Has your work made plans to deal w/ H1N1 outbreak amongst employee's?

[kilee]

We started talks today and plan to have a concrete plan by Monday on how to handle a large outbreak amongst employees. We are a health clinic and cannot close.

We just began talking today. Though one thing became clear--- even if an employee is almost out of sick time (w/ it being the end of the year) they are to stay home if they exhibit symptoms and be reassured it will be w/o the usual repercussions (write up or dismissal for a chronic offender).

Just wondering if anyone elses employer is making plans for employees?

 

[OK!]

We were sent a flyer about how to best protect yourself against the flu (and all infectious diseases, for that matter) and I'd imagine they have some sort of plan in place, but I don't know for sure. I work from home, though, so I'm good at least.

Oh, and one manager went to Mexico several months ago when all of this was starting and, to be safe, upper management had her see a doctor and work from home for a week after she returned.

 

[Judy from Boise]

I work in hospital administration and not surprisingly we are quite prepared, part of the plan has me putting on the old scrubs and hitting the floor , not literally of course, I mean patient care !

 

[barkley]

i'm retired but i have to share what a neighbor's employer has done and give them a big

week before last an employee was ill and by that wednesday was a confirmed h1n1 case. the employer which is a private company but because of military contracts gets both military personnel into the office and people from a variety of states wanted to stop the spread. they immediatly sent home all staff on paid leave till the following monday. told anyone who exhibited any flu like symptoms not to return w/o a doctor's release (still with paid leave). had a company in to sanitize the place. my neighbor ended up being one of 4 cases thus far diagnosed in the office-his wife also caught it. had the office stayed open heaven knows how many more people would have been exposed, and how many homes/other states could have been impacted.

 

[disneyfan007]

No plan where I work. I just go around once or twice a day and sanitize commonly shared items, door knobs, lite switches etc. I also keep sanitizer in my drawer and use it immediately after signing for Fed Ex or anything like that where I don't know who handled the stylus before me. The guys laugh at me but I don't care.

 

[micki7337]

Yes, we have a very detailed plan than ranges from an employee self-identifying their illness to the supervisor saying, "you're sick; go home." If a person is out of time, we are advancing them but they have to stay out 3 - 5 days and can only come back after the doctor releases them. The same is true if the employee has to stay home to care for a family member. In all cases, employees can only return if they have been cleared by a doctor.

 

[KAMKIM]

My employer offered to pay for everyone's H1N1 vaccine if we wanted to get one, I declined but we do have the option of working from home if it starts spreading here.

 

[dizluvah]

I work in a newsroom, desks are very close together and when your desk is empty it may be used by another person. Company put out antibacterial wipes on each row of desks (like 1 container for every 3 desks throughout the entire place) - plus we have hand sanitizer stations outside the restrooms (although those have always been there).

Also the company is brining in visiting nurse association to provide free flu shots to any employee who would like one.

The "tips" email with CDC info was sent around - you know the basics, cover your mouth when you cough, etc.

 

[AKL_Megs]

Haha... yeah right, I wish.

My companies plan? "Don't get the Swine Flu."

 

[fraggle551]

I attend college, and I know the school sent an e-mail to the professors telling them to make any and all accomodations for sick students in regards to absence policy and exams. A LOT of people at my school are sick, and the teachers have been excellent about make up exams and getting us the notes.

 

[disneyfan123]

My work made started making plans back in the early summer and created a more detailed pandemic plan. I work in a College Residence, so it is definately needed there. I however am on parental leave for 9 months, so hopefully get to miss all of that fun stuff.

 

[Planogirl]

I work for another one of those companies whose whole plan is "don't catch the swine flu". My workplace is way more concerned with numbers and quotas than people.

 

[MScott1851]

I work for a hospital, and we've already been pretty hard hit. I'm on maternity leave right now, and I got a phone call last week wanting to know if I could come into work because they had four people out. I politely declined.

As far as I know, our plan is 'don't get the flu.' Although if we have flu-like symptoms, people are told to stay home.

 

[MushyMushy]

I just started my job, but went to a staff meeting recently where they informed us that HR was griping about people calling off sick. A few people grumbled that they should take their flu infested bodies to the HR office and see if the tune changes.

DH's company said if any employees or family members come down with any flu to stay home and work. DH has been working from home all week because DD is sick.

 

[PatsGirl]

I work in a health care facility and there is no concrete plan as yet What I'm hearing is that everyone should be prepared to be mandated to stay if shifts are not covered. As the shop steward I've been trying to get management to agree to a relax of the sick-out policy but no one is willing (as usual) to put anything into black and white. Instead, they will go by the seat of their pants and before this is all over we'll be in a real mess for sure. They are not even willing to commit to "no doctors note needed for return" if someone is out three or more days. We shall wait and see...

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

Our plan is if your sick stay home and eveyone else will just pick up the kids and slack. We have to be fever free for 24 hour befoe we return.

 

[ajk912]

Haha... yeah right, I wish.

My companies plan? "Don't get the Swine Flu."

Pretty much. If you must call off, make sure you come back with a doctor's note to prove you were really sick. My first thought would be to stay home and rest, not go to a doctor, wait forever, and pay the copay to state the obvious.

 

[downsouth]

I work for another one of those companies whose whole plan is "don't catch the swine flu". My workplace is way more concerned with numbers and quotas than people.

Mine too, they would be at my deathbed asking questions if I caught it!

 

[DVC-Don]

There are only 4 of us, so I guess we'll just lock the doors, forward the calls and go home. We passed out sanitizer and told the others to stay out if sick.

We were at our grocery store today and the front end super told us they are getting complaints from the customers about long checkout lines, but they are stretched thin due to sick employees. I had to go back tonight and only two registers were open where normally I'd see 5 or 6 at that time of night.

 

[englishteacha]

Our superintendent made it very clear that if we have a fever, we are to stay home. If there's an outbreak that affects lots of staff, I expect to be covering classes during my planning periods. We don't have tons of substitute teachers so if more than a few folks are sick we'll have to cover for each other. They've said they don't plan on closing the school if there's an outbreak among the students, but if it hits staff that could be a different story!