CIPD Issues Swine Flu Wake-up As Employers Relax Their Guard
September 4 2009 - UK businesses should prepare for staff absence rates of up to 50% for periods of between two and
four weeks this autumn and winter in their contingency planning arrangements for the expected second wave of swine flu.
This is the top-line advice in joint guidance published today by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and the Business Continuity Institute (BCI) as schools return from the summer – a factor which some health experts believe could help trigger the expected second wave of swine flu.
The new guide, Risk and Business Continuity Management, makes it clear that in the event of a widely predicted second and more serious wave of swine flu, many businesses will see a significant increase in absence rates beyond those enforced through illness alone, with possible widespread closures of school and childcare facilities.
However research by the BCI shows that the majority of employers (57%) have no or weak plans to deal with a swine flu pandemic.
Ben Willmott, senior public policy adviser, CIPD, comments:
"There is a real danger that senior management teams ignore the threat to their business posed by a second and more serious wave of swine flu after seeing the first wave subside much more quickly than anticipated. The media and public hysteria sparked by the initial stage of the pandemic has created a ‘cry wolf’ effect where the temptation for business leaders is to ask what all the fuss was about and get on with the priority of competing and surviving in recession.
"Evidence shows that still only a minority of employers have an adequate contingency plan in place to deal with a flu pandemic, which is extremely worrying considering that staff absence levels could peak for some businesses at levels which will make business as usual extremely difficult. The CIPD and the BCI believe all businesses should plan for a worst case scenario where staff absence rates reach 50%.
"In the event of school and childcare closures, increased parent-worker absences could have a significant impact and increase employee absence rates in some areas well above the Government estimate of pandemic-related staff absences of 12%. Employers should consider how they would plan to respond to a surge of requests by staff for time off to care for sick children or to look after children in the event of widespread school closures. Many employees will also be tempted to call in sick when in fact they are caring for their children.
"There is also the danger that the virus could change and become more virulent leading to higher infection and absence rates than anticipated.
"Success in managing through the flu pandemic will be dependent on the rigour of the planning that has gone on before the outbreak. A pre-pandemic plan will help minimise losses, but it’s not enough to just focus on the impact of large-scale absence on the business itself. Supply-chain and customer issues also need to be considered to keep businesses afloat if there is new surge of swine flu cases."
The guidance warns businesses to take the following steps:
- Prioritise essential activities
- Provide cross training of staff in critical areas so employees have the skills to fill in for absent colleagues
- Consider remote working to prevent spread of infection
- Consider reducing human contact for those with key skills
- Consider increasing customer self-service options such as telephone and online transactions
- Keep on top of government advice and adapt plans to reflect changes
- Communicate plans with staff, customers and suppliers
- Follow public health agency advice on efficient ways to contain the virus
- Provide a safe workplace by implementing rules on health reporting, office and personal hygiene, protective equipment, social distancing and working hours
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