Last week I got too many e-mails, documents and other material forwarded to me about the possible dangers of the swine flu. I had some trouble reading them—it was almost as if I were going to catch the disease just by perusing those pages. I feel that it’s hard to distinguish where media hype ends and practical wisdom begins. I think I find so much of it uncomfortable because of the stories I heard from my grandmother when I was a little girl. She told scary tales of the 1918 influenza and how it ravaged our region.

But I made a point to get through the CDC’s Guidelines for Businesses and Employers and now pass some of them along to you, since this column is, after all, devoted to workplace issues. If the H1N1 flu hits us with gusto, it could take down a considerable number of companies that have not yet given much thought to a business strategy or contingency plan.  Here are some tips for your place of work.

•  Allow sick workers to stay home without fear of losing their jobs.

•  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 childcare programs close.

•  Ensure that you have information technology and infrastructure needed to support multiple workers who may be able to work from home (i.e., telecommuting).

•  Establish a process to communicate information to workers and business partners.

•  Place hand sanitizers in multiple locations or in conference rooms to encourage hand hygiene.

•  Frequently clean all commonly touched surfaces in the workplace, such as workstations, countertops and doorknobs.

•  Cross-train personnel to perform essential functions so that the workplace is able to operate even if key staff are absent.

•  Strongly recommend that parents not bring their children with them to work while schools are dismissed.

•  Do not require a doctor’s note for workers who are ill with influenza.

The government is clearly telling sick people to stay home, so now you have to hope your employer will be equally supportive—especially in this shaky economy. We’ve all pushed ourselves at least once or twice to go into the office no matter how sick we’ve felt, the weight of a deadline looming large over our heads, or the fear of being the next one to be laid off. Who hasn’t worked next to a coworker who coughed and sneezed their way through the day? And what if you don’t want to shake hands with every new business acquaintance—can you politely decline and maintain the social distance the CDC recommends?

I guess only time will tell how this thing plays out. This virus continues to affect children and young adults much more commonly than typical flu viruses.  According to The Washington Post, there were more than 80 outbreaks in camps this summer in more than 40 states.  Officials estimate that more than 1 million Americans have been infected. The fear is that with the cooler, drier temperatures that accompany the fall season, the number of cases will increase rapidly as schools reopen in the next week.

In a statement issued by global outplacement firm, Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., Chief Executive Officer John A. Challenger said, “The worry is that the business community will be slow to prepare for a widespread outbreak. For many, the cost of proactive measures is too high for something that may not escalate to pandemic proportions.”

Nancy Schuman is a vice president at Lloyd Staffing, headquartered in Melville, and is the author of seven how-to books on career guidance and job-search techniques. Lloyd Staffing offers temporary, contract and full-time employment services on a regional and national basis. Send your career-related questions to nschuman@longislandpress.com.