As a business owner or employee, you do not want to be caught unprepared when the flu season hits. Regardless of the size or type of your business, a bit of planning can put strategies into place that will help protect the business and its employees, when 2009 H1N1 flu hits. It is not too late to plan for the return of 2009 H1N1 to your community and for the potential for a more severe outbreak. It is important that the following list of recommendations be reviewed carefully and applied in the most appropriate way to your business.

Identify a workplace coordinator who will be responsible for dealing with 2009 H1N1 flu issues and their impact at the workplace, including contacting local health department and health care providers in advance and developing and implementing protocols for response to ill individuals.

Examine policies for leave, telework, and employee compensation and review with all employees so they are up-to-date on sick leave policies and employee assistance services that are covered under any of your employee-sponsored health plans. Leave policies should be flexible, non-punitive, and well-communicated. Be prepared, to allow workers flexible schedules or other accommodations so they can mind sick family members and keep them safe at home. Explore the possibility of some of your workers working from home with appropriate infrastructure support.
Determine who will be responsible for assisting ill individuals in the workplace, and make sure at least one person can serve as the "go to" person if a worker becomes sick at the workplace.
Identify essential employees, essential business functions, and other critical inputs (e.g. raw materials, suppliers, subcontractor services/products, and logistics) required to maintain business operations should there be disruptions during the 2009 H1N1 flu outbreak. Explore other ways you can continue business operations if there are supply chain or other disruptions.
Share your pandemic plans with employees and clearly communicate expectations. It is important to let your employees know your plans and expectations when 2009 H1N1 flu outbreaks occur in communities where you have a workplace.

Prepare business continuity plans so that if there is significant absenteeism or changes in the way you need to conduct business in the workplace during this outbreak you can maintain operations.
Establish an emergency communications plan. This plan includes identification of key contacts (with back-ups), chain of communications (including suppliers and customers), and processes for tracking and communicating business and employee status.

 

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