Flu season is coming: How to protect your workforce
As the days begin to shorten and people start spending more time indoors, winter viruses including colds, flu and COVID will start to spread more easily. Employees spend a significant amount of time at work and with the influenza (flu) virus living for up to 24 hours on hands and surfaces, work places are a key place to pick up and spread infections [1]. At Northern Clinics, we offer a wide range of corporate health and wellbeing services including onsite flu vaccination programs to help protect your workforce this winter. This blog discusses the negative impact that flu can have on your workforce productivity and the important steps you can take today to minimise this impact.
The potential impact of flu on your workforce productivity
The most recent CIPD “Health and Wellbeing at work 2023” survey report found that sickness absence in 2023 was at the highest level that they have reported in over a decade [2]. The average number of days absent was reported as 7.8 days per year (per employee). This has risen from 5.8 days per employee per year in 2019. An important finding from this report was that minor illnesses, including cold and flu infections, were the top cause of short-term absence from work.
The flu, for most people, means they struggle to get out of bed for a few days and they have to take time off work to recover. Those with a milder case of flu thankfully recover fully within 7-10 days. However, for those with underlying health conditions, including asthma, heart problems and diabetes, flu can be much more serious and can lead to hospitalisation or in very severe cases, death. Even mild flu cases can have a knock on effect for workforce productivity, especially if there is an outbreak in an office or team.
What can you do to keep your workforce well this winter?
There are three main actions that you can take to help keep your workplace fit and healthy this winter:
- Provide a staff flu vaccination program: The flu vaccine is our best line of defence against the influenza virus and has been proven to be effective and safe [1]. Encourage all staff to get vaccinated, especially employees who are most at risk including those aged over 65, pregnant woman and those with underlying health conditions.
- Promote good hand hygiene: Encourage regular hand washing or sanitising and make sure you have adequate supplies to facilitate this. The simple method of catching coughs and sneezes in your elbow or in a tissue (and binning it quickly) can also go a long way in preventing the spread of influenza viruses. Reminders such as posters can help to encourage and remind staff of the benefits of good hand hygiene [3].
- Ensure regular cleaning of surfaces: Check that your company cleaning schedule is adequate and make sure high traffic areas and frequently touched objects are routinely cleaned. This includes door handles, keyboards and telephones, for example. It’s also a good idea to ensure your work place has a sufficient supply of alcohol gels and disposable wipes to facilitate staff in keeping their own work areas clean.
Partner with Northern Clinics today to vaccinate your workforce
At Northern Clinics we want to help keep your business productive and thriving over the coming winter months. Flu season typically peaks around December to February time so it’s beneficial to start a flu vaccination program during the Autumn months. To make it easy and convenient for you and your staff to get vaccinated, Northern clinics can offer onsite vaccination days, which can be tailored to suit the needs of your business. Our team of experienced pharmacists will be there to support your team and answer any questions that may arise throughout the process. Get in touch today to organise a corporate flu vaccination package and help protect your workforce from influenza this winter.
References:
[1] Flu- NHS https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/flu/
[2] Health and Wellbeing at work survey report 2023: https://www.cipd.org/uk/knowledge/reports/health-well-being-work/
[3] Hand washing and hand hygiene: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/hand-washing-and-hand-hygiene
