As I see all of the sales for school supplies and signs for flu shots pop up around the city I am reminded that it is nearly back to school time. This of course means that it is time for the heavy first round of cold and flu germs to begin to make their rounds. Soon in stores, restaurants, and businesses of all kinds, we will be greeted by
the workers and guests alike with red noses and perhaps a nagging
cough. We all have that moment when we
realize that we are in direct contact to an exposure to illness that we aren’t
interested in contracting.
For business owners it can be more than an
inconvenience. Proactive employers work
to minimize the impact that a prolonged cold and flu season can have on their
businesses. Later I will discuss how to
minimize the impact and share some great free resources to help you. First let’s look at some hard facts about
cold and flu season in relation to the workplace.
Entrepreneur.com did an article a while back providing
numbers related to the cost cold and flu season has to business owners. And based on these numbers the threat
cold-and-flu season poses to companies isn’t anything to sneeze at!
“According to the Centers for Disease Control, the flu alone
costs U.S. companies $10.4 billion in direct costs including hospitalizations
and outpatient visits. The CDC also estimates up to one-fifth of the U.S.
population will get the flu in a given flu season, and more than 200,000
Americans will be hospitalized with seasonal, flu-related complications.”
Many question the effectiveness of the flu vaccination so it
should come as no surprise that the Washington Post reported in January of 2013
that only 35 percent of those who could be vaccinated were vaccinated for the
2012/2013 cold and flu season.
In the current economy where so… many are struggling
financially, many employees are hesitant to take sick days. Staples Advantage,
the business-to-business arm of office products retailer Staples Inc., found 65
percent of employees are coming to work sick. Only 80 percent are cleaning
their work areas once a week or less, which makes any work area a potential hot
zone for germs.
So as is true each year, employers will face one persistent
bug after another beginning this fall and carrying through to the spring. Small
businesses always suffer a harder hit with productivity losses due to seasonal
illness. With a small workforce each employee is vital to the operation of the
business each and every day.
So what can you do?
Luckily the flu season is predictable, and there are simple
things you can do that are not expensive.
The first place to begin is with strong policies, good management and a
healthy dose of leadership regarding sickness in the workplace. And the first questions would be… do you have
a documented sick policy in place? And
does that policy include sick leave?
Here are 10 things both you and your employees can do to
keep cold and flu from disrupting your workplace this year.
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- Encourage
employee vaccinations. Encourage employees to get vaccinated but stop
far short of requiring it.
- Set
an example. Don't contradict your own sick policies. If employees see
the boss coming to work sick instead of staying home, they'll think they
should do the same thing.
- Wash
your hands. Studies show hand washing is still one of the most
effective ways to stop illness. Try posting humorous reminders about hand
washing in the break rooms and restrooms.
- Use
your elbow. Who wants to shake the hand of someone who has just
sneezed all over it? Teach employees to cough into their elbows instead.
- Provide
sanitizing products. Provide hand sanitizer, wipes, disinfecting
sprays and towels for employees to clean their desks and keyboards a few
times a week, if not daily. Provide
boxes of Kleenex as well.
- Tell
sick employees to stay home. Do employees feel comfortable taking sick
days when they're really sick? It's your job as a leader to make sure
employees know they should stay home when they're contagious. After all
you don’t want them to infect your customers or other staff members.
- Plan
for seasonal increased sick days. Prepare telecommuting options for
contagious employees. Most employees, if given the option, can work a
little bit from home.
- Promote
personal space. "Social distancing" techniques such as
refraining from handshakes and standing at least 3-feet apart can slow the
spread of cold and flu during peak season.
- Go
hands-free. Moving toward hands-free appliances such as automatic
sinks, toilets, automatic soap, and paper towel dispensers could pay off
down the line in saved sick days.
- Vaccinate
your children. Schools are germ factories. Your kids get sick, and
then you get sick. Vaccines are a matter of parental debate, but the flu
shot (or flu mist) is still the best bet for maintaining wellness at home.
I want to share some awesome free resources. The first is Healthy Workplace Project. This website, run by health products supplier
Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Inc., educates employers and employees about germs in
the workplace and how to reduce workplace absences due to illness. There are even short videos you could share
with your employees. Check out this resource for a great proactive wellness
program to implement in your office today!
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| Happy employees = Happy employers! |
And remember, little things employers do also can send a big
message. For example, I read an article about an employer who sent a pizza to an
employee who was out with a bad cold. This "get well" gesture may
seem like an odd thing to do, but the employee definitely knew that his
employers cared. And this sent a positive message to the other
employees as well.
It is time once
again for the annual minimum wage increases on July 1st. 
