Virtual Working To Combat Productivity Loss from Flu

Operating virtually is becoming ever more important for small businesses. Over the past decade, companies working from virtual offices have received many benefits and advantages over their brick and mortar counterparts. From surviving the downturn after the dotcom era as well as our recent recession, to reaping in the benefits of energy conservation and low overhead, small businesses operating virtually have gained many advantages to shield them from the storm.

Today, issues such as the Pandemic of the H1N1 flu are challenging employers, especially small businesses, who have been stringent in their sick leave policy and who realize the negative impact that flu can have on their productivity.

According to the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, tens of millions of people, or nearly 40 percent of workers in America receive no paid sick leave. With the H1N1 flu spreading across the country, this statistic takes on added importance. If workers can’t afford to take time off, the flu has a better chance of spreading through workplaces and even schools. Kids are showing up sick because parents can’t be home with them. Even some companies that provide paid sick days have policies that make it difficult to call in sick, like giving demerits each time someone misses a day.

Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute, said H1N1 had spurred an attitude shift throughout corporate America.

As legislation is working feverishly on enforcing paid sick leave for all businesses so as to stop the spread of H1N1, companies can begin to look at ways to help their employees be able to stay home with sick kids, or fully recover from the flu by setting them up to work virtually from home.

By offering the flexibility to work from home, small businesses can reap the benefits of continued productivity despite facing flu epidemics. Now, without having to invest large sums of money to build a VPN infrastructure, or invest in IT and software maintenance, small businesses can provide VPN-like features to their employees for a low monthly fee with Nomadesk. Nomadesk is a virtual file server that allows employees to access their work from anywhere, anytime. Documents are encrypted, saved and backed up both locally and on the way to the cloud, making it seamless for employees to work from home.

Other tools such as Skype and WebEx allow employees to participate in company meetings from home, giving them the ability to be face-to-face if they choose. So, for a nominal investment in technology, companies can add some insurance to their livelihood, even when fear of H1N1 loom.