A Harvard Study surveying more than 1000 businesses indicates that companies are not ready for the H1N1 flu season. Many employers said that they could not carry on normal operations if half their workers were absent due to illness for two weeks. Now, four out of five businesses anticipate severe difficulty if workers are out for more than a month. Although some businesses are organizing emergency planning, many more are not even aware of the implications of a widespread outbreak.
The survey also found that three quarters of employers offer sick leave, but only 35 percent of those offer it for paid workers who need to stay at home and care for family. Another problem the survey showed was that nearly half of all companies require a doctor’s note before sick leave is approved and 70 percent require a note to return to work. Many experts think that these policies should be loosened during an outbreak and companies are going to need to be flexible.
The CDC is also recommending companies waive this rule to relieve the strain that will be put on doctors offices. Companies are being urged to prepare for an outbreak and experts feel that this is going to strain some companies who are already struggling to do business in a devastated economy. Some measures include determining what jobs can be done remotely from home and cross training personnel to handle the jobs of absent workers. Families should also prepare and have an emergency plan. Such as, who will stay home with sick children and transportation to doctor’s visits.
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