Toops Scoops: What To Do When Pigs (Swine) Fly?

Did you get your flu shot? Are you washing or sanitizing your hands? And more to the point, what's the absentee level at your office?

Here at the Chicago Summit Business Media office where AA&B is based, we've had at least two fairly lengthy employee absences because of some form of flu. Although one case was inconclusive, the other employee is still waiting to get the word from her doctor on whether the illness that kept her out for a week was officially swine flu (which brings up the subject of the H1N1 vaccine shortages, for one thing, but that's another story).

And while two cases may not sound like much, it seems as if the rest of us are just feeling under the weather to some degree or another — aches and pains, coughing, sneezing, and a general malaise (or maybe it's just the power of suggestion). Maybe it's the time of year — daylight savings time, effective last weekend, makes 5 p.m. seem like midnight. Most of us are suffering through not H1N1, but a cold or some less extreme form of the annual annoyance that is the flu (the official line of demarcation between flu and H1N1 is whether or not you get a fever and have stomach issues).

As far as productivity goes, whether you've got swine or seasonal flu is a moot point. Sick is sick, and when sick people stay home (as they should), work doesn't get done. The issue could very well be exacerbated by the fact that many workplaces have been decimated by layoffs over the past year. Add the flu to these shrunken staffs, and companies could be facing a very real production problem.

When the swine flu first raised its ugly head this spring, I spoke with Harry Rhulen, CEO of Firestorm Solutions, which specializes in advising corporations on business continuity, communicable illness and disaster planning. I called Harry today to get an update on what his clients are seeing and to paraphrase Al Jolson at the dawn of talkies, the message was, “You ain't seen nothin' yet.”

Although two of his clients have reported deaths related to H1N1, Rhulen believes things still aren't as bad as they will be by late November and early December, when cold weather and enclosed spaces create the ideal breeding ground for illness. He predicts that by then, 30 or 40 percent of the nation's workforce could be home sick — if not from swine flu, then from any other typical winter virus.

By now we're all familiar with what to do to try and prevent the spread of illness, but what about those employees who already have it? Do you have a formal workplace strategy in place to deal with the absences? Are you allowing employees to work from home if they're getting over the worst of it, or have to take care of sick family members?

The CDC suggests that businesses take a similar approach to the flu, whether it's H1N1 or seasonal. Key elements to a plan include:

• Revisiting pandemic plans made during the first swine flu threat this spring
• Allow sick workers to remain home with pay and without fear of losing their jobs
• Develop flexible leave policies so employees can care for sick family members
• Share best practices with other businesses in your community
• Add a widget or button to your Web page so employees can stay informed.

A while back, we conducted a poll on our Web site asking readers if their businesses were doing anything different in the way of company policy to address the possibility of a swine flu outbreak. Most of the few respondents said they weren't.

Now that the official flu season is here — and things are likely to get worse — I wonder if the answer has changed.

How is your office coping with absenteeism related to seasonal and/or swine flu?