How to prepare for increased absenteeism due to H1N1
Issue:

You are aware that an H1N1 outbreak could create a dramatic increase in absenteeism as workers get sick or stay home to take care of children. How can you be prepared for such absenteeism if an outbreak occurs?
Answer:    

Reviewing policies, re-educating employees, and knowing which employees are cross-trained are the three keys that can help you prepare for absenteeism resulting from an H1N1 outbreak, advises Axsium Group, a workforce management consulting firm.

  1. Conduct a review of your company’s current absence and leave policies to ensure that they comply with applicable labor laws and collective bargaining agreements. Also, ensure that these policies are built into your HR and workforce management systems.
  2. Re-educate your employees about the company’s absence and leave policies so that, if they become sick, they will know what their entitlements are and how to properly report absences.
  3. Finally, know which employees are cross-trained and in what areas. Quick responsiveness requires that capabilities are documented and provided to the workforce management system so that it knows what skills employees have if one or more replacements have to be found quickly.

Source: Axsium Group, http://www.axsiumgroup.com.
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