Modesto Bee Article

By Marijke Rowland, Modesto Bee Staff Writer
last updated: September 22, 2009


Modesto Bee - At Clayton’s in Modesto, employees routinely practice the simple precautions of washing hands frequently and using hand sanitizer. (Ted Benson/The Modesto Bee)

Many area businesses are approaching the coming flu season with lots of Purell, a little lecturing and loads of crossed fingers.

With the spectre of a widespread swine flu outbreak looming this winter, a recent Harvard School of Public Health study suggests many American businesses are unprepared for the possible fallout.

Northern San Joaquin Valley business owners believe there is a fine line between being prepared and being panicked.

"I tend to look at the glass as half full," said Tammy Maisetti, a co-owner of Clayton's and Tresetti's restaurants in downtown Modesto. "Our focus always has been of how we handle things. Because we're in the public, it's about that constant awareness. But that is there without the swine flu."

Between Clayton's, Tresetti's, the Tiki Lounge and Gallo Center for the Arts concessions serv- ices, Maisetti said she has at least 50 regular employees, with more on call.

Her workers handle food and drinks regularly, she said, and already practice many of the recommended precautions -- washing hands frequently, making hand sanitizers available and sneezing into a sleeve.

Experts say one basic key to avoiding catastrophe this flu season is to talk with employees about how the H1N1 virus is spread and how it can be prevented.

"First and foremost, just make your employees aware of the health issues, how they can stay healthy, the vaccines available," said Peter Johnson, director of the Westgate Center for Management Development/Institute for Family Business at the University of the Pacific in Stockton.

"It's getting back to the common sense stuff, things your mom used to tell you. Wash your hands, keep public places clean," Johnson said. "The advantage (of a small business) is it's easy to get your eight, 12, 30 employees together for a company meeting than it is in a larger company."

Merryhill School Principal Sheila Yarbrough said she has talked with her 14 teachers about flu prevention.

"I'm pushing good hygiene, good health," she said. "I'm telling them to sleep well, don't push it. We're washing our hands more than ever before."

But Johnson says hygiene isn't all that businesses should be concerned with. They should also be prepared for the possibility of large-scale worker absences.

"I think the biggest challenge for small businesses is that they don't have as many resources as the larger firms," he said. "There is not as much leeway when some kind of disease comes in and takes out a quarter of their employees. It could have a major impact because small businesses tend to be closer to that break point. They don't make as much profit, so they don't have as much (reserve) to fall back on in these kinds of cases."

The Harvard survey, in which human resources officers at more than 1,000 randomly selected businesses across the United States were interviewed, found that two-thirds of the companies questioned said they could not maintain normal operations if half their workers were out for two weeks.

"What we found is that a minority of businesses have started some sort of emergency planning," said Robert Blendon, a professor of health policy and leader of the project, sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Most, I don't think, have thought through the implications of something so widespread."

The Stanislaus County Health Services Agency refers businesses to guidelines from the state.

"Businesses should have a plan for employees and prepare for when employees are sick, and also to take care of themselves and their family members," said Phoebe Leung, the agency's assistant director.

Plans should include keeping an on-call or temporary worker list and cross-training employees.

"If you are a small business, you don't want everyone to be so unique and specialized that they don't know what the other person does," Johnson said. "Spend time training them to do other jobs. That way they'll learn more and also be more valuable employees."

Modesto-based bus company Storer Transportation Service, which employs some 400 workers, has had a long-standing policy of cross-training. Company vice president Steven Fernandes said all of the managers, himself included, are licensed drivers who could take over a route in a pinch.

"We've all cross-trained," he said. "We are following our standard operating procedure and have a standard on-call list for substitutes."

The company is following the California Department of Public Health's six-page kindergarten through 12th-grade guidelines for flu prevention and exposure.

The county's largest private employer, E.&J. Gallo Winery of Modesto, has given workers updated information on flu symptoms and the importance of staying home when sick.

"We take swine flu very seriously, and we are providing the appropriate information to our employees so we can attempt to limit the spread of this virus both at work and at home," said Susan Hensley, vice president for strategic planning and corporate communications.

The federal government and CDC have published an H1N1 tool kit for businesses. (See box on Page B-4 for Web addresses.)

The Harvard study suggests that employers should relax their sick leave policies during the flu season.

The survey found that about three-quarters of businesses offer paid sick leave for some employees, but just 35 percent offer paid leave for workers who need to stay home to take care of sick family members or children forced to stay home if schools are closed.

The survey found nearly half of all companies required a doctor's note before granting someone sick leave, and about 70 percent required a note before someone can return to work.

The CDC is suggesting that companies waive that rule during a flu pandemic to relieve strain on overworked doctors' offices, said agency spokesman Glen Nowak.

Any sick employee should be encouraged to stay home. Although many workers consider coming in sick a badge of honor, this season it could do considerably more harm than good.

"If there are sick employees, we surely don't want them coming in, and not just because of the swine flu," said restaurateur Maisetti. "We don't want them to pass any illness on at all. My floor manager at Tresetti's is great about saying, 'Nah, don't come in tonight. We don't want to catch it because we all need to work and make money.' "

Workers who are sick or have to stay home with a sick child can still be productive by telecommuting when applicable.

Johnson said implementing H1N1 prevention plans can help small businesses this flu season and through the year.

"I think if you do these things, your business will be much stronger," he said, "regardless if you have anything major come along like swine flu."

Bee staff writer John Holland and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Bee staff writer Marijke Rowland can be reached at mrowland@modbee.com or 578-2284.