Bartlett Group

Although your business may have already been impacted by the spring and summer outbreaks of 2009 H1N1 influenza, the impact and extent of the influenza was less than anticipated. If your business was fortunate enough not to be affected, don't become complacent—the threat of H1N1 remains. With influenza having a history of disappearing then resurfacing, making sure that you will be able to respond in a flexible way in the event of a serious outbreak will ensure minimum disruption to your organization. Recent experience with disasters and crises such as pandemics and terrorist attacks showed that a lack of adequate planning can ultimately result in the failure of businesses. Surviving a crisis by protecting your employees and ensuring minimum disruption to business should be part of every company's strategy.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) anticipates that more communities may be affected this winter than were in the spring/summer 2009 outbreak. Businesses are faced with a number of competing objectives during an influenza outbreak which may include:

• reducing infection amongst staff
• protecting people who are at increased risk from getting influenza
• continuing business operations as usual
• minimizing adverse effects to customers, suppliers and other stakeholders.

There are a number of actions you can take now to ensure you're prepared:

• Review or establish a flexible influenza pandemic plan and involve your employees in developing and reviewing your plan
• Conduct a focused discussion or exercise using your plan, to find out ahead of time whether the plan has gaps or problems that need to be corrected

 

• Have an understanding of your organization's normal seasonal absenteeism rates and know how to monitor your personnel for any unusual increases in absenteeism through the fall and winter
•  Engage state and local health departments to confirm channels of communication and methods for dissemination of local outbreak information
•  Allow sick workers to stay home without fear of losing their jobs
• Develop other flexible leave policies to allow workers to stay home to care for sick family members or for children if schools dismiss students or child care programs close
• Share your influenza pandemic plan with employees and explain what human resources policies, workplace and leave flexibilities, and pay and benefits will be available to them

There are many online resources which can help you plan for a pandemic:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—Guidance for Businesses and Employers http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/business/guidance/
• Flu.gov—Business Planning http://pandemicflu.gov/professional/business/
• Worker Safety and Health Guidance for a Pandemic http://www.osha.gov/dsg/topics/pandemicflu/index.html
• OSHA's Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for an Influenza Pandemic http://www.osha.gov/Publications/
  influenza_pandemic.html

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.