The kids are back in school now, and the news stories are focused on what all those children packed into schools will mean for swine flu. While we are rightly keeping an eye on our children’s welfare, I want to make sure we don’t lose sight of the importance of keeping healthy at the place so many parents gather every day: the workplace. With many offices going paperless, we often hear more concern about the kind of virus that comes from a computer hacker rather than the office-mate with the hacking cough, but in these days of swine flu, we need to keep an eye on both. True, less paper is being handed from one germ-laden hand to another, but many things in the workplace get touched by lots of people, from the door handles to the phones, to elevator buttons, and touching any one of those right after someone with the flu can leave you vulnerable. Add to that the people you shake hands with before a meeting. 

Federal officials have said that in the worst case scenario, 60 million to 120 million people in the U.S. could be infected with the H1N1 flu this fall and winter. That would mean 1.8 million people hospitalized and as many as 90,000 dying. The officials say they don’t want to frighten anyone, just grab their attention and remind them that the virus is dangerous. While I’m still hoping this ends up being more of a Y2K type of much ado about nothing, they did get my attention!

The government is readying the largest mass immunization since the polio vaccine was administered to 100 million Americans in the 1960s. Many questions remain: who’s going to get this vaccine, will it be a shot or nasal spray, where is it going to be delivered…? Another question is how much people will change their behavior to keep safe. A recent survey said that 54 percent of people have not changed their hand-washing habits even after hearing about the swine flu. Come on, people!!!

Here at Sodexo, we work with our clients to help them keep their sites healthy, and we know that communications is a key tool – about the latest news from the Centers for Disease Control, or about any changes at one of our sites – so we are frequently sharing information. We also continue to follow the same careful protocol we always do, one that anyone can adopt to help them avoid the flu:

• Wash hands with soap and water thoroughly and often - at least 20 seconds, and rinse them with clean water. 
• Turn off the faucet with a paper towel, not with your clean hands! 
• Dry your hands with a paper towel or use an air dryer if you’re in a public restroom. 
• Use a paper towel on the door knob or handle to open the door. 
• Alcohol-based hand-sanitizers are recommended even after proper hand washing. 
• Avoid crowds and minimize person-to-person contact.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper arm or sleeve.
• Turn your face away from others around you.
• Put used tissues into a waste basket.
• Always wash your hands after coughing or sneezing.
• Avoid touching your mouth, nose or eyes.
• If you have flu-like symptoms, stay home unless it’s to see a medical professional about your symptoms.

Ok, so please promise to wash your hands and stay home if you are sick. What I’d like to know is:

Will you get a flu shot if you can?
Are you bringing hand sanitizer to work?
Does your employer have a workplace plan they’ve shared with you?

We’d love to hear from you.