Flu Epidemic: If You’re Sick, Stay Home
This goes for staffing agencies and the candidates you recruit. If you’re sick, stay home.
Our work-centric culture tends to place value on those hard working employees who come to work come hell or high water, regardless of whatever raging fever, burning throat, or sniffly nose they might have. While it shows impressive tenacity, in the end it does more harm than good.
Coming to work while sick hurts you and your coworkers. You will struggle through your work for several days until you feel better, likely at a decreased rate of productivity. In addition, you run the risk of infecting your fellow coworkers and possibly putting them out of commission for a few days. In the grand scheme of things, wouldn’t it be better to just take a day or two and re-cooperate? You will be able to catch up on your work and return quickly rather than have it drag one.
This is particularly salient given the current flu epidemic. The annual flu season hit a month early this year, and has spread to 47 states. With 7.3 percent of deaths last week caused by pneumonia and the flu, the influenza virus has reached epidemic status. Nine of the ten regions in the United States have “elevated” flu activity, an unusually high level for a virus that typically doesn’t reach high levels until late January or February.
The current flu vaccines is only 62 percent affected according to Slate. And hospitals across the country are increasing capacity and staff to meet the overwhelming demands.
Bottom line? Stay home if you’re sick. It’s better for your candidates, for you, and for your staffing agency.
World Wide Specialty Programs has always had a singular purpose – to design, develop and provide Staffing insurance products for the staffing industry. Our method is simple: track those changes; listen to emerging needs, and respond. We work with over 2,000 insurance brokers nationwide. We know the staffing industry better than anyone. Contact us today for more information about our staffing insurance programs.