Making Your List and Checking It Twice...

When the busy holiday season begins, employees may be looking for ways to fit it all in:  work, holiday parties, and shopping for gifts.

When making your internet list, remember that your policy is your own.  It should be tailored to your company's specific business.  There are a few issues, however, that should be addressed in almost all internet policies.  First and most importantly, if you implement a policy, stick to it.  A half-hearted or partially enforced internet policy is as good as not having any policy at all.

Second, employees should be required to sign an acknowledgment that they have received your company's policy and agree to abide by it. Make sure your company keeps copies of those signed acknowledgments as well. Include the policy in the employee handbook and remember to redistribute it on a regular basis. Additionally, consider having the policy appear on the computer each time e-mail is accessed.

Third, have your company provide instructions to your employees about when, if at all, e-mail and the Internet may be accessed for personal use. That's especially important during the holidays when shopping online and e-mailing family and friends are more prevalent. You should make it clear that any violation of the electronic communications or technology use policy may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination for repeated or serious infractions.

Federal Agencies Issue New Employer Guidelines for Coming H1N1 Flu Season

The guidance, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is designed to help employers prepare now for the impact of seasonal and 2009 H1N1 influenza could have this fall and winter on their employers and operations.

Actions Employers Should Take Now:
Develop other flexible leave policies to allow workers to stay home to care for sick family members or for children if schools dismiss students or child care programs close.

Review human resources policies to make sure that policies and practices are consistent with public health recommendations and are consistent with existing state and federal workplace laws.

Advise workers to be alert to any signs of fever and any other signs of influenza-like illness before reporting to work each day, and notify their supervisor and stay home if they are ill.

Employees who are ill should not travel while they are ill. Hand washing and covering coughs and sneezes should be encouraged, and routine cleaning of commonly touched surfaces should be performed regularly.

CDC recommends that employees with influenza-like illness remain at home until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever (100° F [37.8° C] or greater), or signs of a fever, without the use of fever-reducing medications.

Expect sick employees to be out for about 3 to 5 days in most cases, even if antiviral medications are used.

CDC recommends that workers who appear to have an influenza-like illness upon arrival or become ill during the day be promptly separated from other workers and be advised to go home until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever (100° F [37.8° C] or greater), or signs of a fever, without the use of fever-reducing medications.

Resources
Additional tools and guidance documents have been developed by the federal government to assist employers in their planning. These resources are available online at: www.flu.gov/plan/workplaceplanning/index.html; www.flu.gov;
www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/business/