WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security wants small businesses to be prepared for the H1N1 flu, The Washington Post reports. On Monday, the agency urged small companies to develop contingency plans for when employees are out sick with H1N1.
Half of the country’s private-sector workers are employed at small businesses, and the federal government strongly recommends those companies have plans in place to keep the economy going.
“We are already seeing an uptick in cases across the country,” said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. “We expect that to continue throughout the fall and winter.”
Already, the government has issued guidelines for school campuses, asking that they stay open and allow sick students to do their work from home. But some small business owners have not devised a flu plan yet and are not convinced one would help their business.
“I think you’ll see a lot of business owners stretched to the max,” said Molly Brogan, spokeswoman for the National Small Business Association. “You’ll see stores shut down a day or two. In this economy, you can’t afford that. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of other options.”
The agency wants small businesses to think about a worst-case scenario, with many of their employees out of the office at a time. Officials estimate people sick with the flu will be out for three to five days. Visit www.sba.gov/flu for a complete list of the government’s guidelines.
For more on flu resources at NACS Online, visit the “Industry Resources” section.