5 Things Employers need to Know about the H1N1 Flu Virus

As an employer, you need to be aware of 5 basic steps to keep flu from spreading in your workplace and your community.

1. Keep your sick employees home.

If they are already sick, let them stay home. If they get sick at work, send them home. And if your employees have kids who are sick, or can not go to school or child care because they have been exposed to the flu, your workers should stay home as well.

2. Plan now so you can continue to operate with a reduced workforce.

Promote working from home, train your staff to be prepared for employee shortages, and use staggered shifts to have fewer workers in the workplace at the same time.

3. Encourage employees to get vaccinated.

The vaccine for the seasonal flu is available now and the H1N1 vaccine will be available this fall. Encourage your employees to get both of them.

4. Keep the workplace clean. Encourage your employees to wash their hands often. Remind them to use a tissue or their sleeves when they have to cough or sneeze. Make sure that surfaces likely to have frequent contact with hands get cleaned with cleaning agents.

5. Go to flu.gov for the latest information on H1N1 and seasonal flu.

Flu.gov is a one-stop government wide resource with planning tools for employers to be prepared for the 2009 flu season.

(From the Department of Health & Human Services)