Strategies at businesses big and small to keep their workers healthy, blunt swine flu’s impact
By APSunday, November 29, 2009
Ways businesses seek to blunt swine flu’s impact
Some common strategies employers are using or planning to limit the spread of swine flu among their work force and keep operations going normally:
— Posting information about the swine flu, including tips on hygiene and overall healthy behavior aimed at preventing infection, at the work site or on the company intranet.
— Giving hand sanitizers and disinfectant wipes to employees or placing them in major traffic areas.
— Limiting in-person meetings and instead opting for teleconferences.
— Encouraging social distancing, such as not shaking hands.
— Cross-training employees to cover critical functions.
— Planning to shift work from hard-hit locations to other facilities.
— Stocking up on protective face masks.
— Stepping up office facility cleaning, particularly in “high-touch” areas.
— Telling workers to stay home if they are ill, generally until a day after their fever breaks.
— Allowing telecommuting for staff members who must stay home to care for relatives sick with swine flu.
— Drills to verify that computer systems can handle a sharp increase in those working remotely.
Source: AP interviews.
