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    The Storefront
    November 25, 2009

     
     

    How businesses are beating swine flu


    Posted at 11:22 am by Amy Rolph

    Businesses are trying to beat swine flu -- the posters hanging around offices advocating for washing your hands and staying home when sick are evidence of that.

    Handshakes are out. (Might I suggest a friendly elbow bump when meeting someone new?)


    Creative Commons from Wikimedia Commons

    The Associated Press compiled a list of strategies employers are using to limit the spread of swine flu in their workforce. They don't mention the elbow bump, but there are some other good ideas.

    • Posting information about the swine flu, including tips on hygiene and overall healthy behavior aimed at preventing infection, at the work site or on the company intranet.

    • Giving hand sanitizers and disinfectant wipes to employees or placing them in major traffic areas.

    • Limiting in-person meetings and instead opting for teleconferences.

    • Encouraging social distancing, such as not shaking hands.

    • Cross-training employees to cover critical functions.

    • Planning to shift work from hard-hit locations to other facilities.

    • Stocking up on protective face masks.

    • Stepping up office facility cleaning, particularly in “high-touch” areas.

    • Telling workers to stay home if they are ill, generally until a day after their fever breaks.

    • Allowing telecommuting for staff members who must stay home to care for relatives sick with swine flu.

    • Drills to verify that computer systems can handle a sharp increase in those working remotely.



    Tell us what your workplace is doing to beat flu season.

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    Abolishing the Telecommuter Tax to Stem the Spread of Swine Flu
    To help employers use telecommuting to limit the spread of the swine flu, Congress must pass H.R. 2600 - the Telecommuter Tax Fairness Act. This bi-partisan bill would remove a significant obstacle to telework: the telecommuter tax.

    Under a state tax rule known as the "convenience of the employer" rule, a state can tax nonresidents who choose to telecommute sometimes to their in-state employers, not just on the wages they earn on their in-state days, but also on the wages they earn on the days they work from home - in a different state. Because telecommuters' states of residence can also tax the income they earn at home, many Americans are double taxed for telecommuting.

    The threat of a second state tax bill is a compelling reason for an employee with a sick child to reject the telework option. When a worker can't afford the extra tax for staying home, she must send her child to school and head to the office, ignoring the health risk the child poses to classmates and the health risk she poses to co-workers.

    By enacting the Telecommuter Tax Fairness Act and removing the tax deterrent to telecommuting, Congress and the President would strengthen our ability to cope with a public health crisis. The time for Washington to act is now. For more information on the Telecommuter Tax Fairness Act and swine flu, please see "Ban the Telecommuter Tax," available at http://undress4success.com/ban-telecommuter-tax.
    Nicole Belson Goluboff | Nov 27, 2009 5:07 am | 0 replies | Request removal

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