Flu Jab Myths Busted: What Employers Should Communicate to Staff

Employers have a duty of care to protect the health and wellbeing of their employees, and that includes protection from influenza, or flu, which is one of the most common viruses in the UK and a major cause of workplace illness. Employers have an important responsibility to recognise the risks of contracting flu and the potential severity of the symptoms, and to communicate this effectively to their workforce alongside the importance of taking precautionary measures.

Flu is a major contributing factor to absenteeism and a business being impacted by a loss of productivity, but much more importantly it can have major health impacts on employees. On a global basis, the World Health Organisation has reported that there are around one billion cases of flu annually, and around 3-5 million of these are classed as ‘severe’. And there are between 290,000 – 650,000 fatalities around the world each year. Closer to home, the British Medical Journal reported that 2022/23 saw a five-year high in flu cases in England and Wales, with 15,000 fatalities reported. It is therefore essential that employers play their part in acknowledging the possible implications of contracting flu, take the necessary preventive measures and communicate this important focus to their workforce, and that includes dispelling a number of common myths.

Common myths surrounding flu

Traditionally there have been several popular misconceptions about flu, which can lead to people dramatically underestimating the importance of taking preventive measures such as the flu vaccine. Indeed, the vaccine is the main source of these misconceptions. Here we will look at the most common myths that are heard in and around workplaces, and will provide the information to enable employers to dispel these myths:

• The flu jab is harmful – The flu vaccine has been extensively tested and has to meet several different targets to ensure its safety, and before it is released into the public domain. Furthermore, this process has been the same for many years, so taking the flu vaccine is completely safe.
• I don’t need the flu jab, flu is just a bad cold – Flu is a much more serious illness than a common cold. The flu virus produces symptoms that are more intense and which can appear more rapidly. Flu can cause fever and body aches, while a cold usually develops much slower and the effects are typically quite mild. The flu virus is also linked to more severe health complications, such as respiratory illness, so if someone thinks the flu virus is not worth being protected against with the flu vaccine, the employer needs to explain these symptoms and some of the global and more local statistics relating to fatalities.
• I’ll get flu symptoms from having the vaccine – It is impossible to contract the flu virus from the flu vaccine, because the adult flu vaccine doesn’t contain any live viruses. It is true that a small number of people may experience mild symptoms, such as a headache or muscle ache, but this is caused by the body’s immune system creating a reaction to the vaccine, and these symptoms will be mild and will soon pass.
• I’ve had the flu vaccine before, I don’t need it again – Unfortunately there is no one-shot cure for the flu virus and this is because the virus has a slightly different genetic make-up every year, and so when a new flu season comes around you are effectively fighting against a new strain of the virus and a new ailment. This means that previous flu jabs will be ineffective against these new strains and the best way to protect yourself is to get a new jab on an annual basis.

Ultimately, it is important that an employer communicates that:

• The flu jab is perfectly safe.
• The flu jab will protect a person from a virus that can lead to serious health implications such as respiratory illness, pneumonia, hospitalisation and even death.
• The flu jab will not lead to you contracting the flu virus and you won’t experience severe flu symptoms.
• The flu jab needs to be taken every year in order provide the most effective protection against the current strain of the virus.

An employer can also emphasise the importance of the flu virus with other messaging, such as:

• The flu jab will also protect loved ones and work colleagues from contracting the virus.
• Information and literature is available to supplement knowledge on the flu vaccine.
• The flu vaccine is available to all employees in a convenient and accessible way.

The employer can make these communications more effective by supplying plenty of accessible information, using visuals, using multiple communication channels and asking people in respected management positions to promote the messaging also.

Making the flu vaccine available to all with FluClinic2You

Employers can use a service such as FluClinic2You in order to develop a robust and effective flu vaccination programme. This can be done by having a clinic on site which administers the vaccine to employees at a convenient point during the working day. And the employer can also offer a flu vouchers scheme, whereby employees are given a flu voucher which they can take to a participating pharmacy at a time of their convenience, in exchange for a flu jab. Many employees prefer the flu voucher scheme as it enables them to have the flu jab at a time of their convenience, rather than while at work.

However you choose to make the flu vaccine accessible within the workplace, and you can combine both schemes effectively, contact FluClinic2You and we can help you deliver an effective flu vaccination programme.