You know it’s flu season when the large pallet of tissue papers disappears from the local store, when you walk into work are instantly greeted with sneezing and sniffling coming from all parts of the office and of course, most importantly, when the number of employees taking sick days increases all of a sudden. It’s finally here.
No matter how much you try to avoid it, you will get it.
The heavy head; that dripping nose and of course the throat that hurts even when gulping water. All of us have our home remedies and preventive measures we intend to use.
However, for employers, the flu season is different. It is when the risks behind absences, leaves and of course productivity drops are multiplied. Why not prepare your employees for what the period between December and February holds for them?
- Provide flu vaccines. The first and hands down the most important step to flu prevention is ensuring your employees get their flu shots. Setting up a flu shot clinic at the workplace makes it considerably easier for employees to be vaccinated.
At the same time, this serves as the perfect opportunity to educate employees on the importance of vaccinations.
- Promote use of hand sanitizers. Make sure the bathrooms are well-stocked with anti-bacterial soap. Consider adding in an alcohol based hand sanitizer.
- Setup tissue boxesaround the office and promote their use whenever coughing or sneezing.
- Let employees stay at home when sickand educate them about limiting contact with others, particularly infants under 6 months.
- Promote ways employees can strengthen their immune systems, by drinking plenty of water, being physically active, getting adequate amount of sleep and eating healthy.
While it seems relatively simple and one of those ‘catch some sleep—you’ll get better’ issues, the problem can be disastrous for employers.
Nearly 111 million workdays are lost due to flu season each year, which roughly translates into annual losses worth $7 billion.
The best way to tackle these losses is of course prevention, but through a comprehensive healthcare benefits package. Adding vaccinations to the package takes a few minutes, but the long-term benefits are tremendous.
Employers who have added flu shots to their employee’s benefits packages have noticed an instant reduction in healthcare costs, better employee satisfaction and a healthy workforce ready to take on daily challenges.
At JS Benefits Group, we realize the importance of a healthy workforce for your organization. We create tailored Wellness Programs for your employees and guide you through everything you need to know about employee health benefits in New Jersey. Get in touch with us to learn more.
