Reading the paper while on the train this morning, I learned that the New York Health Department estimates that approximately 800,000 people were infected with H1N1 (more commonly known as the dreaded Swine Flu). As frightening as that statistic is, many of the major news outlets are running stories claiming the virus will be back in full force this coming fall and winter.

With this in mind, it is important for employees to begin researching when and where they can get the new vaccine soon to be available. It is also important for companies to use the resources at their finger tips to educate employees on the dangers of coming to work if they suspect they may have swine flu (or a comparable bug). They should also provide information on what time away from work employees are entitled, after all, a sick, unhealthy employee is not going to help the organization—providing time off to rest and get over the bug will benefit both the employee and the company in the long run.

Any one of the Learning @… packages is a great way to provide such information to employees. To demonstrate, I’ve put together a few more screen shots, specifically of the Learning @… policies and procedures section for you to look at (look up for the screen shots). Remember, these policies can be fully customized to fit the needs of your company—so when the deadly pandemic is finally brought back to manageable levels, the company can change them back to the “business as usual” policies and procedures.