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 A new survey by Mercer has looked at the pandemic planning activities of almost 1,000 businesses around the world. The headline results show that employers worldwide are primarily concerned about hygiene and prevention, health information and advice, education and communication, and absence management. While more than half (52 percent) have a local contingency plan that applies to either some or all functions, only-one quarter (25 percent) of companies have integrated contingency plans that apply to all functions and all locations.
Mercer’s survey was conducted in October and includes responses from employers located in the United States, Latin America, Canada, Asia Pacific and Europe.
The majority of respondents have implementing such workplace services as distributing hand sanitizers (94 percent), implementing more frequent or intensive office cleaning (64 percent) and providing educational sessions (54 percent).
Organizations are also communicating what is expected of their employees in case the company is affected by the H1N1 pandemic flu virus. Overall, two-thirds (67 percent) of organizations globally have done so. Slightly more organizations in Latin America (77 percent) and Asia (74 percent) have done so. In addition, the majority of companies worldwide who have communicated with their employees regarding the H1N1 virus have provided information on personal hygiene, such as washing hands and covering coughs (98 percent), as well as flu and health care protocols (88 percent) that should be enforced. Moreover, more than half (58 percent) of companies have addressed how to access information about possible restrictions or quarantine provisions.
According to Mercer’s survey, the majority of employers (95 percent) have up-to-date contact information for their employees in the event of illness, as well as up-to-date client information in order to notify them in case of business interruption. However, only one-third of organizations worldwide have issued guidance to their employees about the message that should be given to clients and suppliers should the business be affected by the spread of the virus.
Finally, more than one-third of organizations worldwide (37 percent) indicated that they have met with medical and absence management vendors to review absence duration and return to work guidelines for their employees. Employers are less likely to have had discussions with their vendors about customer service and medical management protocols, or coordination between health and absent management vendors.
http://www.mercer.com/H1N1
•Date: 6th Jan 2010 • Region: World •Type: Article •Topic: Pandemic planning
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