Flu Season Arrives – Division Pushes Prevention

As leaves begin to fall and autumn puts a nip in the air, textile service companies should be aware that flu season also begins as early as this month before peaking in January and February.

To help get out in front of this challenge, while at the same time emphasizing the importance of “wellness” among its 257 employees, Division Laundry & Cleaners, San Antonio, TX, recently offered influenza inoculations to all staff – free of charge.

“We as a company feel that it is important to the general health of our team members and give those that might otherwise not have the opportunity to obtain the vaccine,” said Patricia Luna, Division vice president of administration. “The flu does affect many in this country, so if this can help prevent team members from becoming ill, we are in support of that.”

Luna said two rounds of flu shots were administered at the plant on Oct. 9 and 13. A total of 141 employees got the flu shots this year. That’s an increase over the 91 people who got them last year, she said.

Division President Patrick R. Garcia added that the flu virus can have a direct impact on operations. “Employees who get the flu will average five days out of work,” he said. That means that employees who aren’t sick have to work that much harder to ensure that he company’s healthcare linens are processed and delivered on time and with high quality.

The message is clear: Flu season is upon us, and companies should urge their employees to get vaccinated to keep them healthy this winter. If it’s feasible for companies to provide flu shots on-site, as Division and other companies are doing, that can enable them to go a step further in reducing the odds of service-related problems this winter related to employees taking sick days to cope with the flu. It also makes it less likely that employees will spread the flu virus to co-workers, family members and others in the community. To put it another way, wellness works.