Cold and flu season is here again. The winter months often bring a rise in rates of respiratory illnesses like COVID-19, RSV and the flu, and the CDC reports that this year will be no different. Preparing your team for the influx is critical to ensure that your hospital can provide quality care while also protecting workers from illness and burnout.
Looking for tips to keep your team safe this season? Here are six strategies to consider:
1. Create a hospital-wide vaccination campaign.
Yearly vaccines are a tried-and-true practice for keeping staff and patients safe during the holiday season. Make vaccination easy and convenient by communicating clearly, answering questions or concerns, and providing multiple opportunities to get shots.
2. Provide yearly flu prevention training.
It’s never a bad idea to refresh your staff on best practices. Consider planning a cold and flu prevention session that goes over proper hygiene practices, symptoms to watch out for and steps to take if you start feeling bad.
3. Make good hygiene easy.
Place hand sanitizer in accessible areas throughout the hospital so that employees can wash up at any time. Also ensure that all staff is trained in the proper use of PPE, including masks, gloves, and gowns, and that your hospital is well-stocked with enough PPE for the season.
4. Communicate clearly about sick leave expectations.
It’s especially important to encourage staff to stay home if they are experiencing cold and flu symptoms. Often, staff may want to power through so that they can help the team during busy season, or to combat workforce shortages, but it’s important that they take time to recover before returning to work. This not only stops the spread of illness, it also protects from worker burnout and gives staff a chance to recuperate before returning to work.
5. Up your cleaning game.
When cold and flu is in the air, you can never have too many disinfectant wipes on hand. While your hospital is likely kept spotless by janitorial services already, it’s a good idea to give some extra cleaning love to high-transmission areas, including door handles, pens, keyboards, and other frequently-touched surfaces.
6. Whenever possible, lift staff spirits.
Sometimes, the best medicine is a welcoming environment. It can be tough to keep energy high when patient numbers are surging and illness is in the air. While we acknowledge this difficulty, we also hope you take every opportunity to create community with your team. When staff feels supported and taken care of, they are more likely to feel a sense of pride and ownership in their work, which can lead to improved performance, better outcomes, and less instances of burnout.
The cold and flu season is never fun, but we hope that these tips can help you and your team stick together during the months ahead. From our team to yours, thank you for keeping our communities safe and well during the winter season.
Lauren Bencekovich is the founder and Managing Director of Lauren Recruiting Group, a boutique healthcare recruiting firm that matches healthcare executive candidates with hospitals and health organizations. Looking for an outstanding C-Suite candidate? Visit our contact page to schedule a 30-minute intro call with one of our recruiting team members. We look forward to connecting and matching you with a top-tier candidate!