How does your company plan to handle a swine flu outbreak if it hits the newsroom or other departments?
I know of some newsrooms where work spaces and phones are wiped down with disinfectant after each shift. But how well would newsrooms -- with tight budgets and a bare-bones staff -- manage an outbreak among the staff?
Here are some questions that newsroom editors and senior managers may want to consider:
- Would you strictly enforce the "if you are sick, stay home" rule?
- What kinds of policies are in place for employees with sick kids? Would you require or allow workers to stay home with sick children?
- What kind of assistance would you consider offering employees if schools or child-care centers shut down because of an outbreak?
- Would you allow more people to work from home to reduce the chances of germs spreading?
- Has anyone discussed whether some traditional newsroom jobs may be left open or cut in the event of a severe outbreak?
- Are there extra precautions your newsroom might take to protect pregnant workers and employees with medical conditions?
- Have you developed special health-safety instructions for reporters and film crews reporting stories on the H1N1 outbreak?
Last month,
the federal government issued new guidelines for businesses on how to plan for and respond to a flu outbreak. The guidelines say, in part, that businesses may need to move workers away from each other:
"If the severity of illness increases, employers should be ready to implement additional measures while continuing to rigorously implement the interventions recommended for an outbreak similar to the spring/summer 2009 H1N1 outbreak. If severity increases, public health officials may recommend a variety of methods for increasing the physical distance between people (called social distancing) to reduce the spread of disease, such as school dismissal, child care program closure, canceling large community gatherings, canceling large business-related meetings, spacing workers farther apart in the workplace, canceling non-essential travel, and recommending work-from-home strategies for workers that can conduct their business remotely.
"Please remember: employers should develop capabilities to respond to both scenarios and these two conditions serve only as a planning framework. Businesses and other employers should develop flexible capabilities to respond to either situation given the difficulties in accurately predicting the extent and severity of 2009 H1N1 as it unfolds during the 2009-2010 influenza season. Individual businesses may implement additional actions if they experience high absenteeism or business continuity is compromised. In addition, employers should be aware that other emergencies such as hurricanes or other natural disasters may happen during the fall and winter, creating additional challenging problems for businesses and communities."
A couple of weeks ago,
The Wall Street Journal noted
federal officials' concerns that sick workers could strain the health care system during this year's flu season:
"Businesses should allow employees flexibility to stay home to recuperate or care for sick relatives, said Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano in a news conference. Businesses should consider dropping requirements that workers get doctors' notes for absences, Mr. Locke said, because they could "overload a health-care system that will likely be overstressed during this year's flu season.
"Employers also should think about alternative work arrangements such as telecommuting for workers who may be at higher risk for contracting the disease or suffering more serious effects, he said."
I invite you to share your newsroom's plan for dealing with the flu outbreak by posting a note in the
comment section.
The designation H1N1 by itself refers only to the protein...
