You hear an "ah-choo" from across the depths of office cubicles. Do you think "Gesundheit" or "Oh no, we have a crisis?"
According to CBS, children in a New York school are being stigmatized if they show symptoms of the H1N1 virus, commonly known as the Swine Flu.
"People are being treated differently by everyone else because one person is sick and the other one is just normal. And because that person is sick they make fun of them," a student said.
Parents involved with Little League teams have tried to postpone games or even tell kids "not to touch the ball after the other team had touched it ... and at the end of the game not to shake hands with the opposing team," said Steven Crimando, a Crisis Management Specialist.
In the workplace, swine flu is also a new and scary face on a familiar problem.
Businesses and school have dealt with flu season for decades; wash hands, drink plenty of liquids, and ask the sick person to stay home until it passes.
The family of the assistant principal who was New York City's first swine flu victim filed a $40 million wrongful death lawsuit, claiming the city failed to quickly report the outbreak and to warn him that he'd been exposed to the virus. It also claims the city didn't do its best to control the outbreak.
According to federal experts the H1N1 flu virus could cause as many as 30,000 to 90,000 deaths in the U.S., and "poses a serious health threat." The deaths would mainly be concentrated among children and young adults. In contrast, the regular seasonal flu kills some 36,000 each year, mostly among those over 65.
Most people sickened from the swine flu, or the H1N1 virus, have complained of mild, seasonal flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, body aches and fatigue. Does this sound different from the flu that comes around every winter with various mutations? Is it now an employer's job to protect employees (and customers) from the flu?
It's the ignorance and fear that is creating the crisis. Just the name has caused in the pork industry. Alsothe fact that younger people are being affected, a more noticeable population than the elderly.
What should business and government do to protect itself from the fallout of swine flu?
The first step in any crisis situation is to review your crisis plan and make it specific to swine flu. (If you don't have a plan, now is the time to start one.)
Your crisis plan should include:
Planning - Gather your management team with the mandate that there must be a coordinated response to this real threat to productivity, employee morale and reputation. Set specific sick leave policy, travel policy and closure guidelines.
Keep working - Develop teleworking policies and alternate ways for employees to keep in touch with the office even if they are recovering.
Communicate - Let your employees and stakeholders know that you are concerned and taking action. Provide training in prevention and put tips and information on your company website.
Develop a sick leave policy with specific emphasis on H1N1 - It may be indistinguishable to other influenza and colds, but the fear factor makes it more threatening. Your staff will not be as productive while worrying about this new threat.
Take it seriously - Despite deadlines, reports and quotas managers must take action to send an employee home if they are sick. Allowing a sick person to infect an entire office is an opening to civil liability.
Educate the leadership -- Learn more about swine flu at the CDC website www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/ or Flu.gov www.pandemicflu.gov/. Offer wellness workshops and staff immunizations.
Whether it's the regular annual flu or H1N1, take the disease seriously in your crisis communication strategy.
