65,000 deaths due to swine flu. That is the assumption which Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson is working upon as reported in the press today, which could equate to 350 deaths per day. It is expected that around a third of the UK population will contract the virus and around 10% of the working population will be absent at any one time. Young, seemilgly healthy children are dying, the latest victim being a six year old boy from Kent. If ever there was a time to start panicking, surely it is now?
Well yes and no. I think that this type of news is good in making us wake up and smell the coffee! The effects that this virus will have upon the UK population and economy are happening now, and will touch everyone in some way or another whether through family members or work colleagues. But a sense of perspective is also required. The majority of sufferers will only experience mild symptoms and should recover relatively quickly albeit at home in a quarantined environment.
The big question for UK organisations is ‘what is your flu pandemic strategy’? I have heard of one company where an entire department has been told to stay at home for ten days because of one case of swine flu in the office. Some may feel that this is an extreme measure, some may say that it is sensible. Personally I think that this is the right move to take. In times of recession when people fear losing their jobs, you will find that people will come into the office even when they are ill, fearing unemployment more than fearing spreading the virus.
It is management’s responsibility to protect its employees and to re-assure them that time taken off for swine flu will not be held against them. Organisations should be firmly in survival mode at this point in time, both financially and physically. The mere ability of enabling employees to answer their calls from home while recovering or caring for relatives, empowers management to show trust in their employees and consideration for its workforce. According to Flu Pandemic Guidelines For Business published by a former business continuity organisation called Survive, “As an employer you have a duty of care to provide your employees with a safe working environment…and you will instil confidence that the organisation has taken steps to protect their wellbeing” (p.31) The up-side for the organisation is that it can continue to operate seamlessly when the office is half empty.
Look out for a future blog which will outline the top ten tips for employing effective home working strategies to survive the swine flu pandemic.
Author: Karen Jones
Tags: business, business continuity, home working, pandemic, pandemic flu guidelines for business, swine flu
