How should employers manage swine flu in the workplace?
Posted by Richard Frazee on Tue, Sep 15, 2009 @ 01:09 PM
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued special guidelines for how businesses should keep swine flu away from the workplace. According to WebMD, employers should take these measures:
- Tell workers with flu-like symptoms to stay home and not to return to work until at least 24 hours after their fever is gone
- Reassure workers that staying home will not cost them their jobs
- Expect sick workers to be out for 3 to 5 days
- Do not require a doctor's note to allow employees to return to work
- If employees get sick during the day, isolate them from other workers and immediately send them home
- Provide soap and water and hand sanitizers in the workplace
- Encourage employees (by word of mouth and by placing signs and posters) to practice hand hygiene and to cough and sneeze into tissues or their sleeves
- Frequently clean surfaces and objects that are continuously touched (work stations, doorknobs, counter tops, etc.)
- Encourage employees to get flu shots
photo credit:
Mike Licht