Tax & Accounting News

Small Firms Warned To Prepare For Rise In Flu Cases

04/08/2009

Small businesses have been offered a series of tips on how to cope with any increase in the number of swine flu cases.

The Forum of Private Business (FPB) said that, with health bosses expecting 100,000 new cases to be diagnosed every day by the end of August, the FPB is calling for all smaller businesses to make sure they are properly prepared.

The predicted pandemic could see a quarter of Britain’s workforce hit by sickness at any one time, and the FPB is warning this could have a devastating effect on smaller employers, potentially costing millions of pounds and putting some companies out of business. It has also been reported that customers were beginning to ask suppliers for evidence of their policies to control the epidemic, as a condition of doing business.

Their advice includes attempting to minimise face-to-face contact by operating over the internet or telephone wherever possible. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter could also be used to communicate and share information between employees.

Other key points of advice include:

• Any staff member who is sick with a suspected or confirmed case of swine flu should be told to stay at home. However, employees are not legally entitled to stay away from work simply out of fear of contracting the virus. The FPB can provide further legal advice on the issue for any business owners who may need it.
• Small businesses should have a contingency plan in place which would see a team of vital staff members set up to steer the organisation through a pandemic. The FPB also advises making sure employees are fully trained to cover for their colleagues in case of absence and is warning that small firms may have to pay for temporary staff in order to cover key roles.
• Pregnant women are up to four times more likely to become seriously ill with swine flu, and the World Health Organisation has confirmed that pregnant women should be vaccinated as a priority. Firms have a legal duty to protect the health and safety at work of an employee who they know is pregnant, and should carry out a risk assessment for pregnant workers.

FPB director of finance and administration Nick Palin said: ”As a business owner, the more that you can put into preparing before a pandemic happens, the better placed your business will be to survive it unscathed.

"I think swine flu is a serious issue and one which needs some careful consideration by small businesses as, with few employees, they could be particularly badly affected."
 
For a free copy of the full advice available, business owners can contact the FPB's membership department on 0845 612 6266, or visit www.fpb.org/swineflu .

Harris Lipman has put an operational plan in place for managing a pandemic situation should one arise. A pandemic response team has been set up to maintain awareness of global developments, develop training and awareness materials for the firm, brief senior management and ensure external stakeholders such as clients, suppliers and insurers are involved in planning for a pandemic.

For more information please contact us.

 

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