Keeping the flu out of your office this season: 3 keys

Year-end is right around the corner for Finance, and the last thing you need is a big chunk of your staff falling victim to the flu.

So here are some things you can do to make this year’s flu season as painless as possible:

1. Encourage them to get vaccinated … again. This year’s flu vaccine includes protection against three types of influenza – H1N1 (swine flu), H3N2 and a B strain. Many people falsely believe that if they received the H1N1 vaccine last year, they don’t have to get a shot this year. Let them know it’s still important to protect themselves against other strains of flu.

2. Make it easy. If your company offers flu shots on-site, it’s important to bombard workers with constant reminders so they don’t accidentally miss out or forget to get a shot. One way: Frequent e-mails with bold subject lines proclaiming: FRIENDLY REMINDER – FLU SHOT THIS WED.

For employers that offer free or discounted shots off-site, finding a location should be as painless as possible for employees. Best bet: Use a variety of tactics (e-mail, intranet, company bulletin board, etc.) to help people find a convenient spot to go. In addition, there are plenty of websites that will help employees find a location by simply typing in an address or zip code, like this one.

3. Give heroes incentives to stay home. The majority of employees know better than to come into the office when they’re not feeling well. But one flu-stricken worker who decides to tough it out can end up wreaking havoc on the entire office.

One way to prevent this: updating your attendance policy to allow for more sick time during flu season. IF possible, letting employees work from home until all symptoms subside helps ensure they don’t come back too soon – and get their co-workers sick.