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3 Tips For Getting A Workforce Through Flu Season

3 Tips For Getting A Workforce Through Flu Season
by Jennifer Carsen

Autumn brings school buses, falling leaves and — less idyllically — flu season. If you haven't yet thought about how to keep your workers healthy and flu-free, now's the time.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a yearly flu vaccination for everyone older than six months (barring medical contraindications), ideally before the end of October. The 2017-18 flu season, according to the CDC, was a doozy: It featured high levels of outpatient clinic and ER visits and was the first flu season to be classified as having "high severity" across all age groups.

3 recommendations for a flu-free workforce

How can employers mitigate the impact of flu season? Steve Wojcik, VP of public policy at the National Business Group on Health, offered HR Dive three recommendations.

1. Offer flu shots at work.
 
This is convenient, and there's usually no cost to the employee. "Employees are generally very appreciative of employers who do this," Wojcik said. Plus, from the employer’s perspective, "the cost of vaccinations is minimal compared to other health care needs related to getting the flu."

Read full article on HR Dive.