In August of this year, a Harris/Decima survey by the Bank of Montreal revealed only one in 10 small-business owners was prepared for an H1N1 outbreak. The poll of 807 small-business owners who have fewer than 50 employees found that while half had some kind of contingency plan for emergencies, 82 per cent did not have a plan to deal with an emerging health problem, and 90 per cent had not addressed H1N1 flu.

Small businesses are especially susceptible to the negative economic impacts of a flu pandemic. Planning can help offset business losses, and protect your business and your employees. This planning can include everything from cross training of employees and putting in telecommuting practices to seeking specialty business insurance where significant staff shortages could severely impact the business.

An outbreak such as H1N1 flu does not change employer responsibilities for workplace health and safety and for meeting employment standards. As an employer, you have a duty to take every reasonable precaution to protect the health and safety of your employees.

The Ontario Ministry of Labour has provided guidelines for employers:

• Determine the measures you need to put in place to protect your workers from infectious diseases, including the H1N1 flu virus;
• Be prepared to discuss options with your employees who may be concerned for their health in the workplace;
• You need to inform, instruct and supervise employees; communicate the measures put in place to protect their health and safety.

In Ontario, employers are not required to provide unpaid or paid sick leave, or paid benefit plans for sickness to employees. It is left at the employer's discretion within its workplace policies. The exception is employers that regularly employ at least 50 employees or more where the employees are entitled to unpaid emergency leave in certain situations under the Employment Standards Act, which includes for the employee's illness.

If paid sick leave is not an option, consider allowing employees to use vacation time, time off in lieu of overtime pay, sick days, or alternate work arrangements to encourage them to remain at home when they are experiencing H1N1 symptoms. Short term disability policies may also provide benefits for employees who are required to be absent from work due to the H1N1 virus.

One final note: Medical documentation confirming that the employee cannot attend work is usually requested after 3 days to manage the risk of abuse, however recently the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) is suggesting flexibility in this request as it is taking physicians away from patients to write the notes.

Two additional sources of information are Ontario Ministry of Labour and Canada Newswire.

Just like with your family, employer health issues are best handled when you have enough information to make informed decisions and you have established a plan to deal with unexpected emergencies, like a major flu outbreak. Preparation will reduce the need to panic and will allow you and your team to more easily handle the situation.

So, be informed and be ready. Hope for the best, but have a plan for the worst.

If you have any questions about how to prepare your organization for the H1N1 or any other HR issues, do not hesitate to contact me at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 613-727-1230 ext 224.

Marianne Oakes is an HR Specialist with the OTUS Group, a team of business advisors who help make your business stronger by protecting all your assets, including your people.