Workplace flu prevention: 5 ways to keep employees healthy and productive
Think flu season doesn’t impact your workplace? Think again. The key to every successful business starts with happy and healthy employees. When your employees fall ill, it can be difficult for them to prioritize their workload and productivity.
Don’t play the game of chance with your employees’ health, or your business could pay the price.
Flu prevention tips to protect your workplace
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the flu season occurs in the fall and winter months — peaking between December and February, but the illness can linger as late as May. Avoid excessive illnesses and loss of productivity by carefully planning for the flu season and guiding your employees with the information, tools and resources they need to stay healthy.
Here are five ways you can help:
1.
Encourage employees to get their flu vaccine
The CDC recommends your employees get their flu vaccine by the end of October before peak season hits. Encourage employees to get their flu vaccine during their annual wellness visit with their primary care provider.
Employees can receive different versions of the influenza vaccination based on their preference. If employees choose the nasal spray version, FluMist®, any copay or coinsurance amount will depend on their benefits.
Their primary care provider can also talk to them about what steps they can take to avoid getting sick and help ensure they receive any other vaccines they may need during the winter season.
Virtual care: Support when employees need care most
While preventive care helps employees stay ahead of potential health concerns, employees can still get sick or need care unexpectedly. Virtual visits make it easier to access care when they're short on time, working remotely, feeling under the weather, or seeking mental health support.
2.
Discuss proper hand washing
According to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, one in five adults admit to not washing their hands hover at only 19 percent.
Talk to your employees about the importance of hand washing, how to properly wash their hands, and be sure to provide hand-wipes, soap and warm water, as well as hand sanitizing stations around the workplace.
3.
Sanitize workspaces frequently
Make sprays, wipes, or additional disinfectants available to your employees and encourage them to wipe down high-touch surfaces after a day of work — especially if your workplace practices hot desking. When it comes to cleaning and disinfecting your facility, follow these steps.
4.
Practice good hygiene
Provide tissues for employees to sneeze or cough into throughout the workplace, but if not available, suggest they use the crook of their elbow.
5.
Encourage employees to stay home
Even if an employee begins to feel the slightest bit sick — encourage them to go home. If their job can be done remotely, offer that option to prevent them from infecting others within the workplace. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
If an employee experiences a fever (temperature of 100 degrees or higher), or has symptoms or confirmation of the flu, encourage them to stay home from work for at least four to five days after the onset of symptoms.
Short on time and resources? We’ve got you covered.
As Wellmark members, your employees can take action to improve their health and well-being when they register for myWellmark®. With myWellmark, your employees have access to several tools and resources to fight the flu, receive recommendations based on their specific health insurance plan, get their questions answered or find the right place to get care.
Questions? Contact your authorized Wellmark account representative or email us at blueatwork@wellmark.com.