Wednesday, September 16, 2015

3 Tips for Fighting the Flu in Your Office

©iStockphoto.com/shironosov
With flu season looming, it is important to take proactive measures to help ensure a healthy work environment. According to a Huffington Post article, it's estimated that 5% to 20% of the population gets the flu every year, leading to 111 million lost workdays.

To help organizations keep employees healthy this flu season, Total Wellness breaks down the three categories to focus on for the best flu protection: Educate, Communicate, Activate.

Educate
By understanding the dangers of influenza and how to fight it, employees stay one step ahead. Educate employees and leadership team on key influenza issues as well as company polices and procedure on sick leave, PTO and telecommuting.

Communicate
It’s important to be just as strategic and prepared to communicate about employee health as you would be about any other business issue. This should include developing a communication plan and identifying tasks and strategies for coverage for sick employees.

Activate
Education and communication are weak without the ability to move the workforce into action. Take steps to ensure that employees are healthy during flu season by improving hygiene practices, cleaning the office, aiding healthy habits and hosting a flu shot clinic.

By following these tips, employers can keep employees safe and healthy this flu season and keep business productivity on track. For more information, click here.