Five ways to limit cases of the flu in your company

Health at Work team
Health at Work team
info@biron.com

The return of autumn colours and cooler temperatures also means the return of flu season. As much as we all want to avoid it, the flu inevitably strikes every year in late fall or early winter. Seasonal influenza is insidious and can have a major impact on organizations where it manages to spread. According to Health Canada, a person with the flu is absent from work for an average of three days, representing a loss of 20 working days for every 100 full-time employees.

Consequently, as an employer, you need to put measures in place to minimize contagion, not only for the well-being of your employees, but also for the smooth running of your organization. Here are five recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to limit cases of the flu in your company.

1

Encourage your employees to get vaccinated.

Each fall, encourage all your employees to get vaccinated against the flu. According to CDC recommendations, all adults and children over the age of six months should get the vaccine annually. To simplify the flu vaccination process in your company, organize a workplace vaccination clinic. If this is not possible, inform your employees of the various vaccination options available nearby.

2

Make sure your employees stay home when they are sick.

First of all, verify that your sick leave policy does indeed encourage workers who are ill or have flu symptoms to stay home without risk of consequences or reprimand. In this way, you will prevent the disease from spreading among colleagues within the company. If an employee is sick, ask them to stay home for a minimum of 24 hours after the fever has broken. People who have flu symptoms but no fever should stay away from work for at least four to five days after the onset of symptoms. In addition, employees who develop symptoms while at work should be promptly separated from others and asked to leave the premises.

3

Give priority to teleworking.

While not every job and environment makes teleworking possible, it is the ideal option during flu season. It allows employees who are symptomatic but well enough to work to continue performing their daily tasks without infecting their colleagues. Similarly, employees who have a sick family member can continue working while caring for their loved one.

4

Adapt the work environment.

Provide your employees with everything they need to prevent the virus from spreading in the workplace, such as readily available tissues, contact-free garbage cans, soap, disinfectant, etc.

5

Keep your employees informed.

Remind your employees each year of the risk factors for the flu and preventive measures such as respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene. In addition, provide resources and information to people at risk of developing serious complications (pregnant women, adults with asthma, diabetes, heart disease or another chronic condition). Vaccination is especially important for these people. For employees who are not ill but have a family member with flu symptoms, tell them they can come to work, but they should keep a close eye on their health every day and stay home as soon as symptoms appear.

In-company flu vaccination service

In-company flu vaccination service

Benefit from Biron Santé au Travail's flu vaccination program to deal with the reappearance of seasonal flu and limit cases of infection among your employees.

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Sources2
  1. Health Canada. “FluWatch report,” https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/fluwatch/2022-2023/week-48-november-27-december-3-2022.html. Accessed on August 22, 2023.
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Preventing the Spread of Flu in the Workplace,” https://www.cdc.gov/flu/business/prevent-flu-workplace.html. Accessed on August 22, 2023.
Health at Work team
Health at Work team
info@biron.com