"If You're Sick, Stay Home!” That might be the most prudent motto you can float around your organization in the coming months. If you think absenteeism is expensive, wait until you see the damage "presenteeism" can do if contagious employees insist on working.

The cold and flu season can result in a serious financial drain on your company's bottom line. A University of Michigan study found that the common cold alone socks the U.S. economy for $40 billion a year. This includes the costs of treating sick people, as well as lost income and productivity when employees take time off to care for themselves, their children or parents.

To help your company plan ahead, click here for a printable, comprehensive Business Pandemic Flu Checklist from the federal Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Discourage Heroes     Some people refuse to give in to a cold or flu and heroically insist on coming to work to put in a full day.      Contact with healthy individuals can send them to their sick beds. Then, conditions become worse for staff members who have to cover for the increasing number of absent colleagues.     If your company has a policy of disciplining employees who take off too many sick days, you might consider suspending it or at least easing it during the flu season, rather than risk an epidemic.     One option: Some businesses institute a sick leave bank where employees who have accumulated a great deal of time off contribute some of it so others can make withdrawals without suffering penalties.     However, it's a good idea to set sick bank guidelines. For example, you can require that an employee must accumulate a minimum number of sick leave hours before donating to the bank. You can also consider a policy allowing staff members to carry unused sick leave over into later years.

But your company doesn’t have to fall victim to an epidemic. The first step toward minimizing the effects of colds and flu on your business is to recognize how contagious the influenza virus is and the main reasons colds and flu are spread.

• Stress weakens the immune system and makes employees more vulnerable.

• Coughing and sneezing are the most common form of contagion since the virus is spread by airborne droplets.

• Failing to wash hands frequently can result in the spread of germs. It may take a day or even a week before flu symptoms appear, during which time a person can infect numerous others by sneezing or coughing on their hands and not washing them often.

• Shared surfaces and objects can also become contaminated. The virus can survive up to 48 hours on such nonporous surfaces as telephones, keyboards, doorknobs, kitchen countertops and coffeepot handles. This poses the risk of an epidemic sweeping through your workplace.

• Heroics and fear can come into play. Some employees simply won’t give in to sickness and insist on dragging themselves to work, while others are afraid of discipline if they take too many sick days (See right-hand box).

Knowing these causes, you can take the steps needed to contain the spread of illness in the workplace:

1.

Encourage immunization (when possible). Vaccines are particularly important for those in high risk groups. Recent years have seen shortages of seasonal flu shots. But the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that for the 2006-2007 flu season, the supply of vaccines looks very positive. For those who can't get a flu shot or choose not to, there is a nasal spray option that is slightly more expensive but can be nearly as effective.

Some insurers and health care companies cover immunization, but if your company has a self-insured plan, you might consider covering the costs. Weigh the expense against the potential loss in profits and productivity if the flu attacks your organization.

The CDC states that the best time to get immunized is October or November. But vaccines as late as December or January can also be effective since most incidences of the flu occur in or after January. Remind employees to think ahead, since the antibodies in the flu vaccine take about two weeks to develop.

2.

Reduce stress and educate your staff about dealing with job-related and personal pressures. This can be helpful in cases where stress levels are high because of absenteeism.

3.

Send sick employees home and tell them to stay there if they're ill.

4.

Clean shared surfaces with 70 percent isopropyl rubbing alcohol. Fill small plastic spray bottles with the liquid and place them in each work area. Encourage employees to clean shared objects such as keyboards and telephones regularly. Have conference rooms cleaned between meetings.

5.

Promote hygiene by reminding employees that clean hands are an important weapon against contagion. It takes only one contact with a dirty hand to spread disease throughout a workplace. Some companies place containers of antibacterial hand gel in strategic places, but this isn't necessary. Good old fashioned hand washing with regular soap and hot water works just as well.

Tricky business: Of course, tackling the topic of personal hygiene can require finesse. Employees don't want to be told that their poor habits might be infecting others. Health posters can go a long way toward that goal without causing offense. The Centers for Disease Control Web site has downloadable posters that your organization can print and display in appropriate places such as bathrooms, break rooms, and bulletin boards.

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