Around 200,000 people are hospitalized each year due to the influenza virus and related complications of the sickness. And workers in the healthcare industry are no exception. During the annual flu season, from October to March, medical facilities often find themselves faced with two problems: the dramatic increase of patients and possible understaffing due to their employees catching the virus as well.
In this seemingly endless and vicious cycle, approximately 111 million workdays are lost each year costing businesses about “$7 billion per year in sick days and lost productivity” across the United States. Now more than ever, businesses especially in the healthcare industry, need to be prepared on both sides.
Educate and inform about preventative care.
Be proactive and start educating employees as early as September about benefits of the flu vaccination and other preventative measures that they can take. Make sure these incentives are offered in your medical benefits package.
Have a sick employee implementation plan ready.
The flu is extremely contagious especially when treating those who have it; however 40% of employees feel they cannot take time off due to a high workload. Another 31% of them feel that their boss appreciates them coming in to work even when they are sick [2]. Make sure to keep employees informed about your company’s sick leave policies and be proactive about flu season.
Hire temporary workers or contingent labor.
Should your business suffer a great loss of employee productivity, it is beneficial to have temporary workers on hand to pick the pace back up. A staffing company has the expertise and knowledge of finding qualified temporary workers that save businesses both time and money.
Check out our infographic, “The Anatomy of Perfect Medical & Science Temporary Employees.”
The inevitable flu season is coming upon us. Year over year, medical offices and healthcare facility workers are at risk of contracting the flu and potentially having to take time off work. This often calls for the immediate need of qualified additional workers due to the patient volume increase. Top positions in demand include: Physicians, Physician Assistants, Nurses, Nurse Assistants, Lab Technicians, X-ray Technicians, and Medical Coding and Billing Specialists.
Preparing for flu season will ultimately save time, money and energy in the long run. Being proactive and educating employees about preventative flu measures will help but only so much. Working with a staffing agency to have temporary workers available during this time can give your business an edge.
