Sitting back and waiting for the inevitable could cause you a nasty shock when it hits and it appears that it is not going to go away any time soon.
Some forecasts put absenteeism at a peak of 75%!!!
OK, don't panic (yet). Keep up to date with government and WHO advice.
Planning ahead
Start by considering how the business would operate with the minimum of staff. Can some departments be closed down for short time and remaining staff transferred to more essential sections of the business?
Would such staff have the skills to operate effectively in other departments? If not would now be a good time to provide some on the job training and allow staff some experience of working in other departments.
Establish links with temp agencies but you may have to commit early as other businesses will also be looking for temporary staff. (Rather drastic way to reduce the unemployment register!)
Some administrative work may be capable of being performed at home. Set up a register of employees who have a home broadband facility and if you are thinking about replacing PCs perhaps now is a good time to invest in laptops.
Public transport may be affected so establish a job share scheme and look for volunteers who are prepared to pick up colleagues and bring them in to work.
Consider communications when key personnel are absent. Who takes responsibility? Who do staff report to? Who do customers contact?
Dealing with sick employees
Sick employees should be advised to remain at home. Remember that there will probably be great difficulty in employees obtaining an appointment with their GP so do not be expecting medical certificates in the short term.
If the employee is not ill but are having to care for sick relatives or children who are unable to go to school then try to be flexible by offering more convenient hours or working from home. "Intranet" type facilities such as Twitter and Yammer are available which enable instant messaging between colleagues.
Inevitably some employees will just take advantage and take the time off - blaming the flu. Others may have a genuine fear of catching the virus and will stay at home. Dealing with this will have the usual difficulties and employers will need to make their own judgements on this. Employees cannot refuse to come to work simply because they have a fear of picking up the virus.
Dealing with the effects of the virus
Apparently when the flu hits it HITS so employees should be soon aware that they have the flu but inevitably employees will "battle on" and help spread the virus. So sensible policies need to be in place in order to minimise this. Government websites and NHS help lines give good advice on this.
The flu is transmitted via coughs and sneezes so employers should insist that employees use handkerchiefs and must wash their hands regularly - particularly after sneezing. Door handles and sink taps are a source of cross-contamination so supply and enforce the mandatory use of antiseptic wipes.
The HSE's advice is to continue running air conditioning units.
Video and Tele conferencing has never really taken off but these clearly reduce face to face meetings and therefore the chances of becoming infected or spreading infections.
Those employees remaining and work may have to work long hours in order to keep the business going. This may be unavoidable but do remember your Health and Safety obligations and the restrictions on working hours under the Working Time Regulations.
In extreme situations the impact upon a business could be so severe that it causes it to either go out of business all together or lead to enforced redundancies. The pandemic cannot be used as an excuse to ride roughshod through employment legislation and any redundancies must comply fully with such requirements.
This article is not intended to be expert advice on dealing with the effects of swine flu on businesses but a reminder of the sorts of things that you need to be addressing NOW.
The Pandemic and its effects may very well turn out to be another "Millennium bug" and let's hope it will be.
| 
