Excerpt:
The number of people off work because of coughs, colds and flu is three-times higher than normal for the time of year, intensifying fears that businesses will struggle to cope with a full-blown swine flu pandemic.
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Sir Liam Donaldson, the government’s chief medical officer, indicated this week that as many as one in five workers could be absent at the peak of a pandemic. However, annual data gathered by the CMI for the Cabinet Office show that only 43 per cent of companies believe they are well or moderately prepared for such an outcome.
Petra Wilton, the CMI’s director of policy and research, said the lack of preparedness was part of a broader failure by companies to manage risk. “What we still don’t see is companies doing this properly,” she said. The equivalent of seven work days per 1,000 employees were lost to British business because of colds and flu on Tuesday, according to estimates by FirstCare, a consultancy that helps companies manage absentee rates. This compares with two days on the same day last year.
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