With bouts of cold weather and dreary conditions, flu activity typically peaks in February. As an adult, sick days don’t have the same joy as they did in childhood. For both employer and employee alike, flu season makes deadlines harsher while spreading resources too thin.
These 5 office strategies will help you to protect your employees and coworkers during flu season:
1) Prevent the spread!
Hand sanitizer, soap, and germ consciousness are key to prevention. Wash your hands, avoid touching your face and wear a facemask if necessary. In countries like Japan, facemasks are used by those that are already sick and are attempting to stop the spread to others.
2) Take an out-of-office day.
Avoid the office altogether! If you work in a flexible environment, try to negotiate an out-of-office workday and hunker down somewhere that is less risky. By avoiding contact altogether, you drastically limit your exposure and risk.
3) Give Employees Time to get their flu shots and vaccines.
When you compare two hours or two days out of the office, the answer becomes obvious. One sick employee can easily lead to another, starting a domino effect that can bring productivity to a halt.
4) Make sure you’re covered!
Protecting the company’s profitability and operations are important to a healthy business. Specialized business insurance packages (such as Brew Guard) can provide insurance coverage for financial losses when important members of a business are absent. Business and commercial insurance offer preemptive protections from unforeseen circumstances!
5) Stay at home when it is needed.
Losing a day of work can feel like a real blow to productivity, however, researchers have found that presenteeism (showing up to work while ill) can reduce individual productivity by one-third or more! Taking the time to rest and recover will typically shorten the recovery period of your employees, allowing them to produce their best work sooner!
