How to Keep Your Teams Healthy and Productive During Flu Season

Fall and winter can be some of the busiest times for businesses, but a serious threat could undermine your teams’ productivity if you’re not careful. If you and your teams don’t practice proper healthy habits, flu season could pose a major risk to your workforce.

Luckily, by implementing a few healthy practices now, you can create a flu-free workplace, protect your employees’ health, reduce absenteeism, and maintain high productivity and morale throughout the season. Here’s what you need to do.

Step 1: Educate and Inform

Like career education, health education shouldn’t end when your formal education is complete. Learning how to live a healthy lifestyle is a never-ending process that evolves to meet life’s needs.

Make flu-related health education part of your organization’s wellness initiatives so that employees understand the importance of flu prevention and the active role they play in keeping the office healthy and thriving.

It could become incredibly costly if your teams don’t understand these points. According to HR Dive, employers stand to lose over $17 billion during flu season as impacted employees take time off work to recover. More generally, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), direct flu costs for hospitalizations and outpatient visits in the U.S. can exceed $10 billion annually.

The CDC recommends educating employees on the benefits of an annual flu vaccine and suggests companies host flu vaccine clinics to make getting vaccinated easier for team members with busy schedules.

Step 2: Encourage Healthy Habits

After educating your teams, encourage healthy habits by equipping team members with everything they need to protect themselves.

For example, promote hand hygiene with signage that encourages employees to wash their hands regularly and ensure that sanitizing stations are easy to access and in key locations like entrances or meeting rooms.

Similarly, promoting proper coughing and sneezing etiquette can make a huge difference. Again, signage should instruct employees on how to cough or sneeze without spreading germs, and tissues and no-touch trash bins should be supplied at key points around the workplace. Consider sending digital reminders throughout the flu season for both of these.

Step 3: Maintain a Clean Workspace

Invest in a clean workspace by installing and maintaining high-quality ventilation systems and scheduling frequent office cleanings. Between cleanings, provide EPA-approved disinfectants so team members can easily wipe off the high-touch surfaces in their private offices or personal spaces. Doorknobs, keyboards, and desks should also be regularly cleaned and disinfected.

Additionally, beyond ensuring proper ventilation inside, encourage team members to take outdoor breaks so that they can enjoy fresh air throughout the workday.

Step 4: Encourage Sick Employees to Stay Home

One of the surest ways to promote the spread of illness in the workplace? Pressuring ill employees to come into the office.

Keep everyone feeling their best by implementing flexible work policies that allow employees to work from home when unwell. Make sure that employees know that they can work from home if they are sick and that it’s highly advised that they do so.

Additionally, review your sick leave policy and ensure it’s employee-friendly, without penalties that may discourage employees from taking sick leave or staying at home when ill.

According to OSHA and the CDC, any ill worker with respiratory symptoms and a temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher should stay home until 24 hours after their temperature lowers, without using any medication to reduce it.

Step 5: Foster a Wellness Culture

Lastly, promote an overall wellness culture within your workplace. Small, healthy changes can make a big difference in boosting immunity.

For example, according to the Cleveland Clinic, chronic stress can decrease your immune system’s ability to function, putting you more at risk for viruses, the common cold, and more. Investing in stress management measures in the workplace will ensure your teams continue to be productive.

Promoting nutrition and exercise in the workplace also goes a long way. Consider stocking your workplace with immunity-boosting foods or introducing wellness programs that encourage frequent movement. Keep health education going by scheduling regular health and wellness sessions and seminars and inviting health professionals to speak to your teams.

The Bottom Line

As the flu season looms, the health and productivity of your workforce are at stake. By taking the above practical steps, you can create a flu-free work environment that prioritizes the health and well-being of your employees. As a result, your healthy workplace will reduce absenteeism and boost morale and productivity.

Need additional help? Learn more about Arootah’s Corporate Wellness program and discover new ways to access better health for your team. Book a discovery call to get started today.