Sickness at work is nothing new, but the onset of the H1N1 virus this year has prompted renewed efforts from government agencies to inform businesses to prepare for the swine flu and seasonal flu.

“Influenza can go gangbusters in a workplace and cause havoc with your capability to get work done if you do not use common-sense measures to slow the spread,” said Will Humble, interim director of the Arizona Department of Health Services. “It’s truly as straightforward as ensuring no-one comes to work sick and everybody uses good hand and cough hygiene.” “If you have got 10 staff and 5 are out, it gets to the point at which you are unable to function,” Green said. “Based on that caution, we are asking firms to have a contingency plan based mostly on half the workplace being out,” she said.

One thing that home businesses can do is pay bills a little early, or have a backup signer, in case the everyday banker is sick, so that bills get paid ontime. “Even here at our organization we are doing that. We have wipes and sanitizers at each desk. Also, at the end of every day, the telephones and keyboards are wiped down,” he added.

Those in the private medical care industry and those that work with youngsters are especially in danger of getting themselves and others ill. These people must be getting in front of the line for the vaccine, as they are need to be in a position to work, and do not need them getting the people they work with, who could be elderly, to get sick.

Telecommuting and online options are a good solution. An alternate way bosses can help is to make sure that their staff feel comfortable after missing a couple of days of work to look after sick kids or to get wellthemselves.

“Across the board, I think everyone seems to be in solid agreement this is when bosses must be more understanding about personal time and sick days,” Green expounded. “Employees need to feel safe in their roles so they don’t send their kids to school when they are sick.”

“What’s happening in Phoenix, is companies are just working with it as it happens.”.

Braniff Watson has written a number of publications on the topic of the H1N1 virus. To obtain more knowledge on the H1N1 virus, visit the H1N1 website .

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