This month Graham, our resident HR Consultant from Enterprise Actions, has written a very helpful article, highlighting the implications of swine flu on your business.
We’ve known for some time that swine flu is already here in the UK but the Government announcement on 02/07/09 that this virus can no longer be contained takes us to a new level.
Andy Burnham, the Health Secretary has said that "Cases are doubling every week and on this trend we could see over 100,000 cases per day by the end of August." This raises the question for employers of what they should do in response to the potential threat of a swine flu pandemic.
The main advice is to think ahead and prepare strategies so as to avoid a knee jerk or panic reaction in autumn if it turns out to be as bad as predicted.
Ben Willmott, Senior Public Policy Adviser with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has advised firms to “put in place strategies to allow them to run on skeleton staff levels” and here are some CIPD tips for preparing ahead and developing a contingency plan:
• Have strategies to maximise the amount of home-working that is possible by staff.
• Investigate ways of increasing use of video links and teleconferencing which can help limit the amount of face-to-face contact.
• For service/customer facing organisations explore the possibility of increasing the amount of online transactions as well as self-service options for customers.
• Have in place plans that will enable the organisation to operate on a skeleton staff.
• Identify key roles that must be carried out and identify those individuals who have a wide range of skills who can fulfil more than one function.
• Ensure that procedures are developed to ensure smooth handovers for employees who are filling in for colleagues in unfamiliar roles.
• Stay up to date on the advice and guidance issued by the Department of Health (DoH), the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Employment lawyers have warned that, if employers fail to put in place contingency plans for an outbreak, they could leave themselves open to claims.
Marc Meryon, employment partner at Bircham Dyson Bell said organisations should be aware of their duty of care to employees. Risks of liability included discrimination for treating staff inconsistently, damages for failing to follow government guidance and breach of data protection laws covering employee's health. “Legally we are operating in somewhat uncharted territory. However there are definite obligations that all employers have towards their workforce and by addressing certain key issues this will reduce the risk of potential litigation,” he said.
In the event that there is a pandemic - What should employers do then? Again, here are some pointers, courtesy of CIPD:
• Communicate clearly and consistently to minimise the chances of misunderstanding and needless worries among employees.
• Advise unwell employees to seek appropriate medical advice at the earliest opportunity.
• Provide clear advice on the importance of employees staying at home if they are beginning to feel unwell and start suffering from symptoms of flu such as fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches and fatigue.
• Postpone/cancel face to face training courses, unnecessary travel and work-related social events.
• Follow advice issued by the DoH, HSE and WHO.
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