As if HR professionals were not busy enough dealing with the economic woes and the corresponding layoffs and cuts they have had to manage, now comes the swine flu. Of course after SARS and the Avian Flu, we have all become experts at managing through infectious disease outbreaks. But reminders are always useful, and although there is no need for panic, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
· Prepare in advance for a pandemic outbreak. It is much easier to put policies in place before the crisis hits then to scramble after the fact.
· Provide communication and have companywide meetings to talk about hand washing etiquette, reducing face to face meetings, minimizing handshakes and staggering breaks and lunch times to reduce contact.
· Invest in more thorough cleaning of frequently used items like door handles, telephones, elevator buttons and other high germ frequency areas. Provide hand sanitizers, anti bacterial wipes throughout the workplace and encourage their use.
· Develop policies to freeze all unnecessary business travel to affected areas
· Develop policies that address any social distancing for employees returning from personal travel to affected areas and employees showing symptoms. Advise returning employees to wait out the incubation period to make sure they don’t have the infection, and to stay home if they have any symptoms.
· If the company has the resources, develop telecommuting options and make them available to employees that either need to stay home because they are quarantined.
· Address pay issues for workers who are out sick or those who are quarantined, and ensure your practices are in line with local and national wage payment laws. In general, exempt employees’ salaries cannot be docked for absences less than a full workweek except under limited circumstances.
ASE has compiled a list of useful websites that will assist employers as they prepare for this new emergency.