Tag: flu

Feds Crack Down on Mandatory Flu Shot Policies

With flu season upon us, employers may be tempted to require that employees receive a flu shot. After all, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that the flu costs employers about $10 billion each year in healthcare costs. And receiving the shot can drastically reduce an individual’s risk of contracting the flu, […]

Sorry Boss, Can’t Make It in Today; My Llama is Sick!

Cold and flu season is approaching fast, and with it comes the numerous excuses for missing work. Yes, most of your workers can be trusted to take a day off for actually being sick, but there are some rare instances where your employees may be fudging a bit.

Privacy vs. practicality: when expectations collide

by Jo Ellen Whitney Plenty of reporters, commentators, and the twitterverse have all made statements that Hillary Clinton is way too invested in her personal privacy, citing various examples, including most recently her health.  As you will remember, former Secretary Clinton was escorted from the New York 9/11 memorial service appearing ill and there was […]

sick

Workplace safety in an age of viral panic

by Jo Ellen Whitney In a world with a 24-hour news cycle, multiple TV channels specifically designated to the news, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and a constant news machine that needs to be fed, the adage “If it bleeds, it leads” has more power than ever before. In late 2014, we saw a good example of […]

flu

Time to make sure you’re ready for flu season

Ebola may be grabbing headlines, but it’s the old familiar flu that’s more likely to cause headaches and chills for employers this winter. Flu.gov reports that nearly 111 million workdays are lost as a result of flu each season. That puts the tab at approximately $7 billion per year in sick days and lost productivity.  […]

HR’s flu season concerns: absenteeism, presenteeism, vaccinations, and employment law

by Michael Barnsback According to the Centers for Disease Control, the flu season “most commonly peaks in the U.S. in January or February.” In its last weekly flu advisory report, the agency reported that flu is widespread in more than half of the country and many states are reporting severe outbreaks. The CDC says “the […]

vaccine

Common question of the season: Can employees be required to take a flu shot?

It’s flu season, a time when every cough and sneeze can strike fear into the hearts of both employees and employers. Nobody wants to come down with a coworker’s case of flu, and employers needing all hands on deck don’t want significant numbers of workers out sick. Therefore, some employers—particularly those in the healthcare field—mandate […]

flu

Flu shot policy brings potential liability

by Karen Gwinn Clay Q Our management team wants to mandate that every employee get a flu shot. I know there will be resistance from our employees on differing grounds (religious belief, fear, and the like). Help! A Unless an employee is in a health care setting, this is a difficult call. For hospitals, nursing […]

Not-so-nice lice

Litigation Value: Nada, but a close shave; it’s lucky Dwight is clumsy and didn’t manage to insecticide-bomb his co-workers. Whoa, Mama. It’s been a rocky start to the New Year for the staff of Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton office. With Jim working part-time and spending days on end in Philadelphia, Pam is struggling to cope with […]