Sickness absence is one of the most difficult challenges a business will face, and the number of lost days caused by sickness absence is a huge cost a business has to manage. Flu is one of the most common causes of sickness absence and given the size of this issue and that the flu season is a predictable period of time each year (the peak is usually between December and March), it is essential that a progressive business is thinking about how to manage this and how to mitigate the losses and disruption caused by flu.  

Flu causes employee absence every year and can also impact on employee performance, and given there are new variants of the flu virus every year, a forward-thinking business should have plans in place for how to deal with an upcoming flu season. So here is what you should be doing in preparation for the 2025/26 flu season: 

Good Hygiene Practice 

You should be promoting good hygiene habits including the provision of hand sanitiser and hand washing facilities. You should ensure that workspaces have plenty of ventilation or air conditioning and people have space to work in and there are not too many people working in close proximity to each other. This all helps maintain clean air and to reduce the transmission of the flu virus between people.  

Give people good information 

Make sure you are aware of the latest strand of the flu virus and how it might specifically affect people. Some strains have slightly different symptoms to others. People often need to be educated on best practice to avoid flu or when you have flu, and you should therefore make sure you provide good information and advice.  

Presenteeism Policy

Enforce a presenteeism policy, which means people shouldn’t feel pressured into attending work if they are showing flu symptoms. This will impact on their performance levels at work and can pass the virus on to more people. If you are promoting a culture where people feel guilty for being off work ill, this can ultimately be more damaging and costly to the business as it will create more sickness absence in the long run. You should also ensure employees are aware of sickness absence policies in terms of how absence should be reported, how much time they can take off and any arrangements for flexible working at home, if applicable.  

Minimise the Impact

The main cost to the business in terms of sickness absence is the drop in productivity and the impact on other members of the workforce. You can mitigate this by cross-training employees to ensure critical functions are always covered, and promoting a culture where people are happy to cover and compensate for other colleagues. This could include perks and incentives as long as the process is fair and inclusive. Flexible working is another way that absence can be covered and the impact minimised, enabling people to work from home or to amend working hours to be more manageable can help to reduce the impact of absenteeism. 

Promote Flu Vaccination 

Vaccination against the flu virus is the most effective way of reducing its impact. This is because: 

  • On-site flu clinics offer a convenient vaccination process where the impact on productivity is minimised and employee take-up is maximised. 
  • Valued – Employees feel like the business values their wellbeing and this helps with a culture of engagement and inclusivity.  
  • Current – An annual vaccination programme will be designed to administer a vaccine to meet the very latest strain of the flu virus, so the employee always has the best chance of avoiding the current flu strain in circulation. The 2025/26 flu variant is predicted to be one of the worst in a decade, meaning it is even more important to be prepared this time around.  
  • Health management – Qualified healthcare staff will carry out the vaccination and can help and support employees who may also have other health issues or conditions.   

Flu Vouchers

As an alternative to on-site flu clinics, some organisations prefer to issue flu vouchers. This enables employees to have a flu vaccination shot at a selection of participating pharmacies at their convenience. This mean that if an employee doesn’t want to have the vaccination at work, or if the on-site clinic and the disruption to operations can’t be adequately managed, employees still get a free flu vaccine off-site and at a time of their convenience. 

Manage The New Flu Season With Flu Vaccinations  

Businesses have no excuse for not planning ahead for the 2025/26 flu season, and flu vaccination programmes and flu vouchers are the best way to manage this. Contact FluClinic2You and let us help you beat flu and reduce your sickness absence impact.