Why You Should Have A Workplace Vaccinations Programme Given everything that's happened in 2020, it's no surprise that more business owners are looking to implement a workplace vaccinations programme than ever before! Especially as we head into the Autumn and Winter months. During this time of year, many of your staff will begin coming into the office with the usual seasonal viruses. There is, of course, also the chance that what appears to be a seasonal virus could actually be COVID-19. So, as a business owner, what can you do to protect the health of your staff and reduce staff sick leave? Dealing With COVID First and foremost, we don't want to dwell on COVID for too long. By now, everyone's bored of hearing about it. However, it can't be ignored. The symptoms to look out for, in the most part, mimic the usual seasonal cold and flu symptoms. Obviously, you need to do everything you can to protect your business and your staff from COVID. If you suspect a member of your staff may have COVID-19, follow the latest government guidelines. In these cases, inaction could be catastrophic for your business and your employees. Failing to take the right actions could result in temporary closures for your business and could be fatal for your employees. We also have a full range of COVID-19 services designed to keep your workplace free from the virus and protect your staff. You can also speak to our team by calling 08450 50 40 60! Protecting Your Staff With Vaccinations Workplace vaccinations can be used to protect and vaccinate your staff from a huge range of viruses and illnesses. In fact, at the ELAS Group, we offer a range of workplace vaccinations including the following: Influenza (flu) Hepatitis A B (3 doses and a blood test) B booster A & B (3 doses and a blood test) Japanese encephalitis (day 0 and 28) MMR Revaxis (Tetanus, Diphtheria and Inactivated Poliomyelitis) Typhoid Adrenaline With so many workplace vaccinations available, it should be an obvious solution to reduce workplace sickness. And whilst some of these vaccinations will likely not be relevant to your business, the influenza vaccination is universally useful. That's because, no matter what you do, someone in your business will likely get flu. It's as inevitable as Carl from accounts calling in sick the Monday after payday. Seasonal viruses aren't going away. You can't really stop them from happening. But workplace vaccinations can reduce their effects. By vaccinating your staff against the flu virus, you can reduce the chances of the flu running riot in your business. Simple enough, really. You know the flu virus is going to happen when the nights start to get darker, so it's a pretty straight forward decision to vaccinate your staff against it. Most responsible business owners now offer their staff the flu vaccination every year to prevent productivity from dipping. How Seasonal Viruses Can Damage The Workplace During the Autumn and Winter months, staff sickness rates tend to significantly increase. Unsurprisingly, this is usually due to seasonal cold and flu viruses. As a business owner, this is a problem that you're already aware of. So, other than implementing a workplace vaccinations programme, what else should you be doing? Our occupational health team believe that the first thing you should be doing is working to reduce the culture of presenteeism. To do this, you need to ensure your staff know that calling in sick won't get them in trouble. Not just because we're currently in a global pandemic, but because sick staff bring sicknesses into work with them. Getting The Support You Need If you're committed to keeping your staff fit and healthy this Winter, a workplace vaccinations programme is a must, along with an effective absence management system and a positive sickness reporting culture. Hopefully, for many businesses this won't require many changes. But for some, it will. Luckily our occupational health and absence management teams are here to help. Get the support you need for your business today. Call our team on 08450 50 40 60 or complete the contact form.
