Sickening! The flu robs employers of $21B a year

Every sneeze, sniffle and cough you hear in your office are costing you … big, thanks to the flu.

This season anywhere between 9.3 million and 49 million will fall ill from the flu. Which means odds are high some of those people are on your payroll.

And they’re probably still sitting at their desks.

A full four in 10 employees admit they come to work with the flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control. And that’s putting the rest of your workforce at risk.

It’s even worse in Finance and Accounting, as folks in those jobs are at greater risk.

It’s too costly a problem to ignore: Last year’s flu season cost employers $21.39 billion in lost productivity.

So what can you do? Yes you can advocate frequent hand washing, keep your facility cleaner, and even have managers encourage sick employees to go – and stay – home.

But the most effective strategy? Get the flu shot. Just 25% of workers do.

It’s not too late

If employees think they missed their chance, now’s the time to assure them that’s not the case. Last season the flu peaked in January and February, and lasted into March.

Medical experts say even as late as January the vaccine can still be effective. (And for the needle-phobic, let them know the mist is back as an option this go-round.)