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Swine Flu and Staff Absence
August 2009
A swine flu pandemic has been declared with over 6,000 cases now confirmed in the UK. Some say at its peak staff absence rates will reach 75%. So what steps can you take now to keep your business running?
Costs to business
On June 11 2009 the World Health Organisation declared a swine “flu pandemic”. The Federation of Small Businesses predicts that, at its height, workplaces will lose up to 25% of their total staff for at least seven to ten days. Others say that this is something of a conservative estimate and that absence rates could be nearer to 75%. Either way, it could have serious consequences for your business.
Not just you
It’s thought that a full blown swine flu pandemic will cost the economy £1.5 billion for each working day lost. This won’t just be through sickness related absence/ / staff may need time off for other reasons, e.g. look after children if schools are closed. And as there are 16.5 million working parents in the UK, it’s easy to see how this could happen.
How will you know?
The problem is, of course knowing when the pandemic’s full effects will actually be felt. Some experts think it will not be until September or October when schools and universities start up again after the summer break and larger numbers of people are in close proximity to each other. So what precautionary measures can you take now to limit the pandemic’s effect on your business?
Tip. The government has issued some guidance for employers. But its overall advice is that you should make up your own “individual judgements” in the running of your business and that any decision to close is a personal matter to you.
Prevention better than cure
Preventative measures can help to reduce the impact of last-minute surprises. So look at the following areas:
- Contact details. Ensure you have up to date contact details for all staff and who to contact in an emergency
- Train staff to cover key functions. If staff have specific duties, make sure someone else knows how to carry them out. Unlike holidays, you cannot accurately predict when an employee absent because of swine flu will be back.
- Look at interim homeworking options. Think about whether staff can work from home. If they can, do they have the necessary equipment, e.g. laptop or mobile phone?
- Temporary workers. You may need extra staff at short notice. It may be sensible to line up agencies now – not only could there be a demand but their fees are likely to go up.
- Refusing leave requests. As a temporary measure you can refuse to grant any further requests for annual leave until the worst of the swine flu pandemic is over.
Tip. If you have not already done so, amend your holiday policy to make it clear that you can refuse to grant leave requests. This won’t be popular so tell staff why you are taking these measures and that you may have to introduce them at short notice.
Source: Tips & Advice Personnel 9 July 2009
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