Set a good example during flu season

It’s flu season, and we’ve all heard the warnings: If you get sick, stay home. But what if you have a big meeting or important deadline?

Even trickier—what if you’re the boss?

“It sometimes seems managers are the least likely to take a sick day,” says Liz Hill, SAIF’s Total Worker Health^® adviser. But powering through your work day with a fever and body aches isn’t doing anybody any favors. “Not only does this expose your co-workers to an illness, it also makes it a lot harder for your body to recover.”

Managers should lead by example during flu season, Hill says. Which means calling in sick—especially during the first three to four days after symptoms begin, which is typically when people are most contagious.

Getting a flu shot is one of the best ways to prevent the flu. Here are some other ways to keep the flu from taking your whole team down:

• Encourage workers to use their sick leave. Oregon law requires employers with 10 or more employees to provide 40 hours of paid leave per year.
• Make it easy for workers to wash their hands. Consider having alcohol-based hand sanitizer on worksites where handwashing facilities are not available.
• Plan for flu season. When employees are out, extra work can fall to other staff members, increasing their likelihood of getting sick or injured. Have a contingency plan for being short-staffed.

For more information on flu prevention at work, visit saif.com/flu.