The federal government Wednesday announced new guidance for businesses to plan for and respond to the upcoming flu season, including the ongoing threat of H1N1.
Released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the guidance is designed to help employers prepare for the effects that both seasonal and H1N1 influenza -- commonly called swine flu -- could have this fall and winter on their employees and operations.
Employers' plans should encourage employees with flulike symptoms or illness to stay home and possibly have employees who are at higher risk of serious medical complications from infection work from home, according to the CDC.
It is not known whether the H1N1 virus will cause more illness or more severe illness in the coming m o n t h s , b u t the CDC recommends that everyone be prepared.
Because the flu poses serious health threats, employers should work with employees to develop and implement plans that can reduce its spread, and to encourage vaccination when it becomes available.
The guidance noted steps that can be taken to help reduce the spread of flu, such as frequent hand washing and routine cleaning of commonly touched surfaces.
"One of the most important things that employers can do is to make sure their human resources and leave policies are flexible and follow public health guidance," U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement.
"If people begin to experience flu-like symptoms at work, they should be sent home and possibly encouraged to seek medical treatment," she said.
Employers should review sick leave policies and ensure employees understand them, according to the guidance.
Employers also might cancel nonessential face-to-face meetings and travel, and space employees farther apart in the workplace, the report says.
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Copyright (C) 2009, New Haven Register, Conn.