Many people forego the flu shot because they think they’ve waited too long. It’s mid-season, and they believe they might as well wait it out.

For employers, the same thing can happen. Maybe you’re calling around to different vendors, and you keep being told it’ll be a four- to six-week wait. You’re wondering if it’s even worth it to bring flu shots into your workplace this year.

The short answer? ABSOLUTELY.

While a late flu shot isn’t necessarily ideal, it’s better than no flu shot at all. And it can help to keep your workforce healthy in the long run.

You know the story. One employee gets sick, and all the others are soon to follow. An office environment is just the perfect place for an outbreak of a cold or the flu.

But that story isn’t inevitable. There are things you can do to stay healthy during cold and flu season—and things you can do to be sure you have a healthy workforce at your company.

To help you fight cold and flu season, we’ve compiled a bunch of resources for you. We’ve got them all in one place in our new survival guide.

Your office space is the definition of close quarters. Everyone is in the same space, sharing equipment and generally spending their days together.

That means when one person gets sick, it won’t be long until everyone else has caught the bug too. In a matter of days, you could have an office epidemic on your hands.

If you start to notice an outbreak of the flu—or any illness, for that matter—there are some things you can do to make sure you’re still able to do business efficiently out of your office.

When it comes to staying healthy during flu season, people are generally super complacent. They don’t take action. And many people don’t think it’s very important.

Why is that? Why are people so willing to take their chances against the flu, rather than taking some steps to prevent it?

Well there isn’t just one answer. In fact, flu season has a lot of different factors that can lead to complacency and inaction. It’s basically a perfect storm.

Flu season is quickly approaching. Now is as good a time as ever to talk about your corporate policy on taking sick days.

If you don’t have a policy for sick days, you need to make one! Whether your policy is new or old, it’s important you spend some time communicating it to your employees. Make sure they understand exactly what the rules are as we head into high-risk seasons like flu season.

Every year, there are two opposing sides that emerge during flu season. There are people who support the flu shot. And then there are people who don’t—so basically they support the flu.

We think it’s about time you picked a side. To make that a little easier—and to help you choose the right side—we’ve put together a brand new ebook. You can download it here to learn more before choosing your side.

There are two primary types of flu virus that circulate each year and cause the office epidemics you’ve come to dread—Influenza A and Influenza B. Experts and flu shot creators have come up with a variety of options to help the public avoid both types of the flu.

The two primary umbrellas under which those options fall are trivalent and quadrivalent vaccines. Trivalent flu vaccine protects against three strains of the flu—the two Influenza A strains predicted to circulate most and the one Influenza B strain predicted to circulate most.

Quadrivalent vaccine protects against four strains of the flu—the two Influenza A strains predicted to circulate most and the two Influenza B strains predicted to circulate most. Essentially quadrivalent flu shots offer the same coverage as trivalent plus coverage against one more strain of Influenza B. Obviously that’s a bit wider coverage, and therefore a bit better protection.

How early is too early to start your corporate conversation about flu shots? Well, it depends who you’re talking to. Honestly, there are people who talk about flu shots all year long.

Your role as the flu shot coordinator where you work is to figure out when it’s your turn to jump in on their conversations. You know you need to protect your workforce in the fall, but how early should your planning start.

It seems there are more flu shot options now than there have ever been before. That makes sense because of the scientific advances we continue to make every year. We know more about the flu virus than we ever have before.

The variety of flu shot options is also a product of the flu vaccine market and the society that market serves. The market is currently shifting towards the new, scientifically-supported flu shot options. They haven’t necessarily let go of older, more traditional options yet because they still work. And they’re still valuable!

Hygiene is important all year long, but it’s especially important during flu season. That’s because the flu can spread from person to person by germs left behind on shared objects. That’s why when someone comes to work sick, it won’t be long until you have an office epidemic on your hands.

Some places are more common hotspots for germs than other places. In your office, that includes anything that is shared or touched frequently. This means things like:

• Sink faucet handles
• Microwave door handles
• Fridge door handles
• Any other door handles
• Light switches
• Desk equipment like keyboards and phones
• Coffee pot handles
• Table tops
• Elevator or vending machine buttons