HR.com ran a survey in May 2009 asking you about the H1N1 Influenza virus, what affect it has within organizations and how prepared you felt your organization was. Here are the results below:


Has anyone in your organization returned from Mexico in the last 7–14 days?



Out of 334 responses, 48% said that no one in their organization returned from Mexico in the last 7-14 days. However, 33% said that people in their organization had returned from Mexico in the last 7-14 days, while 19% stated that they did not know.




What is your company policy for people who are afraid of coming to work in case they are exposed?



When asked what the company policy is for people who do not want to come in to work for fear of being exposed, 44% said that they had other policies in place or no policy in place. Coming in as the second most popular answer was Un-paid Time-off, with 29%. Close behind, 23% said that they adopted the Paid Time-off policy, while 4% of people stated that the company policy was for people to take a Short-term Disability approach.



Which statement best describes how you feel about this topic?



When asked about their feelings towards the H1N1 Influenza virus, the majority of people (52%) said that they feel their organization is very prepared to handle the situation, while only 6% of people said they feel their organization is unprepared to handle this situation. The minority (3%) expressed that they are very concerned; however, 24% of the people said they are concerned about the virus. Finally, approximately 15% of the respondents mentioned that they need more information about this type of flu. Overall, people articulated that although they had some concerns about the virus, they felt their organization was very well prepared to handle it.



How does your organization manage the risks associated with pandemics? I.e. if someone caught "it" at your work - what would be your liability?



When asked how their organization manages the risks associated with pandemics and what the liabilities would be if someone contracted the virus at work, 61 out of 334 people (the majority) stated that medical/sick leave would be granted and that their company would cover the medical bills. A close second, 58 of the respondents, said they did not know how their organization manages risks and liabilities associated with pandemics and 56 of the respondents declared that their organization had various plans in place to deal with pandemics, disasters, etc. The same amount of respondents also asserted that their organization has no liability in regards to pandemics. Approximately 28 out of 334 people stressed that they would manage the risks by educating and communicating with their employees. Fourteen of the people stated that worker compensation would cover the risks associated with the pandemic. A small 11 people felt the organization had minimal liability, approximately 7 people said the organization would deal with it on a case by case basis, with five people declaring that the organization does all it can to minimize or eliminate opportunities. A fraction of people, 4, expressed that the organization’s liability is high. Another 4 people stated that the organization would close the office or department for cleaning. Approximately 3 of the 334 people said that their organization had no plans for such a case, another 3 people stated that the risk is shared between the company and insurance provider, and another 3 people said that they are not located in an affected area, and so are not concerned about this. Two people stated the organizations allow their employees to work from home as a way of managing the risks. The remaining responses consist of singular answers as shown below:

“We would likely be liable for not providing a safe work environment.”
“We have stopped our travels to Mexico.”
“We are concerned more with customer interaction.”
“We are a public building and cannot control exposure from the virus.”
“The same as any illness that is communicable.”
“Significant preparation since we are a hospital.”
“Reviewing all topics.”
“Restrict travel. We would require work at home or leave from work.”
“Mitigate spread of the illness.”
“Loss of staff productivity and revenue generation.”
“Health and safety of all employees.”


How do you minimize the risk?

In answer to this question, the majority of people stated that they educate their employees about the various ways to avoid and deal with the virus. Other popular answers also included that they would ask their sick employees to stay home, they would encourage frequent washing of hands, and the use of hand sanitizers in efforts to minimize the risk in their organization.


What policies/practices should you have in place to demonstrate due diligence?

In response to this question, the most popular answer stated that their organization has no policies in place. The second most popular answer was that their organization has a pandemic plan.

The remaining answers showed a wide range. Some of these answers were as follows: providing antibacterial gel in conference rooms, contingency planning, ease and leniency of people taking time-off or seeking medical attention, encouraging the flu shot, encouraging good personal hygiene, following WHO and CIDC advice, postponing travel to other countries, telecommuting if employee is feeling sick, in the process of reviewing company practices and policies.


What message do you have for employees who are planning to go to Mexico?

The majority of people recommended discouraging travel to Mexico and other infected areas. A large group of respondents said they would tell the employee to be careful and educate themselves about the virus. The next most popular message is to advise their employees to postpone the trip. After that, respondents said employees should not return to the office for 7-10 days after coming back from Mexico. However, 4% of people said that this question was not applicable to them.

The remaining answers were, again, a wide variety, with some of the answers being as follows: avoid trip if necessary, practice good personal hygiene, stay away from large crowds, employees are currently not allowed to travel to Mexico, wear a mask.


What policies are now in place at your organization as a result of SARS and other outbreaks, that may apply to the current threat?

The most popular answer here, with 33%, was that the organization has no new policies in place. The next most popular response, with 11%, was that the organization has pandemic/ contingency/ emergency/ disaster plans and policies in place. A smaller percentage of people stated that this question was not applicable to them, and surprisingly, 2% of people confessed that they do not know what policies are in place at their organizations.


Can you share any great resources you have found on Swine Flu and pandemics?

Here are some of the most popular resources suggested by our survey participants:

www.cdc.gov
www.shrm.org
www.who.int
www.osha.gov
www.icrc.org
www.pandemicflu.gov
www.flightflu.ca
www.publichealth.gc.ca
www.redcross.ca
www.pandemicflu.gov/news/panflu
www.osach.ca
www.ashhra.org
www.ifmafoundation.org/pandemic.pdf
www.idph.state.ia.us/adper/swine_flu.asp