and accurate pandemic information (domestic and international) and resources for obtaining counter-measures (e.g. vaccines and antivirals).

Educating and training employees on the dangers of the flu, including swine flu, is the best way to prevent illness within your organization and calm employees’ fears about a potential outbreak at work. Be prepared to answer employees’ questions and concerns, and prepared to squash any misinformed rumors that may be circling the office.

Whether your business is preparing for a natural disaster like a hurricane or flood, or a health crisis like the flu, your success will ultimately be determined by the information and training your workforce receives. Ensure that everyone in your organization knows what to do during a crisis. Your business depends on it.

Is it time for businesses to start getting involved? Is your company actively preparing for a swine flu outbreak? What types of informational materials/training have you provided employees with?

Please leave a comment and let us know what you think.

New FMLA regs, free webinar explaining what to do

In November, the Department of Labor released the first set of revisions to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) that will take effect on January 16, 2009. Among other requirements, employers will need to acquire new paperwork and posters to reflect the latest revisions.

With just over a month until the new FMLA changes become effective, the pressure is on employers to understand exactly what they need to do in order to comply.

Join us next week for a free webinar, hosted by ComplyRight, covering all the information you need to know stay fully compliant under the FMLA. Attendees will learn:

• How the new regulations impact your business, what changed and what you need to do to comply
• Employer’s rights under the FMLA, including strategies to handle FMLA abuse
• Specific key requirements
• What changes need to be made to policies, notices and employee postings
• The latest rules for handling intermittent employee leave, chronic conditions, light duty, supervisor access to medical information, leave for military families and more

We hope to see you at The New FMLA Regulations: What You Need to Know on Thursday, December 11, 2008 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST. This free webinar is sponsored by ComplyRight and presented by Wendy J. Smith, Esquire, Fisher & Phillips LLP.

Visit the registration page for more information.


Related:

New FMLA rules: What you need to know

Family and Medical Leave Act Changes Q & A

Preventing the flu in the office, six simple tips

As outdoor temperatures drop and winter starts rolling in, we’re reminded that flu season is just around the corner. An outbreak of the flu in any workplace drains attendance and productivity, not to mention putting employees at serious risk of developing dangerous flu complications.

Flu season in the U.S. generally lasts from November through March, and sometimes runs into early spring. Influenza or the flu is very contagious and is caused by viruses that infect the nose, throat and lungs. The best way to prevent the flu is by getting a flu vaccination each year, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

On average 5% to 20% of the U.S. population falls ill with influenza each year, landing more than 200,000 people in the hospital with flu complications. Sadly, about 36,000 people die from flu complications. Those at high risk for serious complications include the elderly, young children and people with certain health conditions.

Offices and personal workspaces can be breeding grounds for the viruses that cause the flu. Don’t let the flu bring your company’s productivity to a stand still one cough at a time.

Keep employees safe and healthy by working to prevent the flu from spreading in your office with the following six tips:

1. Vaccinate. Talk to every employee about getting the flu shot. Find a local flu clinic or look into hosting a flu clinic at the office. Vaccination is the best way to prevent the flu.


2. Educate. Inform employees about flu symptoms and benefits of the flu shot. Distribute information and hang posters on the dangers of the flu and the importance of getting the vaccination.


3. Review. Review your sick leave and absence policies to ensure you don’t punish employees for being sick. Employees who think they will get in trouble for missing work are more likely to come in to the office no matter how ill they may be.


4. Encourage. Encourage employees to take preventative measures like washing their hands often, keeping a clean work area and using tissues when sneezing or coughing.


5. Avoid. If the flu has found its way into the office, employees can minimize exposure by limiting face-to-face time, telecommuting and holding off on business greetings like shaking hands.


6. Stay. Employees who have the flu should stay home. If an employee has flu symptoms, but feels well enough to work, consider telecommuting until their symptoms are gone.

It takes a collective effort to keep the flu from affecting your workplace. With teamwork and education, employees will have the tools to help prevent themselves and their coworkers from falling ill.

Keep your germs at home!

Think about...

Your employee is sick. Your company doesn't provide paid sick leave. They can't afford to go without pay. So what is your employee going to do?

Accchhhoooo! Sniffle! Cough, cough...

Yes, that is your employee. in the office or at the restaurant making everyone else sick. They are there. They are working. But they are sick. And then more employees get sick, and customers get sick....and business slows down because sick workers just can't perform as well, and sick customers don't shop (unless your business is a pharmacy or medical office.)

With nearly 50% of the U.S. workforce lacking basic paid sick leave (that's about 59 MILLION workers!), presidential candidates and some members of Congress have talked about a national policy that will make paid sick days a part of federal labor laws. This would bring U.S. policy in line with that of other industrialized countries.

But in the meantime, lawmakers in 12 states and the District of Columbia are introducing legislation to make paid sick days a law in their state. Advocates of mandatory paid sick leave point out that it's not merely a labor issue...sick workers constitute a public health threat as well.

The epidemiological issue is made even more critical by the fact that the majority of employees who lack paid sick leave work in child care, food service and hotel industries -- all industries with high levels of contact with the public.

Employers looking at training issues connected with this problem may wish to supplement any changes in leave policy with educational programs on wellness, illness prevention, on-the-job-hygiene, and health care access.

A combination of effective training and paid sick leave options may be the best choice for reducing job site illness transmission, and improving employee wellness.