Businesses weigh steps to shield staff, customers
By TUX TURKEL, Staff Writer August 30, 2009
FLU ADVICE FOR BUSINESSES
• Encourage workers to get vaccinated.
• Get out the word about proper hand washing, cough and sneeze etiquette (into the sleeve).
• Clean and disinfect workstations, doorknobs, other high-touch surfaces.
• Set up and communicate a plan for how to operate with high absentee levels.
• Protect workers at high risk of complications from the flu.
• Allow sick workers to stay at home, without fear of losing jobs.
CDC FLU GUIDANCE for businesses:
www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/ business/guidance/At Hannaford Bros. stores, antiseptic cart-wipe dispensers are being refilled more regularly, a basic step the supermarket chain is taking to help protect customers and workers from the potential spread of H1N1 influenza.
Behind the scenes, Hannaford has contingency plans that could outfit workers with gloves and masks, so they could keep stores open during a pandemic.
"We're not near that threshold, and no one's contemplating that will happen," said Michael Norton, a Hannaford spokesman. "But we're an important public institution, and we'd be prepared to do what we need to do."
Hannaford's actions show how, in small and big ways, Maine employers are gearing up to do business this fall and winter under the threat of H1N1 flu. They are contemplating how to deal with high absentee rates, reviewing sick leave and return-to-work policies and taking measures to keep employees and customers from spreading the virus.
No one knows how the swine flu threat will unfold, but a report released this past week for the White House said that half the U.S. population could be infected. That means that, beyond schools and child care centers, workplaces need to be prepared, especially those that provide essential services.
The need is being magnified by the lingering economic downturn, which has led companies to cut staffs and delegate more functions to remaining workers.
The cleaning crews at Kennebunk Savings Bank are doing a more vigorous job disinfecting door handles and ATM keypads. And the bank recently tested its pandemic planning, which would let it consolidate operations in a few branches, expand Internet banking and serve customers at drive-up windows.
"Customers want their money, and they need to have comfort that we'll be there for them," said Dennis Byrd, the bank's chief operating officer.
Much of the planning, not surprisingly, is being done by large employers with more resources. What's unclear is the preparedness of small businesses, those that depend on a handful of workers to keep operating.
"For a lot of small businesses, I suspect it's going to be a slow process," said David Clough, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business. "It may seem pretty theoretical and abstract to them."
COMMON-SENSE STANCE FAVORED
Workplaces of all sizes got some guidance this month when the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new recommendations for businesses. Many adults spend at least part of their day in the workplace, so public health officials want to focus on reducing the spread of the virus among staff members and protecting higher-risk workers, such as pregnant women, while maintaining business operations.
Specific measures include:
• Encouraging workers to get vaccinated.
• Improving hygiene and surface cleaning.
• Keeping sick workers at home and asking employees who get sick at work to go home.
• Being prepared for workers to be absent while tending to family members or responding to school or day-care closures.
The guidelines are based on a flu outbreak similar to the one last spring. If conditions worsen this winter, the CDC recommends additional measures, including screening workers each day for signs of illness, letting employees work from home and increasing "social distancing" in the workplace – keeping people at least 6 feet apart at most times.
The guidelines are meant to provide a framework that employers can adjust to suit their needs, says Dr. Dora Anne Mills, who directs Maine's Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
"We can tell everyone in society, 'Stay 6 feet away, wear a mask and stay home,' but it's almost laughable," she said. "It would just be too disruptive. So it's a matter of figuring out what makes sense."
L.L. Bean, which has 5,000 employees, 4,000 of them in Maine, is seeking that balance.
The Freeport-based company already offers seasonal flu shots and expects to offer the H1N1 vaccine when it's available. The occupational health department has active programs in customer service and distribution areas to remind workers to wash their hands and cough into their sleeves. Hand sanitizers are scattered around the workplace.
L.L. Bean has paid sick leave, which applies to workers who have to take care of family members. If the flu season is a bad one, the company plans to tailor the policy to cover situations in which ill workers might otherwise be penalized for staying home.
At the same time, Bean doesn't want sensational media reports and misinformation to guide decisions. So it plans to ramp up communication and educational efforts to keep workers updated.
"We're trying to look at it realistically and avoid any hysteria," said Carolyn Beem, a company spokeswoman.
Hannaford is leaning on its team of wellness professionals, supermarket managers and in-store pharmacies to provide information and find the right balance between protecting workers and maintaining operations.
It has 9,200 workers and 54 stores in Maine, and it plans to follow the latest CDC guidelines for sick workers: Anyone who appears to have flu symptoms should be separated from workers and advised to go home until at least 24 hours after their body temperature is below 100 degrees.
"We don't want anyone back unless they're fever- and symptom-free for 24 hours," Norton said.
Kennebunk Savings plans to let some people work from home through secure Internet connections, if necessary. All U.S. banks are now required to plan for operations during natural disasters and pandemics.
Kennebunk Savings got some real-world practice last spring, when the flu outbreak prompted schools and day-care centers in Kennebunk to close.
"The communication piece is key," Byrd, the chief operating officer, said. "It's like a snow day."
BIG CHALLENGE FOR SMALLER FIRMS
The CDC guidelines will be harder to follow for small businesses. Many don't have paid sick leave, which puts extra pressure on some workers to show up, even if they're not well or a child is sick at home, said Clough, the small-business representative.
"The issue for smaller companies is, there's a job that's got to get done," he said. "They don't want to let down other employees or customers, so they'll come to work, unless they're too sick."
That's a concern for Mary Allen Lindemann, co-owner of Coffee By Design in Portland. The company has 40 workers in four locations and can't afford paid sick leave.
She doesn't want sick employees to come to work, however, and is reviewing plans for well workers to swap shifts and cover for sick ones. In a worst-case scenario, she could limit hours at a coffee house, or even close one for a time.
Last spring, Lindemann posted public health signs circulated by Portland's Downtown District that told workers about the need to wash hands and other hygiene tips.
She posted them in restrooms and may put new ones on coffee house bulletin boards – a message for both employees and customers.
"It's definitely on our radar screen," she said. "We want to do what we can as a business so our people can stay healthy."
Staff Writer Tux Turkel can be contacted at 791-6462 or at:
