HR departments take lead on swine flu pandemic preparations

HR departments at organisations up and down the country are leading the way in preparing for a swine flu pandemic.

At Lloyds Pharmacy, HR director Fiona Morgan has been monitoring in detail, by region and area, the number of cases among the firm’s 17,000 staff. Employees are being urged not to come to work “unless they feel completely well” while at head office they have put up antibacterial hand-washers, removed all paper hand-drying material and introduced more regular cleaning of desks, keyboards and phones. In stores, they have launched a dedicated intranet site to update pharmacists with all the latest information and official advice, and created contingency staffing plans.
 

Language does not simply reflect what is going on in organisational life: it also influences what people think and what they do

Linda Holbeche, director of the Holbeche Partnership and visiting professor of HRM/OD at Cass Business School