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For many municipal leaders, December means turning attention to items such as road salt supplies, snowplows and holiday decorations.
There is another winter preparation measure that should be added to the list: make sure employees get their flu shot.
The ability to deliver municipal services and manage costs both rely on having a healthy workforce. December is the best time to make sure staff are “tuned-up” for the winter months by promoting flu shots and teaching them about other healthy steps to take to help them deal with winter.
The peak months for influenza are January and February, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For the average person who gets the flu, the duration is three to seven days. Each year, between 15 million and 60 million Americans get the flu, missing up to 70 million workdays.
For those considered in high-risk categories, such as pregnant women, the elderly, and people with certain chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, morbid obesity or heart disease, getting the flu can result in serious complications, even including death. Data indicate that municipalities often have large populations with these chronic medical conditions, which makes it even more imperative that employees are vaccinated – or, they could join the 200,000 people who are hospitalized each year due to complications from the flu.
The flu presents an enormous cost to employers and the economy. A 2003 study by the CDC found that the direct costs of medical treatment for influenza amounted to $10.4 billion annually. Another $6.2 billion was lost due to absence from illness – an average of $145 per day per employee.
Other studies indicate that “presenteeism” – the practice of workers reporting to work when sick but not operating at their usual level of productivity – costs U.S. employers about $150 billion to $250 billion each year. What’s worse is that people who report to work sick are also likely to infect coworkers, thereby exacerbating the costs of lost productivity. Moreover, employees who deal with the public (e.g., teacher, school cafeteria worker or city hall employee) can easily spread their flu bug to other members of the community, including children.
How do municipal leaders help to stem this tide and create a healthier, more productive workforce?
First, conduct an education campaign encouraging all employees to get their annual flu shot. Information is available on the websites of many health insurers as well as the CDC (www.cdc.gov/flu), which features free resources including posters, flyers, brochures, web tools, e-cards and images to help with the education of staff about the benefits of getting a flu shot.
Employees should be encouraged to get vaccinated sooner than later because it can take up to two weeks for the flu shot to become effective. If people push back, saying they can’t get to their doctor, remind them that many drug stores, in coordination with health plans, are offering free flu shots during regular store hours. There’s no need to make a separate appointment with one’s health care provider.
Local leaders might also consider providing an onsite flu shot clinic. The convenience of stepping briefly away from one’s desk to get a shot cannot be underestimated.
The value of flu shots is clear: a clinical study shows that with a flu shot, normally healthy employees have a 25 percent decrease in upper respiratory infections and a 43 percent decrease in absenteeism related to flu.
Winter months are also when folks are likely to be a bit more hunkered down, sedentary, and choosing more comfort food over healthier options, thus potentially compromising their immune systems and opening the doors to illness. So now is a good time to remind employees to take advantage of wellness programs offered by community organizations and/or through their health insurance provider. For example, MIIA-covered employees have access to walking, aerobic, yoga, healthy heart, bone strength and weight loss programs.
Offering programs that can help keep employees upbeat and healthy results in a more productive workforce that will keep the wheels of government and the delivery of services humming along.
Wendy Gammons is MIIA’s Wellness Coordinator.