The current strain, Influenza A H3N2, "has been associated with severe illness and mortality, especially in older people and young children," CDC literature cautioned. And while the CDC and most medical professionals recommended getting a flu shot as the first and best defense, the threat has been complicated by "drift" — slight changes in the genetic makeup of H3N2, which makes the vaccine developed months earlier less effective against an ever-changing viral enemy.

The U.S. economy suffers a loss of some 111 million workdays each flu season, according to CDC statistics, costing businesses upward of $7 billion per year in sick days and lost productivity.

And this flu season isn't over yet. While flu activity in the U.S. typically peaks between December and February, it can be geographically unpredictable, hitting some parts of the country harder than others, all the way through May.

"We haven't really had a concerted effort around here to raise awareness of a potential flu epidemic," says Angela Payne, corporate communications manager for Bob Evans Farms Inc. in Columbus, Ohio. "But that's because we're a food and restaurant business. Our business model is built on a foundation of effective sanitary practices. So we're just doing the stuff we normally do to avoid spreading illness and germs."

Some organizations, however, have aggressively promoted in-house vaccination programs. The Regional Medical Center of San Jose, for example, succeeded in vaccinating 95 percent of its 1,500 employees by the first week of December.

Other companies — those not in the food business — take it a bit more laissez-faire. "There have been no official guidelines from the top," says a young departmental manager of a 200-employee West Coast educational software company.

"Some people seem to be more aware than others, and I've even seen a few people show up at work wearing those sanitary face masks. But mostly, we're just hoping for the best. Still," he adds with a note of concern, "if three to five people in my area were out sick at the same time, yeah, it would cause a big problem with workflow."

Hoping for the best, however, came up snake eyes at AllProWebTools when an eight-person work team lost two members for two weeks to the flu. The small Fort Collins, Colorado, based company helps businesses optimize workflow between online and brick and mortar functions, and every employee counts. 

Content writer Andrea Lotz politely suggested that anyone who had to sneeze or blow their nose simply step out of the work area into the hallway or restroom. "Everyone was really understanding," Lotz says. "No one felt singled out because we did it in a very transparent way."

Knowing how flu spreads can help minimize the risk for both companies and individuals. Flu is spread from person to person, most experts believe, when infected individuals cough, sneeze or even talk, and the droplets, which can travel up to six feet, land in the mouths, noses or lungs of a healthy person. Touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching one's nose or mouth can also pass the infection, though it's less common.

"Most healthy adults," notes CDC literature, "may be able to infect others beginning one day before symptoms develop and up to several days after becoming sick. Symptoms start one to four days after the virus enters the body."

Even if you got the flu shot this season and step into the hall to sneeze or cough, the Occupational Health and Safety Commission (OSHA) suggests the following practices to minimize the risk of getting or giving the virus.

• Stay home if you are sick.

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds or with a hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.

• Avoid touching your nose, mouth and eyes.

• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue, or cough and sneeze into your upper sleeve. Dispose of tissues in no-touch trash receptacles.

• Wash your hands or use a hand sanitizer after coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose.

• Avoid close contact (within 6 feet) with coworkers and customers.

• Avoid shaking hands and always wash your hands after physical contact with others.

• If wearing gloves, always wash your hands after removing them.

• Keep frequently touched common surfaces (for example, telephones, computer equipment, etc.) clean.

• Try not to use other workers' phones, desks, offices, or other work tools and equipment.

• Minimize group meetings; use e-mails, phones and text messaging. If meetings are  unavoidable, avoid close contact (within 6 feet) with others and ensure that the meeting room is properly ventilated.

• Limit unnecessary visitors to the workplace.