As the initial round of swine flu vaccines arrived in the tri-state region, many employers still appeared to lack adequate plans for dealing with any extreme cases of absenteeism, whether the result of precautionary school closures or in the worst case scenario a deadly pandemic locally.
That could be in part a reflection of a lack of overall concern among workers ”“ in a poll published last week, Deloitte Inc. found that four in 10 people do not plan to get the H1N1 novel virus vaccine that started being distributed throughout the region last week.
On Monday and Tuesday, counties outside New York City started receiving approximately 91,000 doses of H1N1 flu vaccine ”“ the maximum made available to New York state outside of New York City by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rockland County reported receiving an initial batch of 500 doses.
Whereas neighboring Fairfield County, Conn., has been hit with more than 650 cases of swine flu, Westchester County has had a comparatively mild bout with the virus to date, with under 150 cases. Rockland County reported less than 20 confirmed cases. The limited exposure in the Hudson Valley has occurred despite New York being listed by the CDC as one of many states with a regional swine flu pandemic.
In a poll last month by the Harvard School of Public Health, just a third of businesses surveyed said they could sustain their business without severe problems if half their work force were absent for two weeks due to an episode of swine flu.
Overwhelmingly, businesses indicated they will not provide paid time off for employees to care for sick family members, or to mind their children if schools or daycare centers are shut down.
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Armonk-based IBM Corp., by far the largest employer in the lower Hudson Valley, issued a directive to employees in May, instructing them to stay away from IBM work sites for a minimum of one week if they have a temperature higher than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, or if they have other flu-like symptoms. At the time, IBM also asked its suppliers and vendors to abide by similar guidelines.
IBM spokesman Doug Shelton said the company has not issued a similar directive heading into the fall flu season.
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The law firm of Jackson Lewis has three attorneys in its White Plains office of six nationwide who are focusing on business preparations for the H1N1 virus. They recommend companies allow sick workers to stay home without fear of losing their jobs, including flexible leave policies in case employees must care for a sick family member or watch children in the event of school closures. And companies should update employees on overall human-resources policies in the event of a pandemic, and ideally add a button to the company web site to provide workers access to the latest information from the CDC.
The CDC is making such widgets available at www.cdc.gov/widgets/ and www.cdc.gov/SocialMedia/Campaigns/H1N1/buttons.html.
OperationsInc. a human-resources advisory firm in Stamford, Conn., saw attendance quintuple for webinars addressing swine flu compared to those on other topics, and has scheduled them biweekly throughout flu season, including for Oct. 29.
CEO David Lewis said in addition to the practical problems of protecting workers and clients and possibly running operations shorthanded, companies may face potential liability if steps are not taken to minimize the chances of contracting the virus at a work site ”“ at a minimum, posting instructions on how to avoid spreading it.
“I think many of the companies we are talking to are putting this plan of action together, but aren”™t putting the plan in action,” Lewis said.
