Do sick employees seem to spread their illness to everyone at your business?
Businesses are adversely affected when employees are absent due to illness, but a study conducted by Cornell University Institute for Health and Productivity Studies 
found that contagiously sick employees who come to work can be just as costly. Their work output and quality suffers, their recovery is slower, and other employees are exposed to the illness. This “presenteeism” can cause negatively cascading events in your business and community.
We are becoming more informed about national and international influenza epidemics and their potential economic impact. By planning ahead for flu outbreaks and epidemics, businesses can minimize negative impacts on employee health and business profits. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests vaccinations, good hygiene, good health, and antiviral medications as the best ways to avoid flu. The CDC also provides health fliers and numerous other workplace resources on the topic of avoiding flu and preparing for flu outbreaks or other emergency situations.
If your business does not have a health and wellness coordinator, you might wish to consider the following:
- Employees traveling internationally may need vaccinations against influenza strains prevalent in their travel destination.
- It may be possible for sick employees to work from home.
- Provide tissue and hand sanitizer at work stations.
- Use anti-bacterial soaps in restrooms.
- Sanitize desk tops, keyboards, phones, door handles, and other shared objects.
- Post fliers or distribute influenza prevention and identification information provided by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Managers need to set good examples by following policies and guidelines which prevent the spread of flu and other communicable illnesses. If you or your managers come to the workplace in a contagious condition, your employees will feel pressured to follow your example.
Expectations for employee behavior in the area of absenteeism and presenteeism should be clearly stated in employee handbooks and training. To be effective, these policies need to be evenhandedly administered.
Resources concerning absenteeism and presenteeism and their business implications can be found at the following sites: