Flu Prevention Update: While Employees Avoid Each Other, Some not Changing Behaviors
As flu season is fast reaching its peak, public health messages urging flu prevention are taking hold among workers, with more than 70 percent saying they've changed their behavior, according to a Tell It Now(SM) survey released by ComPsych Corporation. Almost half of employees have adopted an avoidance strategy, forgoing handshakes and the touching of workplace surfaces in order to stay healthy.
The workplace is an essential environment for encouraging people to stay healthy, said Dr. Richard A. Chaifetz, chairman and CEO of ComPsych. While the survey results are a good indication that employees are responding to public health advice, employers should take note of the nearly 30 percent who are not inclined to change health behavior even in the face of a pandemic.
Survey participants were asked: Has H1N1 (swine) flu made you more careful about protecting your health this year? If so, where is your primary focus? Participants responded:
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- Yes, I am more likely to wash my hands/avoid touching people or workplace surfaces (47 percent);
- Yes, I am more inclined to get a flu shot (16 percent);
- Yes, I am more likely to stay home/keep family members home if there are flu symptoms (8 percent); and
- No, my habits haven't changed (29 percent).
Source: ComPsych Corporation; www.compsych.com.
Reprinted with permission. © CCH
(Submitted Oct. 2009)
<p>According to survey results, employers should take note of the nearly 30 percent of employees not inclined to change behavior, even in the face of a pandemic.</p>
Flu Prevention Update: While Employees Avoid Each Other, Some not Changing Behaviors
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