Question 1. Current Events - Health and the Workplace
When you are an employee, we often worry a lot about our project deadlines, client meetings, work schedules,
and so on. We focus on these concerns so much that we often
overlook the most important thing at work, our personal health. The link between your health and the
workplace, especially during flu season, is super important.
Just from October 2019 to February 2020, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), they identified
over 34 to 49 million cases of flu illnesses. Every year, on average, this racks up $10.4 billion dollars in costs
in hospitalizations and outpatient care. For workplaces, this also creates a heavy cost as productivity takes a
hit as employees stay home to battle their symptoms. According to findings by Challenger, Gray, and
Christmas Inc., 15% of the US population was down and out with the flu in 2019, and those 20 million workers
lost an average of about 32 hours of work time while sick. With average wage amounts being around $26 an
hour, this meant businesses lost nearly $17 billion in earnings for 2019 alone. As employees and employers,
we have a responsibility to watch out for each other's health. Some ways to avoid these heavy economic costs
are by doing simple, practical things like getting the flu vaccine every year, washing your hands thoroughly,
staying home and avoiding others if one begins to feel sick, sanitizing and cleaning your work environment,
etc.
Why is your personal health so important to the workplace?