Workers should be encouraged to stay away from the office if they think they are suffering from flu.
This winter alone, flu cost businesses an estimated £181 million and, according to Professor John Watson, head of the respiratory diseases department at the Health Protection Agency, business owners need to make sure that their serviced office spaces do not become breeding grounds for the influenza virus.
But the onus isn’t entirely on business owners. Professor Watson said that employees need to do their bit as well.
“It is important that people do all they can to reduce the spread of the virus and they can do this by maintaining good cough and hand hygiene, such as covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough and sneeze, disposing of the tissue as soon as possible and cleaning your hands as soon as you can,” Professor Watson told Personnel Today.
Of course virtual offices can be used to stop the spread of flu as workers who suspect they are developing the condition will be able to work from home.
