Every year the start-of-the-season waiting list for flu shots seems to get longer.  In some parts of the country you can’t even get on a waiting list until flu season is in full swing.  Many of your employees will choose not to bother, and each one of them raises the risk — not just for themselves but for your whole company — that the flu will seriously hamper productivity at some point over the winter. Employees may be out for a couple of days, or, in serious cases, a week or more if hospitalization is required. The flu is a little bug with a big bite!

Don’t let the flu make your pocketbook sick too! Every year, we hear in the news how the flu is becoming a more aggressive and resilient illness, which leads to more doctor visits, and higher health insurance premiums. InsureMeOnline.com is committed to helping you save money, and lowering your costs for health insurance is something we specialize in. Read on for some other practical tips to keep you healthy and save money.

You can’t force everyone to get flu shots, even if you administered them yourself.  But you can educate.  Post some signs, circulate e-mails and remind employees during office meetings about the truth and importance of some of those old health tips we all first learned from our mothers:
 
Wash your hands
The importance of hand washing cannot be overstated. Hands collect germs by coming into contact with common items such as doorknobs, phones and keyboards.  Clearly everyone should wash his or her hands before eating, but hand washing is important all day long.  One of the easiest ways to catch a cold or flu is by touching your eyes, nose or mouth after coming into contact with germs.  But you needn't send your employees off to the bathroom sink every fifteen minutes.  Instead, encourage them to keep their hands clean by providing hand sanitizer in your workplace.  Hand sanitizers are alcohol based so they do not require rinsing and they dry quickly.
 
Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze
You could call this one common sense or, at the every least, basic manners, but its smart to remind workers that these good manners also have a practical application.  The last thing you want is clouds of contagion circulating through the heating vents.  To encourage your employees to prevent the spread of cold and flu germs through sneezing and coughing, have plenty tissue in the office and keep a box near every work station. 
 
Send them home if they're sick       
On one hand, you want to optimize productivity and when your workers are out sick it can be a real drain on the company.  Keep the big picture in mind.  If you encourage Doug to stay home and cozy up in front of the television with some chicken soup and a blanket, you'll have a better chance of keeping Jordan, Karen, and Connie healthy and on the job.  You could try telecommuting or sending your sick employees home with work, but chances are your sick employee would recover faster by staying in bed and drinking plenty of fluids.
 
Take it to the next level
Consider having flu prevention kits around the office, in the break room, or even provide one directly to every employee.  A simple kit might include hand wipes, sanitizers, Vitamin C tablets, zinc lozenges and tissues.  And you can make sure your employees stay well hydrated by providing bottled water in the office too.  By spending a few dollars and emphasizing some basic health advice this flu season, you'll not only show you care, but you can protect one of your most valuable resources: the productivity of your employees. Chances are you’ll save your business some money in the bargain.