The Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu (National institute for Public Health and the Environment, RIVM) gave a warning that there is a flu epidemic in the Netherlands in the first week of February. There were 120 people in every people with flu-like symptoms reported by GPs. After more than 51 people show symptoms of an illness, it is officially labeled as an epidemic.
Obviously, employers want to ensure that their employees are actually sick. After all, sick employees cost a lot of money. According to the Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek ( Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, TNO) every day that an employee is sick at home costs an average of € 223. Annually, this means that claims for flu by employers are in the hundreds of millions of euros in the Netherlands alone.
The flu virus particularly spreads rapidly in office envorionments. Sick employees coughing or sneezing also spread the virus, which can survive up to 24 hours outside the human body.
Nurse and consultant Audrey McLaughlin gives 6 tips for preventing flu in the workplace:
Strengthen the immune system - It starts with the basics. The immune system is the first line of defense against the flu virus. Encourage employees to get enough sleep, enough movement, and to get fresh air and healthy food. An employer can offer to play a role in shtopping this, for example, by providing fresh fruit in the workplace, to adapt to the range in the canteen, and providing ample opportunity for breaks and after work to discourage hours.
Encourage frequent hand washing - especially after group meetings or after visiting of places where many different people come (like kitchens, toilets, photocopying and meeting rooms). Ask for disinfectants to be freely available to employees. Invest (possibly) in taps with sensors so that employees do not forget. Tell employees that the 15 to 20 second delay before water is effective with soap and insist on the proper drying of hands, as many more bacteria are spread through wet hands.
Clean and disinfect your workplace - Cleaning agencies can do this task thoroughly, or ask staff to do it themselves with, for example, cleaning wipes. Also, make things that you regularly touch, like (mobile) phones, mouse, keyboard, and door handles clean.
Avoid touching the face - The flu virus can survive 24 hours outside the body. Be careful when touching the face, especially the eyes, nose and mouth. Use your own cup instead of (washable) cups for general use.
Go outside - inside you'll be in constant contact with germs. Encourage employees to go out regularly and catch a breath of fresh air. Thus, the internal 'germ filters' for your employees are refreshed.
Stay home if you're sick - If employees are sick, they should weather the sickness at home. When they come into work, they infect others at work. Sick office workers who still want to work should be able to do so from home.
A flu epidemic can be prevented in the workplace, concludes McLaughlin. Employees can help themselves to live healthier and be more conscious about observing specific hygiene rules.