Let’s face it, we all hate being sick. Illnesses cost us valuable time and money and create unnecessary stress in our lives. Yet, there are steps we can take to alleviate the spread of the flu, particularly in the workplace.

Encourage companywide flu vaccinations.

According to the CDC, the most effective approach to stopping the spread of the flu is to get your shot every year. While OSHA or other regulatory agencies do not mandate flu shots for employees, the federal agency suggests that employers encourage all workers to get a flu shot.

Says the CDC:

  • Flu vaccinationprevents millions of illnesses and flu-related doctor’s visits each year. For example, during 2016-2017, flu vaccination prevented an estimated 5.3 million influenza illnesses, 2.6 million influenza-associated medical visits, and 85,000 influenza-associated hospitalizations.
  • In seasons when the vaccine viruses matched circulating strains, flu vaccine has been shown to reduce the risk of having to go to the doctor with flu by 40 percent to 60 percent.

Employers may want to consider options to make it easy for employees to get their shot. For example they could give everyone a long lunch break to attend a vaccination center or coordinate a group outing to the local clinic. You could even go so far as to host an illness prevention/flu vaccination workshop in your workplace.

Arm yourself.

Get inoculated – today! Once you see everyone else coughing and hacking – it may be too late. It takes around two weeks for the antibodies to develop after you receive your shot. So, don’t wait! According to their website, Convenient MD in Keene is offering *free* flu-shots – so there is no reason not to get your shot.

A healthy workplace is a happy workplace!

Masiello Employment knows how tough missing work can be, and the disruption that absent workers can cause. We encourage you to stay healthy by supporting health and safety initiatives whenever possible. So, get those shots and stay happy and healthy both at home and the workplace.

For more tips on combatting colds and flu, check out a prior post on the subject here.