Business Continuity NewsBriefs
January 14, 2015
These NewsBriefs are produced and delivered weekly by Attainium to keep our friends and clients
current on topics relating to Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery and Crisis Management.
The Flu and Business Continuity
As reported in the news, the flu this year got an early start and the season isn't half over yet. According to the CDC, the flu costs the United States more than $87 billion annually and is responsible for the loss of close to 17 million workdays each flu season. What can you do to mitigate the impact of the flu on your organization? The information below from the CDC and other experts provides guidance. After looking over these items, sit down with your BC team or senior execs and determine what steps you need to initiate in your workplace.
1. Flu prevention: Saving lives, protecting your workforce
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends annual flu vaccination as the first and best way to prevent flu. Employers can play a key role in protecting employees' health and safety while increasing productivity, reducing absenteeism, lowering health care costs and limiting other negative impacts of the flu. As one of the world's foremost influenza experts, CDC provides guidelines and recommendations to help businesses, health care providers and people prevent and control the flu. CDC toolkits make it easy for employers to promote annual flu vaccinations in the workplace.
2. Business/Employers Influenza Toolkit
This podcast promotes the "Make It Your Business to Fight the Flu" toolkit for Businesses and Employers. The toolkit provides information and recommended strategies to help businesses and employers promote the seasonal flu vaccine. Additionally, employers will find flyers, posters, and other materials to post and distribute in the workplace. If you'd rather read the transcript, use this link and click on Transcript instead of playing the podcast.
3. Employer Guidance: Reducing All Workers' Exposures to Seasonal Flu Virus
This guidance provides baseline infection control procedures for seasonal flu. As new information about the current seasonal flu virus becomes available, this workplace guidance will be reevaluated and updated. Employers should ensure that they have the most up-to-date information when making decisions about their current operations and planning.
4. Fluvaccine.org
Fluvaccine.org is a national leader in On-Site Vaccine Clinics -- managing the process for you, from start to finish. They provide your organization with all the support, tools and services needed to host your own clinic.
5. What a Bad Flu Season Could Cost the U.S. Economy
The resulting misery for millions of Americans is also lousy news for the economy. Flu incurs direct costs, such as the price of medical treatment, and indirect costs, such as lost productivity when workers stay home sick. There's also the cost of lost life: Influenza kills between 3,000 and 49,000 people in the U.S. each year, generally older people, young children, or people with medical conditions such as lung or heart disease that make them vulnerable to complications.
6. Mandating Flu Vaccines: What Employers Should Know
With the cost of flu and lost productivity, it's no wonder that some companies are considering requiring that employees get a flu vaccine every flu season. However, before implementing such a requirement, companies need to consider many different factors. While a flu vaccine offers the greatest protection against the virus, mandating it carries its own logistical costs and can lead to unhappy employees.
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Quote of the Week:"The flu is very unpredictable when it begins and in how it takes off."-- Harvey V. Fineberg
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