It might seem a bit early to be planning your employees’ wellbeing for this winter. But planning early could make a huge difference to your staff sickness absence. A minor illness, such as flu, is the most common cause for short-term sickness among employees in the UK. And can even cause long-term absence of four weeks or more1. It can also be highly infectious – particularly in an office environment.
Cold or flu: How can you tell the difference?
Colds and flu share some of the same symptoms, such as a cough and sore throat, but flu can be much more serious than a cold. Symptoms include2:
Colds
- Runny nose
- Blocked nose
- Sore throat
- Sneezing
- Cough
- Mild fever
- Earache
- Tiredness
- Headache
Flu
- Sudden fever of 38-40°C
- Muscle aches and pains
- Sweating
- Feeling exhausted and needing to lie down
- A dry, chesty cough
Symptoms develop over one or two days and gradually get better after a few days. Some colds can last up to two weeks.
Flu usually comes on much more quickly than a cold with symptoms appearing one to three days after infection. Most people recover within a week.
So what can you do to help prevent seasonal illnesses affecting your workforce?
Encourage staff to ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ – Protect against colds and flu by:
- Coughing or sneezing into a tissue
- Throwing a used tissue away as soon as possible
- Washing your hands as soon as possible
Encourage any staff in an ‘at risk’ group to receive their free flu jab EVERY year – Your staff will be eligible to receive a free flu jab if they:
- Are pregnant
- Have certain medical condition (e.g. asthma, diabetes, chronic heart disease)
- Receive a carer’s allowance, or are the main carer for an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if they were to fall ill
- Are 65 years of age or over
Offer a flu vaccine to your staff – Offering a flu vaccine not only makes commercial sense; it can also be a low-cost (as little as £6.00 per person) and valued employee benefit.
This article first appeared on jelf.com.
1 CIPD Absence Management Survey 2016
2 www.nhs.uk