Home > Legal Updates >

CDC Guidelines Urge Employers to Prepare Now for Upcoming Flu Season

Anxiety over the new H1N1 flu may have eased during the summer, but the federal government has reminded us that seasonal and H1N1 flu may again command concern with the coming of fall. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, anticipating a spread of the H1N1 flu, has released new guidelines (available at http://www.flu.gov/plan/workplaceplanning/guidance.html) to help businesses and employers prepare now for the impact seasonal and H1N1 flu could have on employers, employees and operations. 

The CDC warns, “The severity of illness that 2009 H1N1 influenza flu will cause (including hospitalizations and deaths) or the amount of illness that may occur as a result of seasonal influenza during the 2009–2010 influenza season cannot be predicted with a high degree of certainty. Therefore, employers should plan to be able to respond in a flexible way to varying levels of severity and be prepared to refine their pandemic influenza response plans if a potentially more serious outbreak of influenza evolves during the fall and winter.” 

The guidelines urge employers to work with employees to develop and implement plans that can reduce the spread of flu.  They push for the preparation of plans that address such points as encouraging employees with flu-like symptoms to stay home, operating with reduced staffing and, where feasible, having employees who are at higher risk of serious medical complications from infection work from home.  Employers also might cancel non-essential face-to-face meetings and travel, and space employees farther apart in the workplace, the guidelines say.

The guidelines provide a list of “Actions Employers Should Take Now”:

• Review or establish a flexible influenza pandemic plan and involve your employees in developing and reviewing your plan;
• Conduct a focused discussion or exercise using your plan, to find out ahead of time whether the plan has gaps or problems that need to be corrected before flu season;
• Have an understanding of your organization’s normal seasonal absenteeism rates and know how to monitor your personnel for any unusual increases in absenteeism through the fall and winter;
• Engage state and local health department to confirm channels of communication and methods for dissemination of local outbreak information;
• Allow sick workers to stay home without fear of losing their jobs;
• Develop other flexible leave policies to allow workers to stay home to care for sick family members or for children if schools dismiss students or child care programs close;
• Share your influenza pandemic plan with employees and explain what human resources policies, workplace and leave flexibilities, and pay and benefits will be available to them;
• Share best practices with other businesses in your communities (especially those in your supply chain), chambers of commerce, and associations to improve community response efforts; and
• Add a “widget” or “button” to your company Web page or employee Web sites so employees can access the latest information on influenza: www.cdc.gov/widgets/ and www.cdc.gov/SocialMedia/Campaigns/H1N1/buttons.html.

The CDC, Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Homeland Security have provided “A Communications Toolkit for Businesses and Employers” on this topic (available at http://www.flu.gov/plan/workplaceplanning/toolkit.pdf).

OSHA also has suggested a number of measures to protect employees in the event of a flu pandemic.  It recommends that employers develop pandemic flu plans specifically tailored to the needs of their worksites (see http://www.osha.gov/Publications/influenza_pandemic.html).

Jackson Lewis attorneys are available to assist with any questions you may have or assistance you may need in developing a plan specific to your workplace needs.

Related Links
How Employers Should Respond to the Swine Flu Outbreak Workplace FAQ's Concerning Pandemic Influenza