The Risks of the Flu and its Impact on UK Workforces

What are the risks of the flu, and what impact does it have on UK workforces? Do you ever get that dreaded feeling at work when someone in a meeting or close to you is about to sneeze or has a handkerchief stuffed up their sleeves full of germs? Being off work with flu can be stressful not only for yourself but also for colleagues and employers.

As the flu season is a natural annual occurrence we witness frequent outbreaks of several different strains of the influenza virus which comes during dry, cold weather, which hampers the immune system and allows viruses to spread and multiply with ease. So, what are the main risks of the flu on UK workforces?

Viruses spread faster and more widely in winter because the air is less humid and people spend more time in close contact indoors. With the recent outbreaks of cold weather, thanks to storm Ciara and storm Dennis, the temperature has dropped significantly, and people have been avoiding going outside. This means that it’s the perfect climate for flu to spread rapidly. So, as we have more cycles and instances of this type of weather to incubate the virus, are we becoming more vulnerable to advanced strains we have been seeing the media reporting on?

Pandemic Influenza

Pandemic influenza is different from ‘ordinary’ seasonal flu, which for most people is an unpleasant illness but runs its natural course (sometimes referred to as ‘self-limiting’) and is not life-endangering. Pandemic flu can occur when a new influenza virus emerges which is different from recently circulating strains and humans have little or no immunity. Because of this, the risks of flu in this strain are higher.

Because of this lack of immunity the virus can:

• infect more humans over a large geographical area;
• spread rapidly and efficiently from person to person;
• cause clinical illness in a proportion of those infected.

How the Flu is Spread

Flu is easily passed from person to person when an infected person talks, coughs or sneezes. It can also spread through hand/face contact after touching anything that may become contaminated with the virus. Illness develops a few days (average 2-3) after being infected. Everyone is susceptible, although only about a quarter of the population is expected to become ill. Another 25% may catch the infection without getting any symptoms, meaning the risks of flu are difficult to detect for UK workforces.

What impact does the flu have on the workplace?

Personnel Today reports that widespread use of the flu vaccination could save UK businesses up to £28.9 million in averted sick days. Research by the International Longevity Centre UK (ILCUK) found that the flu vaccination prevents up to 626,000 cases of influenza per year in England and avoids between 5,768 and 8,800 premature deaths annually.

Ben Franklin, assistant director of research and policy at ILCUK said: “The risks of the flu continue to impose a serious burden on health services, as well as resulting in ‘productivity losses’ due to poor health and sick days.”

However, while almost 71% of those aged 65 or over received the vaccination in 2015, the UK was insufficient in vaccinating “at-risk” groups, especially younger adults who are more likely to contract the virus and whom vaccines work best. More than six million “at-risk” people did not receive the flu vaccination in 2016/17, meaning their risk of flu is still higher than most.

What Employers Should Know

An important way to reduce the risks of flu and its impact on UK workforces is to keep sick people away from those who are not sick. Businesses should review their absence management policies and communicate their sick-leave policies and practices to employees every year before the flu season begins.

• Advise all employees to stay home if they are sick until at least 24 hours after their fever is gone without the use of fever-reducing medicines, or after symptoms have improved (at least 4-5 days after flu symptoms started).
• Prepare and advise employees on policies concerning caring for sick household members or children. Flexible leave policies and alternate work schedules can help prevent the spread of flu at your workplace, allow employees to continue to work or function while limiting contact with others, help maintain continuity of operations, and help people manage their health and their family’s needs.
• Prepare for employees to stay home from work and plan ways for essential business functions to continue. Employees may stay home because they are sick, need to care for sick household members, or because schools have been dismissed and they need to care for their children. Cross-train staff to perform essential functions so that the business can continue operating.

By doing all of this, you reduce the risks of flu and its impact on UK workforces drastically.

How Kays Medical can help

Kays Medical can help reduce the risks of flu and its impact on UK workforces by providing flu vaccinations to your employees. Contact us today to arrange for your workforce to be immunised against the influenza virus, to help keep your workforce safe from the risks of the flu and save yourself money on absenteeism, presenteeism, and its other impacts on UK workforces. Our Occupational Health Practitioners can come to your site, or multiple sites, to administer vaccines to your employees.