Forties People

Should employers brush it under the carpet, or issue face masks to all staff?
Whilst the screaming headlines seem to have subsided, the current state of play is no clearer now than it has been all through this bemusing episode.

On the one hand, we have Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer, claiming that we’re “tantalisingly close” to winning the battle against the virus. And to add weight to his claim, the NHS has closed down much of its much-maligned Pandemic Hotline service, and downgraded its mortality predictions from 65,000 to 19,000.

But then, just when you thought it was safe to go back outdoors... Sir Liam warns that there is likely to be a second wave of infections, and that the Government has plans to double the number of intensive care beds during the autumn/winter period. So far, the number of deaths from the infection in the UK stands at fewer than 100, but we shouldn’t be complacent. History suggests that when children return to school after the summer holidays, there is a real possibility of a massive resurgence of cases. This was especially notable in the 1957-58 pandemic.

However, in the 1968 outbreak, the peak wasn’t reached until a full 18 months after the initial outbreak. It seems clear that the Government and the NHS, mindful of stinging criticism in the past for their perceived inadequate response to previous health scares, is determined to follow a ‘better-too-much-than-too-little’ line. And yet there is STILL no reliable vaccine, and the generally-prescribed treatment, Tamiflu, is being associated with a number of unpleasant side-effects. And the wearing of face-masks is, according to most sources, unlikely to provide any meaningful protection against the virus.

So what is an appropriate course of action for employers?

The cautious approach would be to:

• make employees aware of the symptoms, and the organisation’s policies in regards to it
• discourage employees from any physical contact with one another (for example, avoiding hand-shakes)
• encourage the use of disinfectant hand-gel and regular hand-washing
• encourage the regular cleaning of hard surfaces such as door handles, computer mice, etc
• encouraging the use (and disposal) of tissues instead of handkerchiefs.

Clearly, any staff member who shows signs of infection should be sent home immediately to minimise spreading the infection. And special attention needs to be paid to pregnant women, children (in crèches, for example), and older workers.

Wherever possible, employees should be encouraged to work from home, especially if they have children who might put them at increased risk of contracting or carrying the virus. And avoiding any unnecessary travel with further reduce the risk.

However, many employers – and the CIPD - are already reporting cases of employees using the swine flu pandemic as a reason for taking more sickness leave, so each employer must be absolutely clear about where it stands on issues such as acceptable self-certification periods, given that the typical recovery time is 3-5 days.

As Business Link puts it: The swine flu pandemic has resulted in higher absence rates and increased employee uncertainty. Good employer-employee relations can be maintained by consulting with employees and making clear your procedures and policies for matters such as:

• Alternative patterns of working: offering options such as flexible working hours, home working or alternative working locations.
• Absence management: determining the right amount of time off an employee needs to recover, how absence will be recorded and whether it will be paid or unpaid.
• Disciplinary procedures: for example what happens for an unauthorised absence when an employee refuses to work due to concerns about swine flu.

So for the time being, swine flu seems to be something we shouldn’t panic about, and sensible precautions will help to keep it that way. But contingency plans for a more widespread outbreak – either locally, within an organisation, or on a wider scale – are always advisable.