It's been 10 years since the flu season was this bad, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and it's going to be costly as well as bad.
HRDive reports that figures from Challenger, Gray and Christmas peg the dollar sign at $9 billion in lost productivity. Eleven million employed adults are expected to come down with the flu this year, and the consulting firm's calculation assumes workers with the flu will miss four days of work.
The flu spreads quickly, and not only do employees staying home with it cost employers, but the ones who decide to "tough it out" and come to work cost, too. After all, they're bringing their germs to work and spreading them generously among their coworkers. But the number of them who do so might surprise you; according to Staple Business Advantage's cold and flu survey, a whopping 80 percent of employees came to work ill last year.
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And since only 41 percent of workers in their peak earning years (ages 50–64) get vaccinated, according to a report in The New York Times, that means more than half of that age group is exposed to the full force of the virus. Older people, who are being hit harder (along with children) by this round of flu, are also more likely to be hospitalized than other age groups, with those over 65 having the highest hospitalization rates and those aged 50–64 having the next highest.
At least older people are a tad more likely to be vaccinated; 57 percent of people over the age of 65 normally get flu shots.
But does that mean employers should be pushing workers to get flu shots? Some do, offering on-site clinics or paid time off to get the shot, while others enforce mandatory policies. That can be risky, however, says the report, especially in light of recent U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforcement actions.
Other ways employers can try to reduce the spread of the flu at work without taking other kinds of chances include asking sick workers to stay home, allowing employees to work remotely, encouraging frequent hand washing and posting information about the flu around the workplace.
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