A recent nation-wide survey by the Harvard School of Public Health found that most businesses believe they will suffer significant operational difficulties in the event of a widespread H1N1 outbreak.

Roughly 56 percent of businesses surveyed believe they would not encounter severe operational problems if 30 percent of their workforce were absent for two weeks, according to the survey conducted by the Harvard Opinion Research Program at HSPH. But when faced with losing half of their workforce for two weeks, only one-third of businesses reported feeling prepared.

“One of the key findings...suggest[s] that businesses are vulnerable, particularly to widespread absenteeism,” said Gillian K. SteelFisher, a research scientist and the assistant director of the research program.

Although 75 percent of American businesses offer paid sick leave for employees, a significantly smaller percentage of businesses provide employees paid leave to take care of sick family members or children when schools or daycares close, according to SteelFisher.

Employees whose jobs do not offer paid leave to care for sick family and children may face “serious morale problems on how to cope with financial issues,” said Robert J. Blendon, director of the research program and a professor of health policy and political analysis at the School of Public Health.

The survey also found that almost half of businesses providing paid sick leave require employees to present physician notes, a proportion Blendon finds troubling.

“Doctors would have difficulty caring for actual sick people if their offices are swamped by hundreds of people waiting in line for a sick note,” he said.

Though Blendon acknowledged that businesses are facing an economic recession, he emphasized the importance of preparing for the flu season in advance.

“It is critical that businesses review their policies in case of an epidemic,” Blendon said.

“There is a share of businesses worrying about such issues now, and hopefully the results of this survey will provide an impetus for others,” he added.

The survey of 1,057 randomly selected businesses nationwide was conducted by SSRS/ICR—an independent research company. It was the fourth in an ongoing series of inquiries into the effects of H1N1 flu in America and was the first of those to focus on the flu’s potential impact on businesses.

The surveys are funded by a cooperative agreement between HSPH, the Centers for Disease Control, and the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative.

—Staff writer Helen X. Yang can be reached at hxyang@fas.harvard.edu.

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