Everyone knows the influenza virus struck early and forceful this year, but maybe not everyone has considered the implications or how to best deal with the flu monster professionally in the work-place. Being ill is an obstacle no one enjoys. The important fact to consider, however, is that additional emotional burdens only make an already difficult situation worse.
Photo Credit: Steve Knight
During this season, employees can’t help but worry that they will lose their jobs if enough sick days are taken. Who can blame them? The unemployment rate is still elevated. It was at 7.7% in November and 7.8% in the December report. And when it comes to projections, from an employer’s perspective, what’s in the works doesn’t make matters any better. According to the Partnership for Prevention, the CDC estimates $6.2 billion in lost productivity as well as $10.4 billion lost in medical costs. Of course these numbers are daunting for both employees and employers.
If the numbers aren’t reason enough for concern, misunderstandings within the work-place only heighten the stress. Professionals are worried they will get sick; the already ill worry that they will be terminated, in addition to worrying about the cost if they become ill. Without proper preparation and emotional awareness, the flu season could potentially bring with it a recipe for all kinds of disasters.
Here are some tips for all sides of the equation. Regardless of where you are, you can feel empowered with these strategies:
Tips for Employers:
- Create awareness by sending out and posting flu prevention flyers.
- Consider offering a flu clinic with free shots.
- Take a few minutes each day to wipe down keyboards, mouses, phones and other work surfaces. Your employees will love you for it.
- Reconsider business travel to areas with high illness rates; see up-to-date travel advisories. And Advise workers who become ill while traveling or on temporary assignment to notify their supervisors immediately.
- Nearly half of employees who have a teleworking option use it when they’re sick to avoid spreading germs in the workplace. Ask your employees if they can work from home, even a day or two each week, to avoid missing work due to illness.
Tips for Employees:
- Take all measures you can in flu prevention from washing your hands to getting the shot.
- Several studies in the last year have shown that teleworkers work longer and more productively than their office-bound counterparts do. If you present a work shifting plan properly, how can your employer resist?
- Don’t assume your employer will not be compassionate if you are facing flu complications. Maintain open communication of your situation.
- Ask your boss for a flexible work arrangement where you work early mornings or late evenings when the office is less populated. You’ll be exposed to fewer sneezes, coughs and unwashed hands, and you even might find yourself more productive without your co-workers around.
- Another arrangement to consider is starting your workday from home, commuting to the office for only a few hours of in-cube work every day and then leaving early to finish elsewhere. This way, you’re still putting in face time while you minimize your exposure to germs.
- Most workplace cleanliness studies have shown that the break room is the most germ-ridden part of any office space, including the bathroom. Instead, take your breaks at the coffee shop down the street or in a quiet corner.
