Flu Prevention in the Workplace: Tips to Stay Healthy in High Transmission Areas

Written by Alexandria Yarborough, PharmD

As the calendar year comes to an end, I feel as if my planner is packed with non-stop tasks, meetings, and to-do lists. Are you getting set to travel to or host a conference in the next few months? Whatever your day-to-day life looks like, it most certainly involves interacting with multiple people, and that puts you at risk for picking up the flu this season. Influenza or “the flu” is a serious disease that can lead to severe complications, hospitalizations, and death.

Since many people spend much of their time at work, employers have the opportunity to help reduce employees’ risk for contracting the flu. As we enter the 2024-2025 cold and flu season, there are some basic precautions that can protect everyone in the workplace during the flu season. All of which are protocols that employers are encouraged to implement to protect workers and reduce the transmission of the seasonal flu.

“All employers should actively promote healthy habits to help prevent the spread of flu, address barriers, and make it easier for employees to get vaccinated at their earliest opportunity,” says Albert Rizzo, M.D., chief medical officer of the American Lung Association. “Keeping staff healthy benefits not only individual workers, but employers too, making flu prevention not only an obligation, but a smart business strategy.”

Here are five ways you can help keep your workplace flu-free this flu season:

1. Encourage everyone to get a flu shot

The most effective way to prevent the flu is by getting vaccinated each year. The flu vaccine not only protects you but also reduces the spread of the virus to your coworkers. This can be a lifesaving decision, especially  if you work with vulnerable populations such as those 65 and older and people with weakened immune systems.  Encourage employees to get the seasonal flu vaccine once it's available, ideally before November. Hundreds of millions of Americans have safely received flu shots over the past 50 years.

You can build vaccine confidence by addressing employees’ questions and concerns along with sharing data based information and facts. Once you have employees ready to get vaccinated, see if scheduling a vaccine clinic is allowed at your workplace. The easiest way to get a flu shot is to have the flu shots come to you. Reach out to local pharmacies and ask if they would host a vaccination clinic in your workplace; most pharmacies are able to do so, free of charge!

2. Promote Good Hygiene

Imagine all the surfaces you touch during a regular workday. During peak flu season there is no guarantee that someone with the flu hasn’t touched the doorknob, desk, or faucet you’ve touched before coming into contact with your body. Washing your hands properly can help you stop the spread of the fl  and other respiratory illnesses in the workplace. In order to prevent the spread of germs, you should wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, especially after coughing or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Make sure your workplace is stocked with the following supplies:

• "No touch" wastebaskets for used tissues

• Facial tissue

• Antibacterial soap and water

• Alcohol-based hand sanitizer

• Disposable towels

3. Encourage Sick Coworkers to Stay Home

A healthy workplace is a productive workplace. If you’re experiencing flu-like symptoms such as fever or body aches please stay home from work. It’s important to know that not everyone who has the flu will have a fever. Other symptoms could include a runny nose, body aches, headache, tiredness, diarrhea, or vomiting. Staying home when you’re sick protects the people you work with from potential exposure and gives your body the rest it needs to recover faster.

How long someone is contagious depends on different factors, including how sick they are and how long their illness lasts. The severity and duration will vary for everyone.

After 24 hours, if your symptoms are improving  and you have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication), you are typically less contagious. However, it still takes more time for your body to completely get rid of the virus. During this time, you may still be able to infect others. The CDC encourages those with improving symptoms to use precautions for an additional five days. This includes staying home from work and other activities if possible, along with wearing a mask if you must leave your home. After this 5-day period, you are less likely to be contagious.

4. Boost Your Immune System

Strengthen your body’s natural defense against the flu by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Get plenty of sleep, eat a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, reduce stress, stay hydrated, and engage in regular exercise.

• Adequate sleep is extremely important for immune system function. In general, adults need at least seven hours of sleep. We are more susceptible to viruses such as the flu when our bodies are running on inadequate sleep.

• Focus on a balanced diet. Don't skip meals, and make sure to stay hydrated. Plain water is best.  Aim for five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day to provide immune-boosting vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Additionally, consider taking supplements such as vitamin C and zinc to support your immune system’s ability to fight off flu viruses.

• Reducing stress is essential for overall health.  Constant stress can cause ongoing harm, including chronic inflammation. This raises the risks for many diseases and illnesses such as the flu. Healthy ways to cope with stress include meditating, listening to music, talking with friends, or journaling.

• Make exercise a regular habit. Regular exercise improves your overall health and allows your immune system to respond better when faced with acute illnesses such as the flu or common cold.

5. Make a Flu Plan

Develop a policy on how to deal with employees who may be ill with the flu and communicate it to everyone. Determine who will be responsible for assisting sick individuals in the workplace and make sure at least one person can serve as the "go to" person if someone becomes sick. For example: have a protocol to separate ill employees from others and give them a surgical mask to wear until they can go home. Educate your workplace on what to do if they suspect they have or test positive for the flu. Provide information about the following:

• Signs, symptoms, and complications of the flu;

• Policies and procedures for reporting flu symptoms, using sick leave, and when to return to work;

• Any required work practices and/or documentation such as doctors’ notes.

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