January and February are usually the worst flu months. Here are five practical measures employers can take to protect employees and their business during the current cold and flu season.

Every year, businesses across the world face the problem of flu-stricken employees in the workplace. For each episode of illness, a person has symptoms for five to six days and misses between a half-day and five days of work. The flu indirectly costs employers about $76.7 million a year in employee absenteeism, presenteeism and other indirect costs.

Following 2009′s H1N1 scare, which is estimated to have resulted in more than 12,000 flu-related deaths in the U.S., manufacturers are taking a closer look at how to avoid widespread workplace absenteeism and productivity declines if faced with another flu pandemic.

According to a recent Kimberly-Clark Professional survey of industrial workers, 87 percent of manufacturing industry professionals are concerned about declines in productivity at their workplace due to flu-related absenteeism or presenteeism. In the survey of 94 manufacturing pros, 46 percent said their organization has been affected in the past year-and-a-half by employee absenteeism or productivity declines related to flu outbreaks or other contagious illnesses. (Source: The Fabricator)

Although comprehensive health support programs may be outside the reach of a modest budget, there are many practical measures that employers should consider to protect employees and their business during the 2010-2011 flu season:

1) Encourage workers to get vaccinated. Ensure employees know where they (and their families) can get seasonal flu vaccinations in the community. Getting employees vaccinated against the flu can lower direct and indirect employer costs, research shows. Healthy, immunized working adults experience significantly fewer days of flu-like illnesses, have fewer doctor visits and take fewer days off from work.

2) Consider offering opportunities to get vaccinated against the flu onsite. Workplace vaccination efforts save costs for employers. Employers can offer onsite seasonal flu vaccination to workers at no or low cost to their employees. If you do not have an onsite occupational health clinic, pharmacies and community vaccinators can be contracted to provide seasonal flu vaccination services onsite.

3) Audit health plans for consistent coverage for flu vaccine. Getting workers vaccinated against the flu should be a corporate health priority. Deciding on a strategy should be based on an informed analysis of what makes sense given the company’s financial means and culture. It is important than an employer’s decision be standardized across all plans, facilities and locations to the greatest possible extent.

4) Encourage employees to practice good hygiene. Employers should remind workers of the importance of hand washing and covering your mouth if you cough or sneeze. They should encourage employees to regularly clean shared equipment, such as phones and computers, and wipe down common areas. Post friendly reminders around the workplace, and provide hand sanitizer wipes or gel where sinks are unavailable.

5) Encourage sick employees to stay at home. Sick employees may think they’re being dedicated workers when they still come in to work, but the truth is they spread germs to other employees and cut down on the overall productivity of the business. Employers should consider instituting a flexible leave policy and appropriate the proper technology to enable employees to work from home if they are sick. Where possible, employers should promote telework options.

The good news is that manufacturing companies, while concerned, are prepared for this year’s cold and flu season. Nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of respondents noted that their company or facility has a program or strategy in place to try to limit the transfer of germs in the workplace.

The overwhelming majority (97 percent) pointed to hand hygiene education as the primary tactic employed, while about 78 percent said employees are prompted to go home or stay home if sick. Not leaving it up to chance, almost 43 percent of industrial workers said their supervisors are encouraged to recommend that sick employees go or stay home, while 37 percent said that the decision is left up to the individual employee.

Resources

The Annual Impact of Seasonal Influenza in the US: Measuring Disease Burden and Costs
by Molinari NA, Ortega-Sanchez IR, Messonnier ML, et. al.
Vaccine, June 2007

Vaccinating Against the Flu: A Business Case
by Elizabeth Greenbaum and Elisabeth Meinart
National Business Group on Health, September 2010

Stopping the Spread of Germs at Work
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, March 7, 2007

Fighting Cold and Flu Season in the Workplace
Better Business Bureau, Nov. 2, 2010

Action Steps to Keep Your Business and Employees Healthy
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Aug. 19, 2009

Questions & Answers: 2010-2011 Flu Season
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Aug. 12, 2010 (last updated)

Seasonal Flu Information for Businesses & Employees
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dec. 7, 2010 (last updated)

Manufacturers Concerned about Workplace Absenteeism in Flu Season
The Fabricator, December 2010

U.S. Declares Swine Flu ‘Emergency”
BBC News, Oct. 24, 2009

10 Tips for Staying Festively Flu-Free
by Laura Walter
EHS Today, Dec. 1, 2010