How the "Tripledemic" is Making this Flu Season One of the Most Serious We've Seen

Managers should encourage paid time off amid a severe flu season. Source: Business News Daily

Please, let workers use their PTOs.

Leaders also have a vital role in ensuring that their workforce remains healthy and productive. Providing a meaningful amount of paid sick leave should be a top priority. That goes double as we enter an awful flu season. The potential for contracting illnesses in the workplace or bringing viruses in and spreading them around is at an all-time high. However, paid time off is considered a luxury. In fact, 1 in 5 employees don’t have access to it. That is especially true for those considered low-wage workers. For those who do have this benefit, managers should encourage their subordinates to use those PTOs. Knowing that their managers are supportive of their health allows workers to focus on recovery without fear of losing their jobs due to absences.

Another way managers can take the lead in preventing significant loss in productivity due to illness is to take time off themselves. As leaders, they set the expectations for good self-care in the workplace. They must show workers that you aren’t invincible yourself. Plus, you should know when to pull back will permit everyone else to do the same. Good managers know that productivity is all about keeping workers at peak performance. If that means allowing everyone, including themselves, to take a day or two off to recover, everyone in the office will be all the better.

Where Do We Find this Stuff? Here Are Our Sources:

https://www.everydayhealth.com/flu/flu-season-looks-to-be-off-to-an-early-and-robust-start/

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/10/why-flu-season-is-so-bad-this-year.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/24/cold-and-flu-season-is-here-and-people-are-showing-up-to-work-sick.html

https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2014/the-reason-for-the-season-why-flu-strikes-in-winter/

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/keyfacts.htm

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/actions-prevent-flu.htm

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2862331/#:~:text=Influenza%20pandemics%20have%20been%20reported%20for%20at%20least,see%20what%20has%20developed%20from%20his%20earlier%20assumptions.%E2%80%9D

https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/population#:~:text=United%20States%20-%20Historical%20Population%20Data%20%20,%20%200.80%25%20%2069%20more%20rows%20

https://www.who.int/news-room/spotlight/history-of-vaccination/history-of-influenza-vaccination

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/05/health/coronavirus-swiss-cheese-infection-mackay.html

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/treatment/index.html