Small businesses can minimize the impact of H1N1 flu in the workplace by encouraging sick employees to stay home and by having a business continuity plan in place, according to small business CEO and U.S. Chamber Small Business Council member Harold Jackson.

"If I leave the committee with a single point, it is that absenteeism will be the central issue that businesses wrestle with during this pandemic," Jackson told the members of the House Committee on Small Business on September 9. "Being prepared to respond to an emergency is in a business' own interest; it is also a shared responsibility of both business and government to become engaged in preparation and prevention efforts."

Jackson, of Buffalo Supply, a Lafayette, Colorado, 15-employee business specializing in the sale and distribution medical and surgical equipment and supplies, said he has followed recommendations put forth by the U.S. Chamber to prepare for a potentially severe H1N1 flu outbreak during the fall flu season.

Among those recommendations:

·         Communicate with employees about H1N1 to increase awareness and education.

·         Regularly clean key boards, desks, file cabinets, and other equipment.

·         Install hand-sanitation stations.

·         Provide free seasonal flu shots to employees and request H1N1 shots when they become available.

·         Purchase additional copies of software to allow employees to work from home.

·         Consider limiting travel should the pandemic worsen.

For more information on H1N1, go to www.uschamber.com/pandemic. Revisit the site later this month for a soon-to-be-released Chamber guide on H1N1 flu preparation titled "It's Not Flu as Usual."